Jess and Josh are getting married in September, and I had the distinct pleasure of visiting them in their hometown of Santa Cruz to shoot their engagement photos. They were so much fun! They met at the high school, where we took portraits. It’s so great seeing where people started their relationships, when they could only dream of where they’d be 10 years later. We drove through town in Josh’s gorgeous classic red Buick, inciting several audible comments from people we passed: “Nice car, dude!” “Whoa, rad ride, man.” “That car is awesome, dude!” “Hey, cool car, man.” You can imagine the Santa Cruz voice drawling those comments out–trust me, you’re right. It was marvelous.

It was 96 degrees up at the winery where they are getting married. We walked through to see all the pretty spots, including the gorgeous view of the ocean through the hills. It will be an amazing and unforgettable summer evening.

Congratulations, J&J! We can’t wait to join you in September!

Holly and Vahid joined me on a stormy Saturday afternoon along the East Bank Esplanade for their engagement session. These two have such incredible chemistry and style (I love, love the umbrella), and we spent a wonderful hour touring around the Hawthorne Bridge, the dock going into the middle of the Willamette and along the sidewalks. Talk about drop-dead gorgeous–I can’t believe how knock-out photogenic Holly and Vahid are! What a beautiful pair!

Congratulations, lovebirds! Your wedding is going to be fantastic!

It isn’t everyday that you meet a couple who met in ANTARCTICA, who will ski during their engagement photos (and have a pillow fight). Nathan and I snowshoed out to join them at their Mt. Hood cabin, as they were staying up at Summit Meadows by Trillium Lake with their friends over the weekend. We had a great time, on an absolutely gorgeous snowy day.

Congrats, Nichole and Drew! We know a life of grand adventure is ahead of you!

The cover, reminiscent of Sarah’s choice of burlap to wrap her bouquets at her winery wedding, is gorgeous with a cloth front and leather spine. It’s heavy, and the silver page edges and initials are beautiful. The whole album, even without opening it, feels like their wedding. It’s a storybook. An heirloom Just as it should be.

The lovely Michaela Byers is a talented bridal makeup artist in Portland. We recently conspired to show off her beautiful work, and I’m so pleased to show you the results. She and Rebecca Anderson did a phenomenal job on creating five very distinct looks.

The gowns on MJ, Brittany, Celeste, Christine and Emily are: Blue by Enzoani’s “Delaware”, Casablanca’s style 1997, Casablanca’s style 2035, Tsarina Couture’s “Sienna”, and Blue by Enzoani’s “Casablanca”, which are all available at Magnifique Boutique in Sellwood (you’ll find my studio location inside). Jennie, Magnifique’s owner, has a beautiful selection of wedding gowns and gives some of the best, personal service in Portland to brides. I’m so pleased to work with her.

Click the images for slideshow & larger versions.

All the pretty girls!

I’m sending very special wishes to my 2011 couples who are celebrating their first married Valentine’s Day this year (some of you are below). Cheers to you all, and many happy years to come! To my 2009 and 2010 couples, many happy returns and love to you all! I thought of all of you today.

Tiffany & Chance:

Erica & Ronak:

Kaetlyn & Tom:

Erica & Jim:

Sarah & Patrick:

Holly & Greg:

Kristin & Casey:

Mandy & Paul:

And lastly, all my love to my valentine, Nathan, who sticks with me through thick and thin (and even married this crazy girl!):

Mandy and Paul were married on December 16th, 2011 at Montavilla Baptist Church in Portland, with their reception held at the Adrianna Hill Ballroom downtown. It was one of the largest weddings we’ve photographed: over 450 people. Everyone was absolutely fantastic, including their families and 20-member bridal party. Mandy and Paul are obviously very loved by a lot of wonderful people.

Their portraits were taken up on Mount Tabor, where we were regaled with stunning winter afternoon light coming through the trees. Perfect timing.

Congratulations, Mandy and Paul! We were so happy to be a part of your unforgettable day!

Watch the video slideshow here.

I started 2011 with a jolt. Many changes awaited me: my exit from a full-time corporate world, marriage, realizing some dreams, stumbling a bit on the way, realizing how many wonderful/helpful people are in the world, learning accounting… I feel like I had a chance to spread my wings as an adult: a surprisingly terrifying enterprise that makes you wonder how anyone before you took those crazy risks that brought the human race to where it is today. And no matter how many times you’re reminded (inspirational quotes, blogs, greeting cards congratulating you on your boldness, great friends telling you that you did the right thing) that people before you have taken major risks before you and succeeded, you sometimes sit staring at the ceiling wondering what in God’s name inspired you to be such a complete, committable nut job. Welcome to the world of being a small business owner.

Through all this, and the “what are you doing” days, I sit looking through the pictures I took this year and thinking about all the lovely couples, the children, the moms, the dads, the best friends that I got to know, and realize that every tough moment was outnumbered 10-to-one by the dazzlingly amazing moments. I am changed by the love, joy, beauty and wisdom of these events and people. They’ve become a part of me. And I, a part of the way they remember.

It may sound really sappy, and I’m well aware that my infatuation with weddings and photographing them is a puzzle to many who know me, but I cannot even begin to express how lucky I am to wake up every morning and do what I do. I get to see unedited, unfiltered, unscripted, unstructured love and hilarity and tears and emotion in a way few people do. I get to share precious, once-in-a-lifetime moments that will never come again. And I get to document them. Preserve them. Cherish them. Because, really, what could be more important?

At the end of it all, I got to share my (mostly technology-bereft) Christmas break with my handsome and amazing husband. We drove down to San Francisco to stay with friends, and had some wonderful adventures. I had a chance to spend time with landscape art, and I hope you enjoy.

Click the images for a larger version.

Above: Embarcadero Center – San Francisco

Above: The Mission and Castro District – San Francisco

Above: The Marin Headlands and The Golden Gate Bridge

Above: Nathan in a battery tunnel – Marin Headlands

Above: Rodeo Beach – Marin Headlands

Above: Christmas Eve at The Golden Gate Bridge

Above: Keyhole on Pfiffer Beach – Big Sur

Above: Pfiffer Beach – Big Sur

Above: Bodega Bay – California

Above: Mendocino – California

Above: Mendocino – California

Above: Moonrise in Mendocino – California

Above: Trinidad Wayside – California

Above: Prairie Creek Redwoods – California

Above: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park – Oregon

Above: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park – Oregon

Above: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park – Oregon

And one for fun, me taking a bounce in front of Postcard Row.

Cheers, and Happy New Year!

Jonathan and Allison went on a Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood adventure with me for the first part of a “four seasons” engagement shoot. We’ll be doing part 2 in the spring. We hit the perfect transition from fall to winter, on a beautiful day with some of the first lower-altitude snow on Hood. What a lovely couple they are, too! Sometimes you meet a pair who can’t stop smiling and laughing, and such was the case with these two. It’s a good sign for a long life of love.

Mandy and Paul joined me at Cannon Beach and Hug Point for a beautiful day in October–one of our incredible Oregon fall days this year. They are a sweet and sassy pair, getting married in just a few short weeks in December.

Our visit to Hug Point included a bit of a bushwhack through the shrubbery over the hill to the waterfall. The tide was in almost all the way, so we couldn’t duck around the rocks on the beach. After a bit of a muddy, slippery, bushy adventure, we emerged at the beautiful beach on the far side. Such a fun afternoon!