PDX Magazine - Wedded Bliss

Make sure to check out this month's PDX Magazine. There is a feature article titled "Wedded Bliss: The Tools for Tying the Knot in PDX." The article outlines great tips for brides and grooms who are preparing for their wedding.

The Garter Toss

We have all been to a wedding where the bride tosses her bouquet and the groom tosses the garter. I always wondered if the individuals who caught the bouquet and garter were actually the next to be married after the wedding. Does it REALLY work that way? Well, we have proof! At Myra and Matt's wedding in September of 2007, Sean caught the garter. He and Amy are getting married on February 21, 2009. So, next time you go to a wedding -- keep this in mind!

Sean catching the garter.


Amy and Sean at Myra and Matt's wedding.

Style Me Pretty - Unique Weddings Week

It has been a very exciting week here at the studio! Earlier in the week, one of our weddings was published on Brides.com and today we received news that one of our weddings was published on the blog Style Me Pretty. Abby Larson has reached out nationally to all the photographers who are listed in her Little Black Book of Vendors requesting submissions of unique weddings. We are happy to announce that Myra and Matt's wedding (9/8/07) has been featured as part of Style Me Pretty's Unique Wedding's Week. Take a look at this amazing blog to see some of the country's most unique weddings.

Stella's Many Expressions

Stella is 6 days "old." I went up to Vancouver, WA this morning to spend some time with Nikki and Robert -- now that they are back home with the new baby. It was so nice visiting with them and reminiscing about the wonderful experience of witnessing the birth of their new born daughter. Since the original maternity session I feel as though I have been in a bit of a time warp and to now see the baby here -- it is just so unbelievably exciting.

During my nearly 3 hour visit, Stella was awake, ate, fell asleep, and awoke again about 4-5 separate times. When she was awake, the numerous facial expressions that she would make were just WAY too cute to pass by. So, of course, I was there taking lots of pictures.

Real Weddings - Brides.com

Brides.com publishes numerous real wedding stories where couples from across the country share their wedding day ideas as well as the vendors they used to help make their day happen. We are very excited to hear that they have published Ashley and Tim's wedding (they are the couple who are showcased in the first wedding gallery on our website)!

To view the article, simply click HERE.

Sarah & Todd - Engagement Session

The weather this past weekend was absolutely phenomenal. We just couldn't pass up the opportunity to head out to the coast for an engagement session. Sarah & Todd came well prepared with lots of snacks and multiple changes of clothes. We started just south of Cannon Beach at Oswald West State Park. The lush vegetation and various trickling streams made for an ideal engagement session location. We shot for a bit and then took a nice break by grabbing some dinner at the oceanfront Wayfarer Restaurant & Lounge. The clam chowder was so delicious it reminded me of being back in New England. As the sun dipped lower in the sky, we strolled out onto Cannon Beach to finish off our evening with another round of photographs.

To view the images from the engagement session, please click HERE

To view the slideshow, please click HERE.

The Arrival of Stella

The anticipation of being called into duty to document the arrival of Stella began to intensify as Nikki's pregnancy carried on beyond her due date. I periodically went through my gear making sure all my batteries were charged, lenses were cleaned, and equipment was neatly packed and ready to go. I knew that at a moment's notice I could be called in to photograph one of the most intense experiences of my entire life.

The call came in at 7am on April 10th. Nikki called to say that she was feeling some contractions and that she felt as though she would likely be admitted to the hospital some time later that day. Then, at around 9pm, I received a call from Robert stating that Nikki was at the hospital and it was "go time." GO TIME! Holly and I grabbed the gear and flew up to Vancouver as quickly as possible. During the drive, Holly and I talked about how excited we were to have an opportunity to photograph a live birth.

Naturally, we feel honored when couples hire us to photograph their wedding. Being photographers grants us a tremendous level of access into people's personal lives. We regularly get to share some of the most important days in peoples' lives. But we knew that documenting Stella's birth was going to be a truly unique experience -- something truly phenomenal.

Holly and I arrived at the hospital and the next thing we knew we were immediately rushed into the Delivery Room! I recall the excitement very vividly. The look on Robert's face - the proud look of a man about to become a father. The look on Nikki's face - ready to present her beautiful new baby to the world. The look on the doctor's face - steady, calm, and pensive. The look on my face - well, let's just say that I was very focused on capturing this most amazing experience of all.

Welcome Stella! Watching you be brought into this world is an experience I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Thank you so much.

All our love,
Holly & Paul

Stella was delivered at 12:02 am on April 11, 2008. She weighs 7 pounds 4 ounces.






















