*just* got back from this incredible wedding!  It's 11:47AM, and here I am in the studio, drinking a beer and looking through all my images ;-)

Sean and Katie - i just couldn't send you off on your honeymoon without a little peek!  You guys are probably still tearin' up the dancefloor right about now, but I know you'll see this soon.

Have an AMAZING honeymoon - tommy and I just adore you both!

XOXO

lot's of excited people waiting for these photos!  whew - what a great day this was!  Heather and Joe are such a sweet couple - high school sweethearts who made it work!

They were married Saturday at the Pine Knob Carriage House in Clarkston, which is a lovely venue.  I started the day with heather at her parent's house, to shoot her getting ready...

i loved her cute 'bride' gear!




i know, i posted this one already!  it's just so pretty ;-)
with the girls...


and the guys (can you spot Joe's twin?!)

the ceremony was really nice - here comes Heather with her Dad - I can't tell who's got the bigger smile! 




my take:

tommy's take:
some portraits w/the couple...

this is one of my faves!


really elegant cake...
loved her candy buffet - super-classy!
heather has the greatest smile!  it lights up the whole room ;-)
first dance
dancing with dad...
how do you not adore a bride who has *this* much fun at her party?!
kelly from rent-a-dj kept the party movin'

love this shot tommy snagged from outside!  I can totally see this as the final spread in the album...

joe + heather - hope you guys had a fantastic day - you and your families were a delight to photograph!  enjoy the honeymoon!

xoxoxx

I just came across this fantastic piece in Seattle Bride Magazine - it's a great read and really illustrates why it is so important to hire a good professional photographer photographer for your wedding.  enjoy!

PHOTOGRAPHY By Cody Ellerd Photography by Cody Ellerd (left-hand photos) and John & Joseph Photography (right-hand photos)   I consider myself a pretty good amateur photographer. I've taken a couple of classes, I have a nice Nikon D60 and, as a professional travel writer, I've even had a few of my shots make magazine covers and pages. If you didn't budget for a professional photographer at your wedding, I'm the friend you might call to take pictures. So when Seattle Bride sent me to the late-winter wedding of Vicky Wu and Chris Nicoll to shoot alongside Joey Hong of John & Joseph Photography, a local award-winning team of two brothers who have been shooting commercial, fashion and wedding photography for more than eight years, I was curious to see how well I could keep up with a seasoned pro. From the moment we started shooting in the bride and groom's hotel room, I was floored. "Vicky, look down at your shoulders...put a gentle smile on your lips. Chris, look straight at my lens--no, smile. Relax your forehead." Joey's attention to such minute detail went way beyond "Say cheese" and brought out the couple's absolute best. He knew how to manipulate the room's light and reflective surfaces in ways I never would have dreamed of, transforming what I thought was an unremarkable setting into a photo studio with endless possibilities. Joey commanded family portraits with a gentle control and confidence that only comes from years of experience. He had the right flashes and steadiness of hand for getting great dance photos, while I snapped shot after blurry shot in a mild panic that my precious memory space was quickly dwindling. I was giving it my best, and in a few instances it showed: an inside shot of Vicky simply glowing in the window's natural light; a close-up kiss in the sunlight where the couple wore the sweetest smiles. But when those spontaneous moments that are here and gone in the blink of an eye happened, Joey caught them with lightning speed, while I lost many of them to improper focus or exposure. I now disagree more than ever with the digital-age adage that "now everyone is a photographer." Tens of thousands of dollars in education, equipment and experience separate me from the pros. Professional photographers, like any other artists or business owners, need to spend money to make money. When you hire them, you're helping them pay for their investments. "Photography is a very equipment-intensive business, and the equipment is expensive," says Scott Squire of NonFiction Weddings, a Seattle-based photography team with 10 years of experience. To each wedding, he and his partner bring six or seven top-drawer lenses, a handful of strobes, three camera bodies, one backup and innumerable accessories. (In contrast, if my equipment had failed, my backup would have been my camera phone.) Staying on top of new technology in the digital age is its own challenge, one that takes a professional commitment and expense. "The rate of change [in digital media] can be stupefying," laughs longtime Seattle-based wedding photographer Sharlane Chase. She keeps up with the flow of information at annual weeklong workshops and seminars, and it shows in her final product. On a side note, like all of you reading this magazine, I also happen to be planning my own wedding. My fiancé and I are on a tight budget and had planned to take a gamble and hire an amateur photographer friend. Now? We're determined to find a way to get a pro. Vicky and Chris would have been pretty disappointed if I had been their only photographer. If anyone ever does ask me to take pictures at their wedding, I'll be happy to show up with my Nikon, and I may even take the best disposable-camera shots of the whole night. I just hope someone like Joey is there, too. "This was such a cute moment, totally unscripted," Ellerd remembers. "They bumped fists and it was clear it was a little habit of theirs, one that conveyed their friendship. Joey was right there to catch it while I was fumbling with my focus ring." "This image is so painfully inferior," says our rogue photographer Cody Ellerd about her image. "My angle is bland while Joey's is creative. His is crisp and perfectly exposed, while mine is washed out and grainy. Joey knew exactly how to take advantage of the sense of motion created by this cool backdrop." "The couple was getting a little photo fatigued," Ellerd says, "but Joey turned it into a beautiful and intimate shot. I thought there was enough light, but without using a flash and spoiling the cool light bouncing off the building behind them, I couldn't get my hand quite steady enough." For this "exit shot,"  the clarity and color of Joey's shot versus Ellerd's is evident. "Notice the white car in front of Chris and Vicky," Ellerd says. "Joey magically made it disappear--I'm not even gonna try."

