Daughters, Sisters, Granddaughters ~ its all relative… I hope these pictures show how lovely these people are, and what a wonderful day it was.


Daughters, Sisters, Granddaughters ~ its all relative… I hope these pictures show how lovely these people are, and what a wonderful day it was.


I rarely get the opportunity to photograph a wedding completely in black & white, and for it to work, the event needs to be wonderfully elegant without indicators of what year it is. This wedding in Port Gamble was just that. The bride’s dress was stunning and the groom was classically dashing, poised in front of a small church right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. All photographs I take can either be color or b & w, so I did choose to leave a few bright colorful images in the mix because they were impossible to strip of their color. It was the type of wedding that makes a photographer look very very good.
I was hired for five exciting hours of song, dance and celebration. What wedding is complete without a
10 person Mariachi band serenading the bride and groom as they take their first steps down the aisle
(Mariachi Ayutla). If that wasn’t enough, the night bloomed into dance with the band Jimador Norteno. People
came from afar to be at there on a beautiful late September Saturday. Everyone was gorgeous ~
I flew out to Milwaukee and met up with Jaysun who was just returning from a shoot in Paris. He and Jos run
“the photographers” out of Portland Oregon. After a warm rainy rehearsal dinner Friday night, we all were able
to enjoy a rain-free wedding day, complete with outdoor frolicking. (Jaysun is the good looking fellow in the fedora)
The west coast is such an amazing place. Take this couple for instance. Many generations away from their
European roots, they are constantly working to build tradition and ceremony back into their lives and the
lives of many around them. Active participants in the Portland art scene, the bride as a professional dancer
and the groom as an installation artist – their wedding became somewhat of an art festival, a la Burningman,
which they attend along with many of their close friends. I was there for three days covering the events as
they unfolded. My dream is that people can get some feel of this event from my work here, as I was
completely entranced by depth of this ceremony. See all the photos at the password protected site here.
View all the photos at the password protected site: click here
Architects by trade, ceremonial lovers by rainfall – this couple and their family experienced a photographers
dream scenario – amazing weather and willing participants. In a downpour, we all gathered in cars at discovery
park and with the grooms background in cloud whispering, we had become aware that it would soon stop, and
four of us headed up the trail to the old chapel. Soon the sun broke and the rest of the family followed. Everyone
was smiling from ear to ear. Raindrops are in many of the photographs if you look close. We all caravanned
to the Woodland Park Zoo and gathered in an enormous beech tree grove. The rain stopped for good and a
huge rainbow graced the evening. What a delightful day, what delightful people. I have been making little videos
of each wedding – feel free to view this one’s below.
Not only did the guests wear wigs, but the dos were updated throughout the weekend, making the event a never
ending swirl of changing colorful characters. I have photographed weddings in the south, and a costumed wedding
here and there, but never both at the same time. New Orleans was a perfect setting for this, matching the
attendee’s sauciness with the city’s inherent love of individuality. The wedding extended over a few festive days,
and friends and family alike had smiles from ear to ear, day after day. As a side note, the grooms uncle made
the best meal I have ever had the honor to savor in my 18 years of photographing weddings. It was that good.

Another “best of all time” award goes to the bride for pulling off the most fantastic prank on the groom. To provide
a bit of background for the prank, the groom is a professional actor specializing in physical humor. Read “clown”.
Everything was normal before he kissed the bride, but when he began to look around after the kiss….
There were numerous evenings where the friends would saunter out into the night, hitting different
establishments. One particular stop had a lounge singer and the group gathered around the piano man
as the groom sang a lyric altered Julio Iglesias tune.

It happens, sometimes I attend weddings as a guest. My good friends John and Raney were married this May.
The Edgefield is expansive and pleased all involved. It didn’t hurt that the weather was a delight. Congrats you two!
Vashon Island – September
People came from afar to witness to vows of these two young lovers in the shade of the groom’s family forest. Vashon is only a few miles from Seattle, but its really a world away. Everything is slower – cell phones are nearly useless, the roads wind on forever and the ferry makes you feel like you are traveling to a far away island nation, which in ways you are. The couple had me photograph their engagement photos earlier in the summer and chose to have 7 hours of coverage for the wedding day. I arrived early to think about locations and meet to the wedding coordinator. The guests were treated to a cocktail hour in the rose garden and a full 10 member band. The moon shone brightly as people danced in the warmth of one of the summer’s last nights.