Question - What is your photographic style?

Answer - I do a combination of documentary and traditional portraiture.

Question - What is the difference between documentary and traditional portraiture?

Answer - Documentary photography is photojournalistic and re-active, that is, something is happening and I’m there to capture it. My job is to be an unobtrusive witness and get as many candid details of the people and the event as possible. Some creative posing can be part of that. Traditional portraiture requires more interaction between the ones being photographed and the photographer. For these special, and perhaps once in a lifetime photos, the photographer is more pro-active, setting up creative poses of the people you want for group, family, and individual portraits as well as special bridal couple shots. Time is scheduled especially to do these pictures, usually before the ceremony.

Question - What if the bride and groom don’t want to see each other before the ceremony?

Answer - Then the portrait shots can be done after the ceremony. This can work well if we plan it well. However, as most couples prefer to be with their guests at their reception after the ceremony, and photos will take time away from that, we can compromise by arranging a special pre-ceremony window of time for the bride and groom to see each other for the first time and do some lovely photos of that special moment before all of the action starts. Usually, the couple appreciates this time of intimacy and connection before the ceremony and they are glad they decided to do it this way. It gives them a chance to feel each other’s loving support for the next few hours of center stage activity.

It is also much easier to gather the people wanted for the photos before the ceremony. Afterwards they tend to scatter into the crowd of other guests and activities.

Practically speaking, it saves time and money to do the portrait photos ahead of the ceremony.

If time and circumstance is not a consideration, then the photos can be scheduled after the ceremony.

Question - What if we want our photos to be taken at a special place away from the ceremony site?

Answer - As long as there is enough time scheduled and your bridal party and family members, etc. are well informed, then this can work out nicely. Alternatively, it could be done on a separate day.

Question - How long will it take?

Answer - It depends on the size and scope of your wedding day plans and the list of photos* you would like to have taken. We can go over that carefully together, either in person, or over the phone, in advance. By knowing the number of people involved, the distance away from the ceremony site etc., we can make a realistic time estimate. Some plans will require more time than others. I organize your picture list as efficiently and effectively as possible, given the information you provide me and, if possible, I visit the site beforehand to check out travel time, lighting and background possibilities.

*If you do not know exactly what photos you want, I can give you some ideas or direct you to a generic picture list. You can also collect photos from magazines, family and other sources that will help you with your list. I love to see what you want so I can fullfill your wishes. The more visual clues and descriptions you provide, the better. A well thought out list will give me a good idea of the amount of time you will need to get the photos you want.

Question - How do you charge?

Answer - I charge by the Package. I have four for you to choose from. Each has a photo credit which you can use in the way that is most advantagous to you. A non – refundable deposit will book your date and purchases your custom professional Elan black and silver leather album. Credit options include individual choices for presentation of your photos. In some cases traveling expenses are added on and, of course, tax.

Question - When do we pay?

Answer - After you pay your deposit, you can pay the full agreed upon amount anytime up to one month before the wedding day. If additional time is added on the day of the wedding, it will be billed at $200 per half hour. Your package choice will determine your photo credits and additional orders.

Question - How long does it take to get our photos?

Answer - As soon as your pictures are ready, I will call you and arrange a time for pick-up or delivery.Depending on my work load and the extent of your order, this can take up to 6-8 weeks during the busy season. I work in calendar order and like to get them to you as quickly as I can. I'm happy to send you a little email preview if you want, while you wait.

Question - What do we get?

Answer - See packages and ala carte service lists for details.

Question - Do you have any suggestions, ideas or advice about our pictures that we haven’t thought of?

Answer - Yes. Thank you for asking.

Careful contemplation and expert, experienced planning help will give you a more realistic and accurate idea of how your plans will turn out.

Imagine what it will be like for your guests who will be there to lovingly support you. How will they be accommodated? And what will be required of them in time and activity? Anticipate special needs for weather and seating, elderly participants, etc.

Who will be in charge of last minute details? For example, who will pin on the flowers before the photo session so that you are not paying photo fees while someone is looking for the corsages, or while someone is on a cell phone trying to locate one of the bridal party? Make sure those members of the family and bridal party expected for the photo session are informed of the time and place and that they have a photo list in advance. Its a big help to assign one person who knows everyone on your list to make sure they are there and ready.

Wedding days that are well planned and thoughtfully organized are more rewarding for everyone involved. Wedding plans infused with love and joy, humor and hope can be extraordinary events.