Technical Notes: I needed to be as unobtrusive as possible throughout the entire photo session. Using a flash was certainly out of the question. I also needed to restrict my movement. The delivery team asked that I stay in one general location. All images were shot at 1600 ASA at apertures ranging from 1.8-5.6 on a Canon 5D with a 28mm lens.

The English Dept - Elizabeth Dye

Portland Monthly's Bride & Groom is Oregon's premiere wedding magazine. It is jam packed with some of the latest trends in weddings. The magazine also showcases the latest in wedding fashion by such local designers as Elizabeth Dye at The English Department. Just the other day, we shot an ad for Elizabeth that will premiere in the Summer/Fall '08 issue of Portland Monthly's Bride & Groom. Check your local newsstands starting in June!

And by the way, make sure to check out the current issue of the magazine. Elizabeth's dress design is showcased on the cover!

Brooklyn Bride Blog - Happy Birthday!

Brooklyn Bride is a great resource for generating ideas for your wedding. It is overflowing with great content. Vane, the blog's author, is proud to announce that her blog is celebrating it's 1st birthday! As a thank you to her frequent bloggers, she is holding a contest. Leave a comment on her blog about what you like most about Brooklyn Bride or what you would like to see changed, and she will be selecting one lucky winner who will receive a specially designed hairpiece by Myra from Twigs and Honey! The winner will be chosen on Wednesday April 16th, so make sure to leave your comment on Brooklyn Bride soon. I would love nothing more than to see one of our 2008 or 2009 brides win this fabulous prize!

Etsy - All Things Handmade

Congratulations to Myra of Twigs and Honey! While shopping around on the Etsy site today, I saw one of her recent hair pieces featured in The Storque under "Handmade Weddings." If you have not browsed Etsy as part of your wedding preparation process, Holly and I highly recommend that you check it out. The site is filled with amazingly talented artists who create truly unique one-of-a-kind products.

Leather Craftsmen Inc. - Vendor Spotlight

Leather Craftsmen has been proudly producing wedding albums for over 60 years. Of the many album companies in existence, Leather Craftsmen rises above the rest in their impeccable attention to detail, exquisite craftsmanship, and outstanding customer service.

We offer Leather Craftsmen's widely acclaimed custom library bound 800 style matted albums. Nothing is spared in the design or craftsmanship of these albums. Albums are covered in genuine leather and come complete with the highest premium upgrades possible. Leather Craftsmen matted wedding albums provide a phenomenal presentation for your wedding photographs.

A cover inset photo is imbedded into the genuine leather for a signature look to your wedding album.


Photographs are expertly mounted by hand and textured and sprayed for protection and longevity.


Photographs are individually framed by a premium liner to provide a high quality finished look to the work.


Each page in the album is then rounded and sealed as part of a gilding process that prevents the pages from becoming damaged over the years.


Half, three-quarter, and full page panoramic mounting options are available. We include at least one of these options in all of our Leather Craftsmen album designs.


We also offer Leather Craftsmen's 300 Flush Series Albums. In these albums, photographs are mounted flush to the page and finished with a traditional archival linen hinge. The design options for these albums are endless. In the example below, the album is covered in an extremely bold European Red Leather and the photographs are framed with custom artistic borders.

As with the 800 series albums, the 300 series albums include an option for leather stamping. Imprinting your name and wedding date on the cover is yet another option for giving your wedding album that finished look.


Prints are flush mounted to the page for a very contemporary look and are finished with an archival linen hinge that comes in an array of colors.


When opened, the album lays completely flat.


Break traditional wedding album conventions by opting for a full panoramic flush mounted print. Mounted in this album, the photograph is larger than 20x14 inches.


We highly recommend viewing these album options in person. To schedule a consultation, please contact us directly at 503.475.3306.

Nikki & Robert - Maternity Session

Nikki and Robert share the same anniversary as Holly and I. In fact, we were all married at nearly the same exact moment, on the same exact day, in the same exact location. That's right! As many of you already know, Holly is the youngest of 10 children, and in 2005, Holly and Nikki were the only ones in the family yet to be married. So, we had a double wedding. Now that Nikki is just days away from giving birth, we are all so excited about the latest addition that is to come. Holly and I recently had the chance to spend some time with Nikki and Robert and we made sure to get some fun pics.

To view their slideshow, simply click HERE.















After the photo session, we went out for some Chinese food. Check out Nikki's fortune!!! Will it come true?!?!?!?