464
Lauren & Bryan
Thursday, July 28, 2011, 10:28 AM
Lauren & Bryan were lucky enough to get married on one of the most beautiful days I have experienced yet in Washington. We've been having a pretty rough summer here, the news anchors have been joking that we have had less than 78 MINUTES of summer so far, which sounds pretty accurate, it has been overcast and wet for most of June and July. We've been calling it "jacket-summer" or "the summer that never came" ;). Typically the summer months are so perfect in Seattle, it is why people live in this area because it is usually sunny, 75 degrees with a slight breeze while the rest of the nation suffers with 100-something degree temperatures. However, on Lauren & Bryan's wedding the sun came out & the day was absolutely perfect.

These two got married in Port Townsend, WA which is a charming little town across the water. Anytime you have to ride a boat or ferry to get somewhere you know it is going to be pretty amazing... at least in my experience with boat-ride-towns. Lauren & Bryan are darling together. Their temperaments and personalities compliment each other like apple pie and ice cream. They just work and I'm not sure I saw Lauren or Bryan without a smile on their faces the entire day. We felt so honored to be a part of it all alongside the fantastic coordinating team, Nick & Aleah from Valley & Co. for this lovely lovely day!



Thoughts
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Annamaria Gueco says: Tuesday, August 9, 2011, 04:15 PM

I absolutely love these!!! These images just scream love!!! Picture perfect photos for a picture perfect wedding day! Thank you for creating such special memories for two very special people :)
Airika Pope says: Friday, August 5, 2011, 11:14 PM

Beautiful. I especially love the wide angle black and whites shot from above and the flower girl photo.

Jayme says: Wednesday, August 3, 2011, 09:22 AM

Bryan and Lauren - You two are stunning. These pictures are amazing...they capture the love you two share, the fun you have and how absolutely beautiful and perfect your wedding was!!! So happy for you! ~xoxo~

Susan (Lauren's mom) says: Saturday, July 30, 2011, 12:19 PM

These photos could not be more beautiful. We will have memories of that amazing day forever, thanks to you, Sarah and Chris.
kaethe mari says: Friday, July 29, 2011, 11:46 AM

mandie says: Friday, July 29, 2011, 08:37 AM

dang. she's gorgeous.
love the two frames with the balloons.
sarah and chris, you're cool people.
Aleah + Nick says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 09:34 PM

Beautiful! What perfectly sweet and dreamy images! You both did such a wonderful job and {as always} were a joy to work with!

Jonelle says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 09:28 PM

The pictures are AMAZING!!! I love you guys so much!!!
Marsha (Bryan's Mom) says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 07:24 PM

OMG, I love them all and can't wait for more. Sweet photos taken by wonderful photographers of beautiful people and surroundings. Thank you!!!
Marsha (Bryan's Mom) says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 07:23 PM

OMG, I love them all and can't wait for more. Sweet photos taken by wonderful photographers of beautiful people and surroundings. Thank you!!!
Candice Lanning says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 12:56 PM

love that flower girl shot. :)
rich says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 12:22 PM

YES!
the detailed life says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 12:01 PM

ooh! lovely. like that up-close b&w on the pier.
Rensche Mari says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 11:47 AM

LOVE this one sooooo much! That shot where Bryan and Lauren faces each other and he kisses her hands, is my absolute favorite! Amazing shooting & a beautiful couple!
jeff ambrose says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 11:42 AM

:)
jeff ambrose says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 11:41 AM

:)
scharewl says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 11:00 AM

Love all your shoots. Inspired me!
dorothy says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 10:58 AM

dear boss lady,
you totally rocked this one.
love you!
dorothy says: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 10:57 AM

dear boss lady,
you totally rocked this one.
love you!
463
Jenn & Dave
Monday, July 18, 2011, 03:50 PM
Jenn & Dave hail from the great country of Canada and came from Toronto to spend a day learning from us! I am still always humbled & excited when we have mentor sessions with people that cross country lines to come into our wonderful little city of Seattle for a mentor session. Working with husband and wife teams is always especially rewarding for us since it is our "forte" of sorts. Jenn & Dave are just a down to earth, incredible couple. Both are driven, passionate & motivated and as a team I believe they are an unstoppable force. Dave & Chris are very similar in their strengths and the valuable things that they bring to the creative team & business; and Jenn & I found a lot in common with one another in our respective roles in our business'. The day we spent with these two gems really felt like hanging out with a couple friends had known for forever. 