Did you schedule in extra time throughout the planning process for rest and proper nutrition? (I recommend you prepare yourself like an Olympic athlete weeks in advance!) Have you considered your meals on the day of the wedding before the ceremony and for the few days leading up to the cascade of last minute details?

Wedding parties that arrive well rested and nourished are the ones who really enjoy the event. They are supportive and aware and radiate joy. Hungry, stressed, sleepless brides and grooms can be anxious, uncomfortable, often irritable and exhausted on one of the most important days of their lives.

Your wedding is the first expression of your lives together. Your financial, emotional, psychological, creative, physical, and spiritual resources are all incorporated and displayed at this wonderful event. You can infuse your wedding day with the loving kindness and joy of your union and the blending of your families by your careful, inclusive and thoughtful advance planning. Then your wedding is a symbol of the beauty and joy of your hearts, minds and spirits as you embark on one of the most rewarding adventures you can ever imagine.

It is that initial day, those richly textured fleeting moments that I am privilidged to capture and to present to you who were the participants then, and, in pictures, forever. We want your photographs to reflect the love and light that will sustain you in married life. When you see your photos, again and again, you will know why you chose each other to reflect a love of a lifetime.

It is that initial day, those richly textured fleeting moments that I am privilidged to capture and to present to you who were the participants then, and, in pictures, forever. We want your photographs to reflect the love and light that will sustain you in married life. When you see your photos, again and again, you will know why you chose each other to reflect a love of a lifetime.

Notes from a few memorable weddings…

#1 Amy and Robbie

Amy and I met in town after her workday to look at some of my photos. Amy had a dreamy quality and she saw her life unfolding in a fairy tale way, all rosy and precious.  She was young, beautiful and sweet.  We talked (in person or over the phone) a few times before her date and then met at the ceremony site an hour before anyone else arrived on her wedding day.  She was finishing last minute details with pleasure. Unconcerned by me, she allowed photos to be taken of her and the lovely lilac preparations decking the hall for the springtime wedding.  

 

When the guests began to arrive and the bridesmaids began dressing, it was revealed that Amy was missing an important part of her wedding dress-the upper undergarment which  supported her off the shoulder gown. Word went out and calls were made and some were sent home to look for the bag with the special corset, to no avail.

 

As her guests were seated and waiting, Amy donned her fairy tale wedding dress and walked down the aisle on the arm of her father to meet her prince. Despite her initial discomfort and disappointment regarding the perfection of her garment, the love and joy and innocence on her lovely face as she twirled  in the full white shirt took everyone’s breath away and Amy was the queen of her kingdom.  She chose to focus on the love of her life and the integration of his and her families and they had a fabulous time.

 

Sometime later in the reception, a bag appeared with the missing undergarment, hidden all this time under some other dressing garments.  Amy did not get up and re-arrange herself.  She was, by this time lost to the day and busy being present for every precious moment. She wore the dress, it did not wear her. As  beautiful as the dress was, it would have been nothing without her in it. From  this little example, frivolous as it sounds, a little girl became a gracious woman that day and I had great hopes for her and her beautiful husband and their families that they will have a wonderful life together.


#2 Annie and Jon

Annie was a perfectionist bride. Her dream wedding  came right out of the pages of the best magazines with the fabulous details and beautiful execution of gorgeous creativity.  Because she was a capable artist, she did everything and then some.  By the day of her ceremony, after months of work for the perfect day, plus a long day with a very early start and nothing but a bag of chips and a glass of champagne for breakfast, Annie was exhausted.  She managed to stay alert and present for her ceremony and then collapsed, her new husband at her side, while her guests waited at the reception dinner for the honored guests to arrive. After an hour and a half she had enough strength to sit down with  her guests enjoying her reception dinner, also beautifully planned and executed. Annie did nearly everything, together with her husband, Jon, to prepare for their wedding, and she wished she had paid more attention to her rest and nourishment before and on the most important day of her life. Although everyone had a lovely time, it unfolded in an unexpected way for this precious bride and groom.

#3 Michelle and Jim

Michelle was one of the most talented people I’ve ever met.  A former world class European ballerina with experiences of dancing in some of the most beautiful  international ballet productions to her credit, she had the vision and the desire to produce her own wedding as a magical Camelot moment.  And it was!

 

She had her family from across the  world visiting, her fiancé’s family from across the USA and her newly acquired teenaged step daughter staying with her before the wedding day and everyone was very busy executing the details of Michelle’s  

vision. They were even building a guesthouse on her property and solving  

landscaping problems right up to the very day.   

