Simply Splendid

There’s a weird phenomenon that happens when new to me people ask what I do for work. When I respond with photographer, wedding photographer, or photographic artist—nearly 100% of the time the follow up response is “do you do that full time?” I can’t think of other career paths besides artistic ones where anyone would ask that question. It’s like a litmus test to see how serious or successful I am. I really dislike that question because it honestly isn’t the best measurement of success at all.

At the beginning of 2020, I had been a full-time photographer for over 10 years and was really proud of that. By late March, 1.5 weddings stuck it out and I had about $80k of final wedding payments disappear in a few short weeks. Alex + Ellie’s Covid wedding is one that stayed on my calendar, though rescheduled to late summer. They were supposed to be married at St. Mary’s Cathedral + celebrate their reception at Waverley CC but pivoted with incredible grace to a different church with a wedding lunch instead. Though it was not the grand party originally planned, it was incredibly heartfelt and sweet nonetheless. Celebration of love is all that truly matters anyway!

We all did a lot of adjustments, pivots, and complete life changes in 2020! When nearly all of the income for the year disappeared, I scrambled to make changes too and consequently leaned into my other fancy skillsets to save our livelihood (there were a lot of night cookies and wine in there too). Hello stress weight!

I’ve worked full-time as a manager for a local construction company since that time and when event celebrations resumed in 2021, I have simultaneously worked the same amount of events as before. This often means that there’s less time for all the things I enjoy and want to do, but the financial peace is . I get to be more selective with the photography work I take on and in the end, it serves all parties best! So do I work as a full-time photographer? Yes—but also with another full-time job added in. For other creatives that do this too, my hat’s off to you, friend. For those of you who are also their household manager, a parent, and/or a spouse—even more respect to you! 🫶🏻

When real bride Becca brought that ANTM energy… 🔥🔥🔥 and a few slides from her and Pat’s beautiful wedding at following their spicy portraits.

Last night I was on a call with a prospective wedding couple and we discussing “photographing with an editorial eye” and what that means to me. The third slide in this grouping illustrates how thoughtfully-captured details elegantly compliment the story of a celebration like a harmony. They help bring context and texture, but also peace to visual layouts like an album. The best strategy for me is to make space for them happen, to stay keenly aware of the environment and what little things can visually enhance sensory cues from different portions of a day, and then fit them in like a puzzle. I often hear feedback from wedding clients how they weren’t even aware I was taking them along the way and how much they add to the overall storytelling. I wholeheartedly agree.

Coordination by
Floral arts by

*Just a handsome groom moment over here.*

Speaking of grooms…. More often than not, I’ll have a conversation that sounds something like this, “I just want you to know is really uncomfortable having his picture taken.” Or “My partner really hates having their picture taken, is really camera shy, and might not seem like they’re having a great time.”

Hands down, THE BEST cure for a camera shy or avoidant person is a positive experience prior to the wedding—an engagement session. I’m a huge advocate for this plan whenever possible! Because here’s the thing (and this applies to all humans)… people aren’t born camera shy or photo adverse—things have happened over a lifetime creating a belief system that being photographed is uncomfortable, unpleasant, or a terrible time and has likely led to criticism (even subtly) over and over. None of that feels good, so of course the human brain is like “I hate this; abort; get me out of here!”

Experience has taught me the best remedy for camera avoidance is to have an encounter where taking photos is fun, light hearted, resulting in a good time, and followed by awesome pictures to reinforce the positive outcome and sway the brain’s negative perspective. It’s like a form of exposure therapy, so the next time the person is photographed (in this instance, the wedding day), they will know what to expect, how it will feel, understand they can take great pictures, and have a reasonably good experience doing it. Practice makes progress, every time!

Even with people who feel perfectly fine having their picture taken, engagement sessions always help to create rapport and comfortability before a wedding day and it’s the main reason why I’m such a fan! They are immensely more impactful for a person or couple who are very uncomfortable having their picture taken. If it’s logistically feasible, definitely coordinate an engagement or other pre-wedding session with your photographer; you won’t regret it.

Photographing families is always such a treat—but getting to photograph the growing family of a former wedding couple is even more of a delight! Fun tidbit: sometimes the prettiest family photos happen in the spring when colors are soft and flowers are freshly abloom. An added bonus is that your photographer is likely rejuvenated from the winter-time off season (at least in the PNW) and has greater weekend scheduling availability. 🙌🏻