Dave & Jenn are incredibly talented, smart & business savvy. Their travel photography work is really something especially inspiring. It is always easy to see what really makes a photographer come alive. You can take one look at the imagery and see where it stems from. The best work comes from the heart & soul. That's the beautiful place these two create from, in all of the photographers we have worked with over the years those who create work from the heart are the ones that continue to blow me away with what pours out of them. 

A few days after their mentor session with us Jenn & Dave wrote us a note that I printed out to keep up in our office because it meant so much to us. It embodies the very reason why we do mentor sessions for photographers, so I thought I would share it with you:

"Dear Sarah & Chris!

I don't think I can even put into words what it meant for us to meet you and be mentored by you this week. You are both such loving, kind, encouraging, smart and passionate people, and right from the minute you walked in the doors of the ACE we felt at ease and like we were meeting up with two friends. That's what it felt like the entire time we were with you, sitting with two friends who genuinely cared about helping us and challenging us to make our business and really, our lives, better. I really don't think I can explain how much this whole experience has meant to us.

We got on the bus and immediately started typing out on our laptop everything we could remember from our time with you -- what we learned, what we were inspired by. We typed until our battery ran out. Then we spent our whole plane ride talking -- it was seriously a business meeting on an airplane! -- with our notebooks out, talking through what we were challenged by, and what our next steps were. We both said that sitting there with you in your home, we felt like we were on the same wavelength, like you were there in our lives to help pull us over the next wave and into the next awesome stage of our business, and to help us see what our business could be. We talked a lot about creating a business that will help us live the life we want, right now, not waiting for the business to grow and for us to somehow follow, but the other way around. We left feeling so inspired and so affirmed in what we are doing. The ideas that we had in our mind but were too afraid to do, you said "yes, do it, we did it and it did awesome things for us". You gave us the courage to not just be any other local area wedding photographer who just merely gets by and runs a nice business. You've encouraged me to have the balls to dream bigger than that, and believe that I can do it. 

Your words about our work meant so much to me, especially about my travel work. I've thought a lot about that since getting back home. We've already begun the process of narrowing down our portfolio, and the next major hurdle we want to tackle is more effectively communicating our "why" behind our business. I love what you said about clients appreciating the "why". I want clients to come to us because they believe in the why behind what we do.  I'm trying to come up with practical ways in which we can do that better. I'm also taking very strongly to heart what you both said about putting on blinders to what the "market" dictates or "says" a wedding photographer should be.

I'm sorry this email is so long, there is just so much I want to say about what ideas you have sparked within us. Thank you so much, for everything. You have helped us in ways we could never have imagined. We couldn't be more inspired than we are right now!

I am so very happy we had the opportunity to meet you both, and hope we're able to keep in touch! 

Big hugs!
Jenn (& Dave)" 



Thoughts
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rich says: Tuesday, July 19, 2011, 08:13 PM

so inspiring reading this post! i can completely relate to the email! you guys are amazing for always helping and inspiring others!
Shauna says: Tuesday, July 19, 2011, 02:51 AM

Oh wow..these are so wonderful. What a gorgeous couple... Jenn & Dave, you two are a force to be reckoned with!!
Madeline says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 10:43 PM

Is VOICE or Y with a VOICE ever going to make an appearance in Seattle?!
jill says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 09:21 PM

yes!! love these photos, love these words, and love the starks :) cheers to all 4 of you, what a day it must have been.
Valerie (Colibriphoto) says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 06:54 PM

Love love love them all! I also LOVE to read comments like these! Can't wait to meet you Sarah! It's going to be awesome! :)

Jenn & Dave Stark says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 06:46 PM