The day of the ceremony, she was radiant, as was her beautiful husband to be.  As the fabulous musicians  and honored guests arrived in their

Camelot costumes winding through the  rainbow arches along the woodland trail, everyone was stunned by the enormous  stone circle in a sunlit meadow opening in the forest.  There in a stone in the center of the circle and before a flower strewn alter was a magnificent silver sword, its gilded staff animated with shafts of sunlight.

When the soaring music filled the quiet woods, they came along the path together, crossing a little bridge, stopping to light a torch, sow some seeds into the earth and sprinkle ceremonial water, then rinse their hands before moving into the circle of the stones with their friends and family. Thereafter the ceremony unfolded with more and more of the fabulous symbolic detail Michelle and Jim had dreamed into their wedding day.

It was as if from a different time and place, intricately filled with complex and rich symbolism that delighted themselves and everyone present.  

Everyone was included in the dream by participating  with their costumes and their contributions in the preparations.  The  reason that Jim and Michelle were able to pull it off, was because of their intense focus and diligent abilities to hold in their minds the complexities and details they desired for themselves and their guests. Everyone and everything was accommodated in thought before they walked into the reality of  the circumstance.  It did not surprise me when, during the after -  

ceremony toasts right at sunset, a pair of Bald Eagles circled overhead.  Michelle exclaimed, “They mate for life! What an awesome gift to have them with us for our wedding!” All stopped in quiet awe to salute the beautiful birds and then the toasts began to the happy bride and groom.

This was an unforgettable wedding and it was so because the people who planned it were maturely focused and familiar with  major productions and they had plenty of willing and able  help.

#4 Michelle and Mark

The most precious thing about this couple and their wedding day was that they had fallen in love in high school and because of  parental intervention ( Mark was too old for Michelle-he was a senior and she was a sophomore), they lost track of each other.  Over the years both  married other people and had families.  Twenty years later they met again and both being divorced, they were free to see each other at last! And they were so happy to get back together! They knew immediately that they were the  ones for each other.  

As Mark and Michelle felt their marriage was like a  fairy tale come true, they decided to have a summer wedding at Thornwood Castle by the lake in the sunken turn of the century rose gardens designed by early America’s foremost gardener and famous landscaper, Frederick  Olmsted.

They arranged to have their four children with them  the entire day at the castle getting ready and getting lots of photos of  themselves, their families and friends.

Their ceremony was beautiful,out of the pages of a  book. Their children were always included, felt important and consequently were  as committed to the vows as their parents. It was a lovely event followed by a  beautiful reception with gorgeous food and music in the castle as the night brought everyone inside for the fun.

The thing most lovable about their wedding event was the way Mark and Michelle kept everything simple and focused thoughtfully and lovingly on their families and guests.  They did not fuss about anything, allowed everyone to do their appointed tasks, and completely enjoyed  themselves and the unfolding moments, graciously present for it all.  It was a wonderful privilege to be their photographer. 

 

#5 Kevin and Jenny

 

Kevin, a native of Louisiana, was stationed at Fort Lewis military base in Western Washington. His bride to be, Jenny, had come out to visit him and was awestruck by the majestic Mt. Rainier. After a trip to the mountain, she knew she wanted to be marry Kevin at Paradise. 

As their time was short, they decided to be betrothed that summer and began the simple and thoughtful preparations. They would have the ceremony by Myrtle Falls at Paradise and invite only their mothers, Jenny's grandmother and young son, who flew in from Louisiana. On the appointed day we all cheerfully hiked up to the alpine ceremonial place, a circular patch of ground next to the lively falling water, ringed by the graceful hills around the snowy volcano. 

As they finished exchanging their intimate self written vows in this exquisite pristine setting, whistles and cheers and clapping of hands echoed around the mountains! Unbeknownst to Kevin and Jenny, a crowd of lively hikers had silently paused on their climbing trails when they saw the wedding at the waterfall below them. All smiles, Kevin and Jenny stepped up out of the little hollow near the waterfall to hooting and cheering hikers throwing hats and hankies up into the air in their honor.

 

Following that magical moment, as they walked back down the mountain, a mother deer and two spotted fawns crept out of the profuse wildflowers and came right up to Kevin and Jenny. They could not have been more delighted! Later, we took beautiful photos in the summer sunset on Mt. Rainier.

 

This was an enchanting, unforgettable day. The magic of the place and the intimate simplicity of the ceremony, surrounded by the beauty of the magestic mountains and the ones who love them, matched the hopes and dreams of this darling couple.