A Lot of Catching Up To Do

If I am not mistaken, the last time I posted anything on this blog was mid May--just days before our lives got completely turned upside down.
The day after Mother's day, we found out that Jason had cancer. Now, months later, I am happy to report that we are out of the woods, cancer free, and still photographing life! Although, more of our own lives than anyone else. After surgery and radiation and a few weeks recovery, we are entering another new adventure in life--becoming parents of TWO little girls.
Little Naomi Alison joined our family three weeks ago. We are all adjusting well, and Sophia loves her new little sister.
So, I may not have many people who actually read this blog anymore, due to it's rather stagnant state of being, but for those of you who do, here are a few snapshots of our latest photo shoot--Naomi.

I don't know how much catching up I will do, but I will try to stay more up-to-date now that we have made it over the last two hurdles. Hopefully we can showcase some our work on this blog again, and share with you some of our favorite pictures.

I should mention, however, that in May we also decided to close our little studio. So, for those of you who want those studio shots--we do still have a few lights and back drops and we can come to you. But for the most part, we are parents before we are picture people. That is why we chose to make this change. Our time is precious and while we love sharing it with those of you who want our photography skills, we want first to share it with our two girls and with each other. So we are cutting back on work and getting to the most important part of life--living! We have not given up on a dream of someday making this passion for pictures a full-time reality. But for now, we will keep it at a loving part-time, pass-time, side job that brings us lots of new friends and an ever expanding view of the world around us.

Thanks to all our friends who make it possible for us to do what we do and be who we are.

The Lady Photogs

Most of the time Jason and I shoot together. But last week I ventured out on my own with a group of lady photographers for the first of what I hope will be many "Girl Photographers Rock Seattle" outings. :) It was organized by my new photog friend Jen MacNiven. What a great idea! We all had so much fun scouting out places to take photographs and learning from each other. I had never been to the International District in Seattle (I know, how sad is that?), but I would enjoy going back for an actual shoot there now! We took turns being the models, and ended up with tons of great shots of everyone. Here are a few that I took... watch out, there is one guy who joined us, so don't be surprised when you see Dewey among these beautiful women. He was a great addition to the group!

Julie Watts

Marianne Graham

Kristen Buchmann

Dewey Tann

Jennifer MacNiven

Jenny Joy Heck

And I was not the only prego one there... this is Elise. Isn't she a great belly model?!?! I wish I looked as good as she does pregnant!

Elise Lister

If you have time to check out any of these photographer's websites, you'll be glad you did! They all do amazing work. And you'll have to anyway, if you want to see any of the shots they took of me. Visit their blogs, and just remember...I am pregnant!

Some of the highlights of the night were getting picked on by the security guards around a few private business buildings, watching these photographers transform as they stepped out on "the other side" of the camera, and eating at a real sushi place for the first time! I'm anxious for more times that I can get to know these women even better (and Dewey too!). It's really relieving to find other people who have so much in common--women who are mothers and homemakers and who love taking pictures. People who struggle with the same problems and strive for the same level of creativity and perfection. I can honestly say I've increased my array of rolemodels within this little group, and I would be happy if someone considered me to be anything like these women!

Sara and Sergio

Sara had one of the most beautiful dresses I have seen so far, and I have seen a lot! And with Sergio in his dress blues, this pair was straight out of a storybook! Jason and I both loved working with them and getting to know them.

Sergio was very respectful of his duty to honor his uniform and everything that it represents. He was also very respectful of Sara, which made me even more appreciative of this unique couple.

I love this picture of Sara and her dad! He was very interested in the photography and took a lot of time to talk with Jason and I to make sure that everything was going to be just what Sara wanted. It was very nice to get to know each of them on a level a little bit beyond the business of the day. That's just another great part of what we do--we get to make friends with so many people that we otherwise would not have been able to.

Reverence and Tradition - Warren and Alisha

(This photograph was both Jason and the Bride's favorite--I think that's a good sign!)

I have been inspired and uplifted in some small way by each and every wedding and each and every couple we have photographed. I simply can't participate in such an important event in people's lives without recognizing the sacred and special moments. But this is one that I will never forget.
Warren and Alisha were married on April 20th, a beautiful sunny day (with scattered showers, of course) here in Seattle, and they followed the Taiwanese wedding traditions that Alisha's family has followed for, I'm sure, centuries. I arrived at their home early that morning, totally unaware of what I was about to photograph, and completely unprepared for the cultral lesson I was about to receive. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I loved seeing the whole process unfold, and I loved watching the joy each particiapant found in it.

Alisha got ready upstairs in her room in her parent's home. Her sister and cousins and aunts and friends were all there, helping her do her make up and get her dress on, like most girls do. But they also helped her put on all the traditional gold jewelry that she needed.

Warren arrived to bring Alisha her dress, along with six gifts for she and her family--another part of the traditions they honored. Then, once she was ready, atop the stairs she and her attendants called down questions to Warren, who waited for his bride at the bottom of the steps and did his best to answer the questions. This was explained to me briefly, and my understanding was that it is kind of like the final test to be sure the groom is qualified to marry his bride. It was fun to be a the bottom of the stairs to see Warren's delight and struggle, as well as the amusement of all the family and friends gathered to witness the whole scene--especially when he had to sing a song, changing all the words to "I love you."