And PS - You made me cry with what you wrote ;) So thankful to have connected with you guys. xo
Jenn & Dave Stark says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 06:39 PM

Sarah & Chris, we can't thank you enough! Can't believe it's our faces we're looking at on your blog tonight!! We LOVE what you captured for us and the mark you've left on us as photographers, businesspeople, and just plain people. Absolutely loved our time with you both!! xoxoxo
Annie says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 04:47 PM

The third last is such a strong yet sweet image. Love it :)
Anda says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 04:43 PM

omg. i love these so much that it's absolutely ridiculous. jenn and dave, you are the cutest and such beautiful souls. sarah and chris, i can say the same about you two as well. lots of love, anda.
Liz says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 04:29 PM

You captured them beautifully. These are just perfect and so very true to who these two are. Beautiful, kind and passionate. Great captures!!
Anonymous says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 04:25 PM

love your work and the emotion, passion and joy you capture
Cyndy says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 04:24 PM

I just love your work and how you really capture the joy and love in every frame you shoot! It's such a wonder how you share the emotion of the moment through a photo frame.
462
Whitney & Andrew
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Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 08:55 AM
Whitney & Andrew got married on a beautiful little place called Fire Island in New York. More specifically, they got married at Point O' Woods on Fire Island, which is a darling little town where Whitney her summers as a kid.  This part of Fire Island doesn't allow any cars, so everyone gets around via walking, biking or skipping :) It's really quite charming. Even the fire fighters use a bike and a basket to get around town which I found totally sweet. I've never been anywhere quite like fire island, it felt like a place very far away from the worries & concerns of the looming city of Manhattan that is so very close. I can see how this little spot on the map would be a magical place for a child to look forward to every summer. The beaches on Fire Island are peaceful & cloud kissed and it is a community that is small enough where everyone knows everyones name.

Whitney & Andrew's wedding had east coast written all over it. Since it took place in such a small beach community people came barefoot with their pants rolled up to their ankles and many cruised up on their bikes for the celebration. One of my favorite memories from their wedding is hearing the thunder & rain pounding on the rooftop during their vows. It was that feeling you get when you are cuddled up on the couch with the one you love on a stormy afternoon. The rain went away just in time for us to get some photos on the beach. We had about 5 minutes before the rain told us who was boss, but we were just happy were were able to snag some of Andrew & Whitney on that beautiful beach together. Enjoy a little taste of Whitney & Andrew's East Coast wedding!



Thoughts
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tif says: Monday, July 18, 2011, 02:57 PM

Love the dude in the pink pants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hayley says: Sunday, July 17, 2011, 12:34 PM

just incredible!
Seriously thank you for being so amazing. You two are "hella" inspiring.

hayley says: Sunday, July 17, 2011, 12:34 PM

just incredible!
Seriously thank you for being so amazing. You two are "hella" inspiring.

Bianca Valentim says: Saturday, July 16, 2011, 12:29 PM

Love these images Sarah!!!!
I spent a weekend in Fire Island to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. I felt in love with the Island, it's magic!
... I was looking at the images of this post without reading what you wrote first and I thought, hey, this is Fire Island!!!! Then I went back to read what you wrote and I was right :)))
This place is so incredible!!!! I recognized right away!
Amazing job as always!!!!
Jenn Stark says: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 09:23 AM

What a sweet wedding, you guys did an awesome job! I really get the sense of the place from your images, even though I've never been....kinda want to go now ;)
Marissa says: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 09:19 AM

LOVE the pink pants. And all the beach shots. So so good. xo
Barbie Hull says: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 09:18 AM

What the Pink Pants?!? I LOVE this wedding!! Great work as always girl - thanks for sharing all of the love and excitement!
mae says: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 09:16 AM

first of all, this wedding is amazing. how lovely is the style of the bridal party and all the guests?! secondly, you two captured it amazingly. love the portraits and all the candids of folks on bikes.

