Alderbrook Resort Wedding

Plan on getting married soon and still looking for a wedding venue? The tranquil waters of Hood Canal make a perfect backdrop at Alderbrook Resort. And yes, we would travel to Alderbrook Resort to photograph weddings and events!  To book your photographer call us at 253-970-5689 or e-mail us at info@familyaffairphotography.com.

Rose Garden Wedding

Point Defiance Park in Tacoma is wonderful outdoor venue for summer weddings.   Here is high view of the area with all the beautiful flowers and perfectly manicured lawn.  Many of the weddings we have photographed at the Rose Garden move to the Lodge or the Pagoda which are both within walking distance for their reception.
If you are looking for a wedding photographer, please drop us an e-mail or give us a call to book a free no obligation consultation.  info@familyaffairphotography.com and by phone at 253-970-5689.

Natalie & Marcus ~ E-session at Point Defiance Park

                

Natalie & Marcus met with us at Point Defiance Park for their recent engagement session.  They will be getting married at the Steilacoom Town Hall with a May wedding.  We are looking forward to photographing their upcoming wedding.

Don’t forget this months booking special is a FREE engagement session!  To book your engagement session or to book a free consultation give us a call at 253-970-5689 or e-mail us at 253-970-5689. 

Peter Cottontail ~ Easter Portraits

Here comes Peter Cottontail!  It's not to late to get your Easter portraits.  Bring out your Sunday best or make it a casual family portrait while the family is in town.  Just call us at 253-970-5689 or e-mail us at info@familyaffairphotography.com to schedule your portrait session, we have limited sessions available.

Wedding Traditions

Earlier today I was skimming through various wedding related articles and found one from ‘The Knot’ about wedding traditions.  This one was of particular interest in regards to your wedding day photography.
Old School: You shouldn't see each other until the ceremony
New Rule: Schedule a "first look" photo shoot (you and your groom meet with just the photographer before the ceremony). This frees up more time after the ceremony so you can actually enjoy your cocktail hour, and it also lets you spend a few precious moments with your soon-to-be spouse before all the wedding craziness sets in. (Trust us; it will!)
You can see the above entire article by clicking on this link:  The Knot – 10 Wedding Traditions.

                       (Photo found online – Queen Alexandra in her wedding dress and veil) 
Many of the couples who hire us, opt to do their photos before the wedding and having a reveal – in front of the camera or in private.  From a photographers perspective the advantages are that the bride's hair and make-up are flawless, they still have the excitement in their eyes for their upcoming ceremony and since you don’t have a crowd of people waiting for you, you are more relaxed for photographs.  There are still a few who tell me “It’s bad luck” and wait until after the ceremony – we work with YOUR schedule!  However, I still want to share how this tradition came about.
Long ago – back in the day of pre-arranged marriages, the bride and groom more often than not, never saw each other before the wedding ceremony.  The bride wore veils covering her face during the ceremony until that first kiss sealing their marriage.  If a groom were to see the bride and not follow through with the wedding, this often caused a war between the families, nations, etc.  This is why it was deemed as ‘bad luck’ for the couple to see each before the wedding!  Not really the most romantic thought knowing that it was because of fear that if the groom would see his bride, not like the looks of her and then bolt!
 Even when couples were acquainted before they married, it was still considered bad luck for the groom to glimpse the bride pre-ceremony, as she would not be pure and new. Nor was the bride  to see herself as it was believed that if she saw her reflection she would leave some of herself behind in the mirror.
To discuss your wedding, call us for a free no pressure consultation:  253-970-5689 or e-mail us at info@familyaffairphotography.com

Peek-a-Boo

We see you kissing!   The family was facing a deployment and wanted some family portraits before his deployment.  We offer our soldiers who are deploying a special little ‘something-something’ (it’s a surprise) that can easily fit into their pocket so they can have photos of their loved ones close to them at all times.

Point Defiance Park Family Portrait Session

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Posed family portraits are always nice to have, with our sessions we allow enough time to get some candid ‘day at the park’ type photos too.   This little guy was totally intrigued by the ducks and delighted in feeding them some crackers.
To book your relaxed and fun portrait session, e-mail us; info@familyaffairphotography.com or call us at 253-970-5689.