I have been soooo busy this week I haven't had time yet to blog this beautiful bride.  Here's a little sneak peak - much more to come soon!

I've been shooting this family for the past couple of years, and they are always great fun!  I was so sad to learn they are moving out-of-state - but glad we got in one last session ;-)

Aren't they cute...

future heartbreaker!







Thanks for a great session guys - it's been wonderful getting to know and photograph you over the past couple of years.  best of luck in your new journey ;-)

what a total doll!  this cutie is just about 7 months old, which is an awesome age for photos - they've still got the 'cute baby' look, but they've got personality too!  Baby E was so sweet - such a happy girl ;-)

I'd be smiling too if I got to hang out in a hot pink onesie all day!

LOVE this one - so tender....





thanks for a fun session, and enjoy the preview!

just got in sean and katie's awesome guestbook!  It looks so good, I had to show it off ;-)

I've experimented with a few different book styles for guestbooks over the years, and this one is hands-down the best - both in quality and value.

Standard guestbooks are 15 spreads, and feature a gorgeous, wraparound photo cover

Tommy and I are both big believers in the idea of eating as locally as possible.  And it doesn't get much more local than your own backyard!  Since we moved into our home, we've had a blast with our backyard container garden.  Here's some of the latest goods!

yummy heirloom tomatoes
snap peas
green peppers
little baby cucumbers!

these beauties went into my morning omelette - YUM!

sadly, our bok choy and arugula got savaged by some unknown critters this year ;-(  but overall our garden has been a smashing success!  I still haven't given up my dream of someday having chickens - maybe next year!

newborns are the coolest!  there's something about a brand new life that is so humbling and awe-inspiring...their skin is incredible - and they're adorable even when they're bawling their eyes out ;-) 

meet baby bella - just two weeks old!

mom Alexis was actually a bridesmaid in a wedding I shot a couple of years ago (hi Donelle!).  well, time flies, and now she's got this adorable new arrival!  what a sweet family...


the smile is totally what makes this shot!



soooo many images I love from this session - hope this little peak gets you excited for more ;-) 

this video's been burnin' up the internets and has landed in my inbox at least three times!  but if you haven't seen it yet - it's a must-watch.  how I would have loved to shoot this wedding!  If this doesn't make you smile, your heart is made of tar.