This next picture is some of the aunts and other women waiting in the kitchen and peering down the hall to hear the interactions in the hallway. I wish it was a better indication of how many people were really in there--this was truly a whole family affair!

After Warren answered all the questions to the bride's family's satisfaction, Alisha's father walked her down the stairs to present he to her groom. Warren then gave Alisha her bouquet, and they entered into another room where they bowed to their ancestors, grandparents, and parents.

This was very cool to watch. It was reverent and respectful. There was a moment of tears and emotion as the bride knelt and then stood before her parents with her future husband at her side. They remained formal and composed, and yet it felt so personal and sincere.



After the bowing, Alisha and Warren prayed in the Holy Room, which upon request we did not photograph--but it was very cool, none the less.
When Warren and Alisha left, he guided her to the car followed by the family members, and Alisha threw a traditional Taiwanese fan out of the window as they traveled to the wedding ceremony. I am sure there are many more traditions, small and less obvious to an onlooker like me, but these are only a few of the ones that I learned about that day.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the rest of the day...

Walking through Pioneer Square after a few photos, the wedding party did their best to stay warm on their way to The Court in the Square--a very fun venue for their wedding!

The ceremony was partially in English, and partially in Chinese. Warren, who doesn't speak Chinese, repeated his vows in Chinese, which made everyone smile, laugh, and also respect him for completing such a task for his bride!
I really love these pictures because of how Jason took them. He was standing behind a long, white veil of fabric that was draped behind the bride and groom during the ceremony. It adds a very different feel to the photographs, and such an element of photojournalism. That is one thing I think we are getting better at as photographers--using our surroundings to help tell the story.

And finally, we wanted to do something cool with the reflection pool there, as well as a creative ring shot--so this is what we came up with.

Getting with it...

I've been a blogger for almost two years, and although relatively new in the world of cyber communities, blogging has been around a lot longer than two years. I still remember the first time I heard the word blog, not really thinking much of it, I dismissed the idea as something that just wasn't my cup 'o tea. Well, needless to say, years later I have found that once again I am just a little slow to recognize the potential WONDERFULNESS of things that I may not first understand.

Part of the problem is getting past the "online journal" idea and venturing into the depth of it all. While blogging does serve a purpose similar to journaling, it really is so much more! So now, after dozens and dozens of posts to our family blog, Jason and I are finally getting with it and starting our photography blog. And although I have spent time reading the blogs of other photographers, and even after this lengthy introduction, I am still a little stumped on exactly what to say as a photographer that would make this blog worth reading.

Well, I guess we'll have to see if I can figure it out. :)

Chris and Jenny Ross

What a fun experience for me to photograph Chris and Jenny. Chris and I grew up together in the same little ward, attended early morning seminary together for four years, and graduated in the same class. After all this time, to see him again, only with a beautiful woman at his side, was such a fun experience.
I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I did--it's impossible not to see how much these two love each other! And that made them really easy to photograph. And thanks, again, to Carrie Stroud for her fabulous help on this one.

Here is the happy couple outside the Seattle Temple. It turned out to be a sunny day so we were able to photograph all over the beautiful grounds.

Here is one of my favorite shoe shots--we got several (as you will see). But this one just makes me think "Mary Poppins on her wedding day!" Who would be happier than her? Chris and Jenny, maybe...

Chris had his arm around Jenny most of the day--can you blame him?

Another shoe shot...oh, so casual and yet oh, so fitting!

Okay, so Chris and Jenny had some pretty awesome friends at their reception who loved to dance and came dressed for the party. We grabbed a couple of them to join the bride and groom for this pose. There was just too much personality in that room to go without snapping one more shoe shot!

This was a fun moment for the bride and groom, and I think this picture pretty much says it all. :)

I think this may be one of my all-time favorite ring shots. They had such simple matching rings, and on their long slender fingers, I thought this perspective shot was perfect!

Paul and JeVonne Tanner

Jason and I had such a wonderful time with the McDonald and Tanner families. Paul and JeVonne were two of the most energetic and happy people we have worked with, and together they made a really fun pair to photograph. On a day that potentially could have been rainy and totally yucky, they had beautiful sunshine to accompany their beautiful event. We felt honored to attend the dinner the night before the wedding where there was not a dry eye as both Paul, JeVonne, and their parents spoke about what a blessed couple these two are. Surrounded by over sixty of their family and close friends, this group only grew the following day for the temple ceremony and reception at their home. A special thanks to our friends Melissa Warner and Carrie Stroud who helped us with this amazing wedding. With so many people there to support this couple, we had our work cut out for us! But what a great group to work with! The reception was overflowing with laughter and the night ended with a tent full of gelato and dancing. I think Paul and JeVonne planned a spectacular event, and I hope these pictures will help them to never forget it!

The stunning flower arrangements and decorations were beautiful both before and after the sun went down.