Saving Murray Morgan

We're proud to announce that downtown Tacoma art gallery The Art Stop is currently exhibiting one of our fine art prints! The Art Stop (940 Broadway) and BKB (1734 Pacific) are co-hosting a show to benefit Tacoma's historic and currently dilapidated Murray Morgan Bridge. All pieces feature the 95-year-old steel bridge and a portion of their sales goes toward its rehab.

We had the perfect photo for the show already in hand. Scott took Murray Morgan Bridge and Mt. Rainier at Sunrise in 2003, and it's one of our more popular images. The Art Stop is exhibiting a 20x30 canvas giclee print of the photo, and sizes from 5x7 to 20x30 are available on all three of our premium media types: stretched canvas, watercolor paper, and darkroom-style photo paper.


The show runs through July 31, so go check it out! We were particularly tickled by the suitcase-spanning bridge by Lynn DeNino, the MMB tiara by Steph Farber (both at The Art Stop), and the 3D anaglyph photos (red/cyan glasses provided) by Dean Walch at BKB.

Heidi and Chuck in Olympia

It's time to blog about the wedding of Heidi and Chuck ... where do I begin? Their wedding was so much fun! We started at the Grand Holiday Ballroom in Olympia, the location of their ceremony and reception. After a short session of getting-ready shots — Heidi gets the prize for getting ready in record time! — we piled into their limo and headed to downtown Olympia for portraits of just the two of them.


Most couples are on a very tight schedule on their wedding day, so it's a rare treat when we have a couple of hours for bride and groom portraits. Trekking around Heritage Park, downtown Olympia, and the Japanese Garden was more than worth it, and we got some absolutely luscious portraits! (A huge thanks to the rainclouds for staying out of sight long enough to let us play).

We've made a vow to pack our blog with more photos than ever (after all, isn't that what you're here for?) and Heidi and Chuck are the lucky first recipients! So here are a big handful of favorites from their day:

Not a lot needs to be said about that photo. What more can you add to the adoring look of a mom as she walks her daughter down the aisle?

The gorgeous main room at Grand Holiday Ballroom has a deep golden glow to it that makes for a warm, intimate setting despite its size.

One of the joys of photographing with a partner is getting back to the studio and discovering all the shots he/she took while you weren't looking! Scott took this one and it grabbed me the first time I saw it. I love the unique angle, and while I'm usually all for candids where the subject is "camera unaware," the fact that Chuck caught Scott at the last second absolutely makes this shot a winner for me. Very cool!

Now with that innocent look on his face, you know Chuck's not planning anything messy, right?! Oh, wait ...

Ah, sweet, sweet revenge!

Heidi and Chuck, congratulations on fifteen fabulous years together! We're glad you finally tied the knot and were honored that you asked us to be there with you. There are so many more great shots to come and we can't wait to share them with you soon!

Wallflower Debuts in Times Square

Wallflower's hitting the streets of New York City! We found out today that one of our portraits was selected to appear on a big-screen billboard on the Reuters Building in Times Square!

It's pretty wild to see a portrait I took super-big on the side of a building —that's it on the right! (Scroll down on our blog to see the real thing.) The fact that it's one of the shots from my time with my sister and her family makes it even more fun.

Surely a trip to NYC to see it in person would be a tax-deductible business expense, right??

Melissa and Jason at Point Defiance

We had the pleasure of meeting Melissa and Jason a couple of weeks back when we spent an hour taking portraits with them at the Japanese Garden and Owen Beach areas of Point Defiance Park. If you've spent much time on our blog, you know already that those spots are among our favorites. That's true not just because it's a gorgeous park, but also because no matter how many times we go there, Point Defiance always seems to offer something new!

Melissa and Jason are expecting their first child in August (congrats guys, we can't wait to meet your little one!) and they haven't had professional portraits since their wedding five years ago. So they were well overdue! They're relatively new to the area and wanted something distinctly "Northwest" for their portraits. Jason is in the military and they moved here from Chicago, so they liked the idea of giving gifts to their family and friends that would share the beauty of their new home with those who've never been here before.

While the weather didn't cooperate quite enough to get a great shot of Mt. Rainier from the beach, we did get some cool shots of them around the forest, rocky beaches and, of course, the water. I dared them to dip their toes in to see what Puget Sound feels like in the springtime, but (not surprisingly) there were no takers. Oh well, since they're still new to the area, we'll give them time to build up the courage!

Amelia and Mike in Olympia

Amelia and Mike were blessed with an absolutely beautiful, warm spring day for their wedding in Olympia. We were breaking out the sunscreen! They held their wedding ceremony on the edge of Capitol Lake with the capitol building in the background. The guests then trekked across the street to the couple's reception at the Heritage Room.

We loved the wedding's fun cowboy theme, although Mike -- always the gentleman, of course -- removed his hat for the ceremony. They both wanted the wedding to be a casual event, and they succeeded! It was great to see how relaxed everyone was.

Congratulations to Amelia and Mike on tying the knot!

Welcoming Hannah Elise

Recently I traveled down to the Bay Area to visit my sister and meet my new niece, Hannah Elise. Remarkably, Hannah shares a birthday (May 1st) with her mother! She was just over two weeks old when I had the chance to meet and photograph her. And because Hannah's a serious cuddlebug and doesn't like to be put down, I was treated to some quality snuggle time with her.

Of course, another major highlight of the trip was playing with my nephew Kyle, who at almost two years old has changed radically since I last got a chance to spend time with him at nine months old! It was so fun to hear him calling out for "Auntie!" from the other room, and after a very brief period of shyness, he was more than happy to show me all of his trucks and Daddy's garden tools (his greatest fascination). He is almost always full of smiles.

Given that these portraits are close to my heart, it was tough for me to select just one or two to share on the blog! What you see here is a fun shot of the whole family, Kyle in the bath tub, and a couple of my favorite shots of Hannah.

Thanks to Fiona and Dave for being such great hosts, even with a newborn and a tornado (er, I mean a two-year-old) in the house!

~ Laura