Today was another exciting Quick Takes marathon at Gasworks Park and this time, instead of braving the rain, we were frolicking in the sun instead. In fact, it has been sunny here all week, and several times I’ve had to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming! It’s always nice to throw a little sun flare into photos, but in Seattle, we don’t always get that opportunity.

The sessions today were quite eclectic, ranging from a group of silly (and terrific!) co-workers who like to think they are Charlie’s Angels, to a family with a brand new addition to their home. The little one pictured below was born earlier this month and still very new! Her big sister is excited to have her, as you can see! It was really fun to photograph such a range of subjects all in one afternoon. Thanks everyone for your enthusiasm, your bright colors (I LOVE me some bright colors), and your support as we continue to establish ourselves in Seattle!

We’ve been in Seattle for just about two months now, and in that time, have been privileged to meet some really terrific folks in the wedding industry. I decided that I wanted to informally interview some of them to share with you, so here is our first crack at this!

Chesney Schmidt from All the Flutter Wedding & Event Design was one of the first people I met when I arrived in town and she’s really great! I joined her for lunch at her home recently (which was delicious by the way!) and snapped these photos of her, relaxed and lovely! Below the photos there is a brief interview with her about her life & business as a wedding designer.

SA: Thanks for letting us have a peek into your life, Chesney!

Chesney: Well…. I appreciate the interest!

SA: Your home is beautiful!  How did you go about decorating your home? Do some of your furniture and decorative pieces have great stories of origin or specific sentimental value?

Chesney: Oh, thanks! Well, I LOVE to design and decorate so there was no real method to my madness, just doing what I LOVE!  Our black and white photos we have in our living room are all of both mine and my husbands family. It was so much fun to look at the old photos and decide which once we wanted to blow up and display in our living room, but also a very tough decision too!

SA: Can you give us an overview of what it is that you do as a wedding and event designer?

Chesney: I work with my clients in creating a unique and personal design for their event. Whether is be a wedding or a baby shower, we always want the guests to step away and remember what a unique and beautiful event it was!

SA: What inspired you to get into this industry?

Chesney: Well, when I was little I would make collages out of my mom’s home decorating magazines and post them on a large board, it eventually inspired me to study design as a career, for which I attended the Art Institute of Seattle for Interior Design. Later I found that I was always finding an excuse to host some sort of party, and all parties HAVE to have a theme right! So I then decided to start my own Event & Wedding Design Boutique, this way I have the best of both worlds!

We celebrated by photographing these couples today at Gasworks Park in Seattle. This is just a tiny peek! There are many more photos to come soon. I’ll have a lot of editing to do this week, but I’m really pleased with how all the sessions this weekend have gone…Not to mention, it’s been nice to be out taking pictures after a few months of major life transitions! Behind the camera is where I like to be.

Thanks to everyone who braved the rain and navigated the mud puddles to participate in our Quick Takes this weekend! It was great seeing/meeting all of you!

There will be more to come soon, but I wanted to share a quick sneak peek of our Quick Takes sessions from this morning. So many cute kids! Despite a little bit of rain, we had a great time and I’m really glad to have met all the participating families! These sessions took place at the Bitter Lake Community Center playground in North Seattle near where we live. What a great little park!

To all of you who participated, thanks so much for your enthusiasm! We’ll be in touch soon when all the images from your Quick Takes session are available to view.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hug the ones you love today and every day!

As part of our continued celebration of our move to Seattle and our Grand Re-Opening, we’d like to announce our free “Quick Takes” portrait sessions in February! “Quick Takes” are brief sessions (just 15 minutes!) that are intended to capture families, couples, and children in a fun and relaxed environment. We have several dates at specific locations, but our availability is limited, so if you’re interested in participating, please let us know as soon as possible!

The idea is to wear bright, fun colors and have a great time capturing some photos with with ones you love. Sessions are free of charge and prints/files will be available for purchase following your session. Participants will be asked to sign a model release and images will be shared on our blog and facebook. If you or someone you know is interested in this opportunity, please have them contact us!

Did someone special recently put a ring on your finger? Many couples become engaged in these cold winter months when the best activity around is cuddling up close to your sweetheart by the fire! We would love to celebrate with you and as we celebrate our Grand Re-Opening in Seattle as well as the upcoming month of love, and we are excited to share a special offer with you. For a limited time, you can save 15% on your wedding photography! The offer is good for all couples who book our services by March 1st, 2010. We’d love to have the opportunity to hear all about your wedding plans, so please contact us for a free consultation and let’s start dreaming about the biggest day of your life!

Well, friends! We’re finally resurfacing after the mania of the last month. I know! Everyone is busy in December, but I’m not sure many could compete with everything we had going on last month! We spent the first half of December relishing the time we had with our amazing friends in Los Angeles, going to parties, saying our good-byes, and choking back many tears due to the care and generosity with which we were sent off to our new adventures by our community. We felt so loved! In the middle of the month, we packed up our house, loaded up a big moving truck, and got on the road to Seattle with our three little munchkins. Fortunately, we were able to drive the whole stretch from Los Angeles to Seattle without any concerning winter weather to impede our progress.

We’re very glad to be settled in to our new place (pictured below) and our kids seem to be excited for our new adventures here. I never did get around to posting our Christmas card, so you’ll find it in the lineup of this post.

We wanted to formally announce our arrival in Seattle and let you know that we’ll be posting some exciting special offers soon to celebrate our Grand Re-Opening in Seattle. We are presently booking weddings and portrait sessions for 2010, so if we can serve you in any way, please let us know! Happy New Year!

This is our very last session of the year, and I have to say…what a way to go out! This couple is very awesome, if you didn’t notice the awesomeness oozing from their photos. They have been married for four years, but wanted to set out for some engagement-like photos to celebrate their relationship, so we set out for Seal Beach to create some! I loved how adventurous they were and I think its pretty evident how much they love each other! Rebecca & Joe–Thanks so very much for letting me capture your special connection. You were terrific!

Here’s another! We’re on a great streak of photographing amazing families, and this one is no exception! The Kolbers live near to us and have become great friends over the past few years. It has been delightful to see our kids play together and grow together, and we’ve made some great memories together! They may be moving on from Los Angeles in the coming months and wanted to capture some memories of Santa Monica Pier where they have spent some time as a family. Here’s what we came up with!

As far as incredible families go, this one is ranked super high in my book! I’m still amazed that we knew Hutch & Rachel back when they had just one child. Yes. Just one. But now they have five dazzling and bright-eyed little ones, and their house is bursting with love! We had a chance to visit them recently at their Riverside home and took a few minutes for this impromptu photo session in their back yard. I’ve spontaneously photographed them before, and when everyone gets into “Hurry up! Get dressed! We’re going to take pictures in 5 minutes!” mode, it becomes a hilarious and chaotic flurry of preparation. I love it! Hutch & Rachel–You’re an inspiration to us and we’re so grateful for your friendship! We’re excited to watch your tribe get taller!