The wedding ceremony was outdoors near a gold course. It was small and short. The reception was held at the Nines hotel in downtown Portland and we traveled via MAX light rail. The decorations were beautifully colored with light. The wedding party had a great sense of humor and entertained the guests well. The best surprise was the father and bride dance, which started out traditionally as a slow dance, then transformed into a high-energy 50′s boogie.

We had a great time celebrating their beginning and wish them all the best in the years to come.

In June, Jenni and I had the privilege of photographing two families. My coworker’s family of girls have a wonderful home with a backyard that led into an open field. I was inspired by a different coworker’s photography work to use a reflector more and got great results using the sun that day.

The second family, or I should say families, was Jenni’s cousins in the Longview area. We did a short shoot of the youngest cousin of six months, then a mix of group and individual cousin shots. Some of the best came when we let them play outside. Whew! That was a crazy day with seven little ones (including our two) zooming around.

See our recent family portraits »

I first met Trina at OSU while I was learning how to dance. Trina was already an accomplished dancer who is an excellent dance instructor. I only knew her by reputation for most of my stay at OSU until I got into west coast swing and befriended her then dance partner, Marco. Since then, my respect and gratitude for Trina’s contributions to the dance community has only grown, from working with her in choreography to running the Portland Swing Dance Club with her as my marketing and promotions director. She’s a sweetheart, artistic and technical, and a fascinating person to talk with.

Her husband must be equally amazing to match her, though my time with Tim has been much less since he is not an active dancer. I got to know him some when he hosted a board game party at his house near Beaverton many years ago. I credit that party as my springboard to a fascination with board games in the years that followed. Again, I mostly know him from his reputation and the stories I hear– one in particular— when he was slightly intoxicated, laying in the front lawn of his house in Corvallis. He was cold and yelled out to his friends (paraphrased and from my fleeting memory), “Someone bring me a blanket! I’d sell my mother for a blanket!”

Our best wishes to Tim and Trina for their life in love with each other. They were one couple we had been hoping would tie the knot someday for many years. My favorite reaction to their engagement news came from our dear friend Thuy, “What? Pigs must be flying!”

See a selection of the wedding and reception photos »

I was already going to be in downtown that afternoon to rent a few lenses for Tim and Trina’s wedding, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to get my photography mode a head start for the weekend.

There was another volunteer photographer there, which I was unaware of when I volunteered. In hindsight, I might not have volunteered if I knew there was a professional photographer volunteering since I felt very redundant knowing he was getting the same shots I was getting, and probably better shots. I admired how well he engaged the crowd and got into the thick of things. I’m sure he got some great shots. I’ll have to be courageous and get into the crowd for better shots.

I arrived much earlier than I anticipated, so I got pictures of the VIP event, where local VIPs mingled, as well as the dinner in the main ballroom. I was unable to stay for the entire event–ironically, as I was leaving, they were beginning the announcements and presentations. However, I got a few shots that I found intriguing to share.

Oh yeah, I love the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8IS lens… wish it didn’t cost $1,800!

See a few pictures from the Sustainable Northwest’s 15th Anniversary Gala »