on location photographer
I photographed baby Alexandra at her home... 2 weeks old. It took her awhile to enjoy photo time, but she eventually decided to settle in! And big sister was really wanting to steal the show.
My step-daughter, Mackinzi, is going to be a senior this fall, which means doing senior photos! So much has happened in the last 10 years that I've known her, it has flown by so fast, but seeing her go from a goofy little girl to this gorgeous girl (yet still goofy) is just crazy! Even though I took these photos I must say some of them I can't believe they are her. Always a beautiful smile and having fun! I couldn't ask for a better step-daughter and easy teenager to have around. Loved that I was able to capture these for you Mackinzi and I love you bunches! I hope these images represent one of the best years of your life ahead of you.
Beautiful colors for MacKenzie and Ben's engagement session. Looking forward to their wedding next summer! Fun note: In 2005 I took photos at a wedding that they were both in! Their wedding will be the same month 10 years later!
Olivia and Johnny are getting married next August! Gorgeous engagement session of these two. Make-up by Evelyn Mauro
What an amazing 2 day event for this couple! Bree and Anthony held their wedding vow ceremony in Ione, Washington on August 1st with their families followed by a reception in Spokane at The Service Station the next day with their friends. I didn't start off the wedding day with the normal groomsmen getting ready scene, but instead we did photos of the boys with guns! Something Anthony knows well and the guys enjoyed! After Bree was dressed we went right into the ceremony, it was beautiful down by the water. The pastor started off singing about how they met and fell in love to the song Hallelujah with the guests joining in on the chorus... so fun and creative! I also loved that they wrote each other letters about why they fell in love and locked it in a box for them to read on their 10 year anniversary (or if they are having conflict in their marriage as a reminder). I haven't seen this often and it's something I also did at my wedding... our's is still locked in the box and Bree and Anothony's wedding was also my 6 year anniversary! I was so happy to share my anniversary with this amazing couple at such a beautiful location. Bree did an amazing job with every detail. A lot of well spent time on Pinterest! On day 2 at The Service Station it was all about having a good time. Anthony's rock band from Young Life, Panda-moan-e-um, played for the crowd and started the party. There was tons of talent here between his entire band to a beat boxer and a solo-artist who wrote a song for Bree, and not to mention the guests singing and dancing.
Day 2: 
Do you notice the heart shadow someone is making... had no idea until I looked back through the photos!
The slideshow below is of their wedding vow ceremony day. I put this together the night of/morning after, so it could be played at their reception the following day! Check it out...
This was only a week ago and I'm already missing the colors that I see in these photos! They were so beautiful! Monica and Nico are getting married next summer at Bigelow Arbors and I'm so looking forward to it!
It was so fun incorporating a location that means so much and where this girl grew up. Priest Lake is a place Melissa's family gathers in the summer and spends a lot of time on their boats. I always encourage my clients to think of a place or a thing that is important to them and add that into their session, making it that much more memorable. They even brought coffee cups from their one and only favorite coffee stand on the south hill, Cool Beans! THAT is customer loyalty! David is also a photographer, for Kalispel Tribe of Indians, and I'm always extra honored to be chosen to capture another photographer's wedding! Looking forward to their wedding in 2014.
This couple really had a good time... cold water and all!
Fun senior shoot with beautiful Jenny! Tons of studio, urban, lake and natural settings were all accomplished in this session! We even incorporated some sports that her life revolves around. At this point I'm not sure how she won't have hundreds of images to weed through, but I'm going to do my best at narrowing them down!
You might wonder what type of photos you'd get if I go to your house to take photos of your little one. Of course every home is different, so it gives me some unique opportunities to use the nursery, living room or your bedroom as backdrops. I also am able to bring some things with me to capture baby alone, similar to what I'd do in studio. A big window is always helpful, but I have portable lights I can set up as well. The following slideshow shows a sample of an in home newborn session, showing almost all the images the client sees... they saw a bit more due to different expressions they may prefer over others. There are plenty to choose from to make sure everyone is happy and I didn't miss anything along with being able to make a nice album if wanted. All final images shown are fully edited to show the end result before client views them. I like to showcase a handful in black and white to show how those look, but I keep the color version in case you prefer that. Of course, every session is unique, but I have never shown more than a few images in a blog post from each session and thought it would be helpful for you to see all the images from this type of session...
... As you can see, my job is fun when I can look at a sweet face like that! :)
I will post some more soon of different types of sessions as well!
Sweet baby girl, Rowan, in her home. 10 days old.
Jessica and Cole came over from Seattle to work on some wedding details and we were able to squeeze in their engagement session (and just in time before I had baby!). There were so many good ones of these two, it was hard to narrow any down.
Levi was such a ham!
I had the privilege of photographing Alissa's little sister's wedding on Saturday. Alissa is a good friend of mine and also another local photographer! Her sister Stefanie married her long time boyfriend, Paul, in the backyard of their home in Newman Lake. Their backyard was transformed into the perfect wedding venue and it couldn't have worked out better. Shasta Hankins did all the girls' make-up, Marsells made the cake and Charley's Catering catered their dinner. Stefanie and Paul have been together for quite some time and have a beautiful family. They have three adorable kids together! I think their friends and family were happy to see them make the union they already had together a bit more official. :)
Thank you Alissa for trusting me with your sister's memories! And thank you Stefanie for being an awesome bride!
Slideshow:
Krista and Dustin have a special place in their heart for their times at Deer Lake, so it was the perfect location to celebrate their marriage. Their ceremony took place at Deer Lake Resort in a grassy area facing the lake and then moved indoors for the reception at Eagles Nest. Krista kept realizing how weird it was that she wasn't stressed or nervous about anything that day, which means she couldn't have been more happy and in the moment. In the end she knew Dustin was there and that's all that really mattered. Her son also expressed how happy he was to have Dustin in their lives and to become a family! So sweet! Slideshow:
Seanna and Matt waited for the ceremony at St. Joseph's Parish to see each other for the first time that day. They both had big smiles on their faces. I couldn't get over how Seanna's hair, make-up and dress combined all together gave her this amazing timeless and classic look about her. After the ceremony we headed to the Spokane Country Club for their reception. I can't recall seeing so many food options in one spot before, including crab legs! They also included creme brulee and chocolate mousse along with their cake by Happy Cake. The flowers were done by Allen and Green Floral, make-up by The Make-Up Studio, hair by Annie at Green Salon and Traks DJ Service as their party starter. Gorgeous day for this couple!
With as quickly as this wedding was planned I don't think any details were missed here! So many fun ideas and decor this couple had. I'm so happy I was available for this small intimate ceremony. I couldn't have asked for a better day, venue and bride and groom to photograph. Aside from the perfect day, I could tell this couple were happy to just be together and be married at the end of the day! Congrats Sami and James, thanks for including me in your day!
Slideshow:
Wedding was located at a beautiful venue set up for smaller intimate weddings along with corporate retreats, meetings, workshops and romantic overnight stays. Scharelant overlooks Lake Coeur d'Alene.
Kaia has arrived and with a big debut. She was born at her home in daddy's arms before the midwife got there! So amazing. She's adorable of course! I couldn't believe all her hair. She has a hundred times more hair than my 16 month old... *jealous*! I've been so excited to get to these this past week and happy to share a few...
One of my sessions this weekend was the lucky drawing winner, Cheyenne, from January's Spokane Bridal Fair. I loved that Cheyenne and James came with a theme. As you can see, I just had to feature this shoot on the blog! This is sure to get the creative juices flowing for anyone looking for ideas for their own sessions... the options are endless, have fun with it!
