Fort Casey Portrait Session with Heidi

February 4, 2020

Recently we braved the blustery, cold, PNW winter weather and headed out on an adventure to beautiful Fort Casey on the coast in Washington State. Our model daughter, Heidi, was a trooper in spite of the cold and we all had a fantastic day with her. The fort boasts of history from WWI and as a result there is a wide variety of unique and beautiful backdrops to choose from, not to mention the gorgeous views of the bay, and the stunning beauty of the lighthouse.

Located at Fort Casey State Park , Admiralty Head Lighthouse stands guard over Admiralty Inlet. This lovely lighthouse was built in 1890, and rebuilt in 1903. Admiralty Head was the last brick lighthouse that was designed by German architect Carl Leick. With our love for canines, we find it very interesting that during the lighthouse’s later occupancy by the Army, it was actually utilized as a training facility for the K-9 dog program. It has since been restored by the Washington State Parks.

The bunkers, grassy knolls, beach, and views of the bay with ferry traffic, seagulls, occasional yacht traffic, and other wildlife, are some of the scenic experiences Fort Casey has to offer. Rich with history and pnw beauty, Fort Casey is enticing to families, campers, photographers, and field trips by local schools. Rich and I, along with our fellow photographer friend, Tony of AJL Images (go check him out) and our model, Heidi, all had a great time exploring and we enjoyed photographing the beauty of Heidi and the fort. We hope you enjoy these images!

When you go behind the scenes of a portrait session, you get to see the fun and a little glimpse of the detail we put into our work, so I grabbed a few shots of Rich and Tony working with Heidi.

As we were photographing in the bunker overlooking the bay, I noticed little “windows” carved into the wall. The view through those was spectacular, and I couldn’t resist getting a little uncomfortable in order to take a shot through one of them. It was worth it, as this is one of my favorites! With the natural rocky window framing the beauty of the bay, it’s a scene I can enjoy revisiting over and over again.

We ended the day with a few more shots of Heidi and captures of the stunning scenery as the sun was beginning to set. We are looking forward to revisiting this incredible park when it’s a little bit warmer outside since there is still so much more we want to explore and plenty of perfect spots for future portrait sessions.

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Vanderveen Farm Winter Wedding

January 30, 2020

Josh and Laura

Last spring I had the privilege of doing Josh and Laura’s engagement portrait session. They impressed me right away with the enthusiasm they showed when I asked them to share their story of how they met. I enjoyed interacting with this easy going, kind, and fun couple throughout the session and was thrilled when they asked me to capture their wedding! Rich and I have been looking forward to Laura and Josh’s wedding at Vanderveen Farm ever since they asked us to photograph it! We were both excited to spend their wedding day with them at the amazing venue they chose for the big event. Vanderveen Farm is set in the beautiful Skagit Valley farmland in Mount Vernon, Washington with a clear view of gorgeous Mount Baker on a sunny day. It contains a wide variety of fabulous, rustic, backdrops both inside and out. As photographers, we felt like kids in a candy shop!

Details

Since the wedding was held in January, we were prepared to do the majority of the shots inside where it was warm, dry, and beautifully decorated with royal blue, silver, and white touches throughout. Beautiful, rustic, candle lit, lanterns, rich pacific northwest style greenery, lush draperies romantically lit with fairy lights, and gorgeous linens, table runners, and table settings, all interwoven together, made for a warm, romantic, and inviting backdrop. The incredibly beautiful architecture of inside the venue tied together with the colors and decor Laura and Josh chose, perfectly.

First Look

First looks are amazing. We love them so much because they give the bride and groom time alone together on a day when they are surrounded by people and bustling activity all day long. It’s an opportunity for them to take the time to admire each other without a large audience, and spend a few moments talking in an intimate setting. First looks are all unique and this one was no exception. It was amazing, and so sweet. We love how genuine Josh’s reaction was to Laura. It was absolutely priceless! They were both so excited to see each other and as she quietly approached him from behind, the smile on his face couldn’t have been any more telling. When he finally got to turn around to see her, he admired her from head to toe, even reaching out to touch the ringlets in her hair, and then he asked her if she would mind if he twirled her around so he could see her whole dress. I’m surprised I managed to capture that moment with eyes that were threatening to leak. It was just beautiful.