Melissa and Dave’s Seattle Canlis Wedding

I got my feet wet in photography shooting weddings in the UK and for several years they made up 80% of my business. Nearly every weekend was spent traveling to some part of England or Scotland I’d never been to, and it was a great way for me to get out and explore my surroundings. I experienced places I’d never otherwise get to see, and once even happened upon Stonehenge on my drive home—something that’s not necessarily remarkable for the British but I was ecstatic at the time.

 Despite this great benefit, I often felt rushed in the editing process, as I only had a few days to finish before my next wedding was up. Editing and retouching is one of my favorite parts of photography, and I missed the joy of focusing on just one image for hours until it was perfect and creatively satisfying. Now that I’ve moved back to Seattle and my photography focus has changed, I only take on a few weddings each year. I get to be selective and savor what I love the most about my projects. I enjoy my clients’ day in a way that I didn’t get to before and that makes for a much happier me.

This particular wedding is very special to me. I used to be on a gymnastics team with the bride back in the day and though we were Facebook friends, we hadn’t seen each other in a very long time. Anyone who spent time with me in my teenage years knows that gymnastics was my life; my teammates and I experienced all types of mental and physical challenges that are hard to communicate to people outside of that world. As I’ve reunited with various team members from the past, I’ve found we’ve instantly bonded again, and catching up with Melissa was no different. We collaborated creatively over the course of a few months and even changed the location of the portrait session the day before the wedding because of the threat of rain. Despite the worry, the weather ended up being perfect—we started out shooting at the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park and the Kaufman’s ended the night with an intimate ceremony and reception at Canlis, one of Seattle’s most famous restaurants.

I’m so grateful I was able to be a part of Melissa and Dave’s special day. It was beautiful, light, and the bride and groom had an incredible connection that was a pleasure to capture on film.