460
Portlandia & Cannon Beach
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Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 05:55 PM
Last week we headed down the coast to celebrate our anniversary. We first stopped in Portlandia and "put a bird on it." Our first stop was at the worlds greatest bookstore, Powell's Books which is literally like entering a universe of books floor to ceiling. I went a little crazy in the photography section. I have a... ahem... a problem with splurging on beautiful visual coffee table books. I scored at Powell's and found one I have admired from afar for a while by Avedon and also treated myself to a beautiful Norman Jean Roy book. Needless to say I was a very happy girl. I'm typically not a big Pastrami Sandwich gal, but we've heard great things about Kenny and Zuke's Delicatessen and we were not disappointed! If you ever get a mad hankering for pastrami (I don't know who would, but whatever!) and you're near Portland, you should check it out. Chris and I just spent the rest of the day in Portland vintage furniture shopping and walking around the city together. Unfortunately, we didn't find any special gems to add to our blankhaus, but that really just would have been icing on the cake anyway. We grabbed a delish dinner at Clyde Common which was conveniently connected to our hotel. A big thank you to those of you who recommended such wonderful eats via twitter. I wish we had more time to experience them all, but since Portland is so close we are back there often.

The next morning we grabbed some breakfast from Mothers in Portland and hit the road for Cannon Beach. When we got there, the sun was just breaking through the clouds and it was a nice "toasty" 55 degrees! Ironically enough, this is one of my very favorite qualities about this beach. I'm not a huge fan of being in a swimsuit... I tend to blind people, totally unintentionally, of course ;) I'm just a pasty human, I can't help it. So for me, I like to stick to my "jacket beaches" it's the only way. We caught one of the most breath taking sunsets of my life on the evening of our anniversary. It was perfect in every way. The sun nestled behind the big goonie rocks and Chris and I were just happy as could be. I'm thankful to live this life... It is bigger and more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.


Thoughts
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Kelsey Reely says: Monday, August 22, 2011, 03:34 PM

my phone must be on the fritz since I can't imagine you would come to Ptown and not call me!!!! Would love to see you soon. xoxo
Kelsey Reely says: Monday, August 22, 2011, 03:32 PM

my phone must be on the fritz since I can't imagine you would come to Ptown and not call me!!!! Would love to see you soon. xoxo
Kelsey Reely says: Monday, August 22, 2011, 03:32 PM

my phone must be on the fritz since I can't imagine you would come to Ptown and not call me!!!! Would love to see you soon. xoxo
Sarah-Jane says: Sunday, August 21, 2011, 11:53 PM

As always, AMAZING pics guys!
Happy Anniversary!
xxx
Sarah-Jane says: Sunday, August 21, 2011, 11:52 PM

As always, AMAZING pics guys!
Happy Anniversary!
xxx
Sarah-Jane says: Sunday, August 21, 2011, 11:51 PM

As always, AMAZING pics guys!
Happy Anniversary!
xxx
Jarusha Brown says: Friday, July 15, 2011, 10:00 PM

You two are so cute! Looks like a lovely trip :)
Sharon says: Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 08:21 PM

Hi there, sweet couple!
Here is sharon from brazil just saying hello :)
I am passing thru a really hard time here in personal life and it is making me think a lot about my photography.
I stoped for a while and came here to find love and inspiration. You two always give that with your beautiful photos.
Just want to say thank you!
happy anniversary!
Love,
Sharon
francis says: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 11:57 PM

happy anniversary. from a fan in socal. keep inspiring and sharing. you rock sarah!
francis says: Tuesday, July 12, 2011, 11:56 PM

happy anniversary. from a fan in socal. keep inspiring and sharing. you rock sarah!
Emily says: Sunday, July 10, 2011, 01:55 PM

Love these pictures! So inspiring!
tif says: Sunday, July 10, 2011, 10:42 AM

at the end I wanted to scream..Kiss Kiss- I guess I wanted a kissing picture:) ha!! happy Anniversary your love is All!!
lauren clark says: Saturday, July 9, 2011, 12:31 PM

Cannon Beach is my favorite place on earth
danielle says: Friday, July 8, 2011, 05:00 PM

congrats on your anniversary! Looks like you two had a ton of fun on your trip :) Miss you guys.