Well’s Family Christmas Portrait

I was sorting through files & eliminating files from my computer after I made sure they had been backed up in the external hard drive.  During my ‘cleaning’ I came across a folder with photos from the Well’s Family Christmas portrait session at the Seattle Center.  It was ready for the blog and never made it here! 
We met up at the Seattle Center last December and were hoping for some outdoor portraits.  However, within a few minutes of starting the session it started raining.  Luckily we found the Center House warm, dry and more importantly festive!

Family Affair Photography will travel to Olympia, Seattle and area’s in between.  We are based in Tacoma and travel 30-35 miles for portrait sessions with no additional fees.  Sessions range in price from $85.00 to $295.00 and ALL our sessions include the CD with printing rights. 
To book your family portrait give us a call at 253-970-5689 or e-mail us at info@familyaffairphotography.com. 

Engaged in Seattle

Not everyone is ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ … some are getting engaged in Seattle.   Be sure to check out our monthly special, especially if you’re engaged and looking for a wedding photographer!  Availability for April engagement sessions are limited.  Be sure to call us at 253-970-5689 to  book your session.

Before & After ~ Photo Editing

When I meet with customers, I inform them that our wedding packages always includes a few detailed/artistic edits to the photos of their choice.   Today I wanted to share a recent artistic Edit.

This first photo is how the customer first saw the photo.  Notice the washed out area from the sun, the ugly trash can and the photo is at a bit of a tilt. 

After the artistic/detailed edit preformed by our very detail oriented photo editor, Chelsie.  Notice the washed out area from the sun and the ugly trash can are gone and the tilt has been corrected.  I hope this gives you an idea of what we can do for your wedding day images to give them that polished look.
    

                                                                 Side by side.

Port Townsend ~ Port Gamble

Before we started wedding photography, Sonny & I enjoyed taking road trips to various locations in and around our beautiful state of Washington.  Once the business took off and kept us busy beyond our expectations we stopped our weekend jaunts.  If we weren’t busy photographing weddings, we were busy with other projects around the house. 

This past weekend at the spur of the moment we decided to hit the road for a quick day road trip.  There were two goals for the trip.  One, stop at the Vintage Hardware & Lighting store in Port Townsend and pick up a few items for our 98 year old craftsman home that we’ve been remodeling.  The second goal was to just enjoy the road where ever it took us afterwards!  Of course, I couldn’t leave home without my beloved camera.  Below are a few photographs I took during our outing.

This is the front entrance to the Vintage Hardware & Lighting store.  Very ornate!  I could visualize a beautiful bride in front of those doors.  The ornate doors would not steal the show from the bride.

                                    In front of the store is the very European looking fountain.

A close up of the fountain.  Again, I could visualize a groom or even the couple in front of the fountain.  Use some imagination – have a little fun.

This was on a door of a building we passed as we walked along the main street in Port Townsend.  Just look at the craftsmanship that went into that door handle.

Off in the distance we saw a lot of sailboats out enjoying the day.  That is a dream of Sonny’s to buy a sailboat and be able to sail up to Alaska in the summer, to Mexico in the winter.  I could go for that!

           One of my favorite buildings in Port Townsend, this building has always intrigued me.

I stopped and told Sonny I wish I had a bride or a young senior to pose in that doorway.  The old contrasting with the young beautiful just makes the senior or bride stand out.  This could make a stunning photo.  As could the photo below.  See even though we were getting away for the day, my mind was still thinking about weddings, portraits and photography in general!

As were driving through Port Townsend, getting ready to head out we passed four deer wandering around the homes.  Only one was really in a good position for photographs.  I didn’t want to get out of the car and startle them in an effort to photograph the others.

                            Honestly, at first I thought this deer was one of those lawn statues!

                      I just liked how the sun was shining down through the woods.  So peaceful.

When we hit Port Gamble, I immediately said “I want to photograph a wedding HERE.”.  Do I ever get weddings off my mind?!?!  There was a beautiful church we passed that faced the water.  Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of it.  I was actually distracted and didn’t think to take a photo!  I know, I’m shocked at myself.

                                                    Victorian home in Port Gamble.

We opted to take the ferry home, I always enjoy those opportunities to get out of the car and enjoy the ferry.  However, I rarely can just sit back and enjoy.  My enjoyment is walking all around, taking it all in!

I just thought the sky looked so beautiful and had to share.   I hope you enjoyed this mini road trip with us.   As you can see, sometimes my mind just doesn’t leave wedding photography even when I’m not photographing a wedding!  We are looking forward to the improving weather so we can start some family portraits again and of course for our next wedding for Lori & Jim in a few short weeks!