d
Jenn Stark says: Friday, July 8, 2011, 11:46 AM

So cool to see Portland/Cannon Beach thru your eyes, just a few days before we explored the area ourselves -- the beach sunset ones are just magic. Especially love the birds in the clouds. xo
Derren says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 08:10 PM

Such a fun post guys! First of all, love all the images from Portland and the beach--we miss Oregon! Second of all, those potatoes look delicious. Loved having a window in on your vacation/anniversary! And congrats :-).
Derren says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 08:10 PM

Such a fun post guys! First of all, love all the images from Portland and the beach--we miss Oregon! Second of all, those potatoes look delicious. Loved having a window in on your vacation/anniversary! And congrats :-).
Derren says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 08:09 PM

Such a fun post guys! First of all, love all the images from Portland and the beach--we miss Oregon! Second of all, those potatoes look delicious. Loved having a window in on your vacation/anniversary! And congrats :-).
the detailed life says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 02:29 PM

Yay for Oregon love!
Whitney Schey says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 09:33 AM

It's easy as a photographer to be intimidated by other REALLY talented photographers... but I never ever leave your blog feeling intimidated, or anything like it. I leave feeling INSPIRED and EXCITED to be courageous in my next undertaking. You fuel my creative pieces. Thank you.
rich says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 09:11 AM

happy anniversary to you and chris! absolutely beautiful images!
Anda says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 08:46 AM

Okay, I am so jealous of your Cannon Beach images -- they are to die for, as always. It was your previous Cannon Beach photos that made me want/need to see it in the first place. However ... when I was there? Last week? It was super sunny, 80+ degrees and jam-packed with people. Not majestic at all! I guess I didn't understand its allure. But your photos have once again convinced me to try going when it's overcast and chilly. I also prefer the non-swimsuit beaches. xoxo.
Shokoofeh says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 04:29 AM

Truly awesome photos! :)
Lea Hartman says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 04:29 AM

Those are awesome! Love your shades too!
wrecklessgirl says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 12:54 AM

in love.
leah zawadzki says: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 12:00 AM

crazy wonderful. happy anniversary.
sk says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 10:59 PM

man...this looks like old man winter here compared to the sweat box we are in here in oklahoma!
hayley says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 10:31 PM

so lovely as usual. and I'm jealous you guys are wearing jackets in summer.

kati says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 10:17 PM

i grew up at the beach and now live in portland. always love seeing people enjoying my world. when i first started going through the pics, for some reason i thought "i'm about to see a pic of the waffle window!" hahaha :)
Dave Stark says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 09:44 PM

Absolutely love these images guys!!! They really tell a great story of your trip.
Megan Eckers says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 08:51 PM

STUNNING.
Meredith says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 08:07 PM

gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. loved the shout out to portlandia. but seriously, you guys have an incredible amount of talent. love it all.
Valerie (Colibriphoto) says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 07:16 PM

Absolutely GORGEOUS! You are such an inspiration to me Sarah... Thank you.
Jade Sheldon says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 07:15 PM

Happy anniversary to the two of you! Portland is my home town and I attended PNCA wich is just a few blocks away from Powell's. I spent nearly every afternoon there which probably explains my ridiculously large book collection. I must admit I also have a taste for expensive coffee table books, especially ones concerning illustration and photography.

And I know just how you feel about the beach: I too am blindingly white so the mild beach weather definitely suits me better :)

These images are stunning!
Katie says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 07:01 PM

These are freaking incredible. Seriously. Dying over them.
Michelle Stone says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 06:52 PM

you guys are ridiculously, insanely talented!! and the 3rd to last shot of the girls on the beach at sunset took my breath away. xo.
Hanna says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 06:26 PM

love these! congrats!!!
Annie says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 06:14 PM

The shots of you on the beach are stunning - you are beautiful Sarah! (and Chris!) :)

PS: I have similar shoes to those Sarah, only mine don't have holes in them - now I'm tempted to cut some in myself! :)
Christian says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 06:14 PM

Epic shots! Love your work.
alyda says: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 06:08 PM

i heart you two. beautiful photos and people.