I’ve Moved!

It’s been a busy week for me, and there are some small adjustments still to be made, but … my blog has moved to a new home! If you’re a regular reader, please update your bookmarks to katemcelweeblog.com. You can still find all of my old posts there, but the new posts have bigger photos and a fancy new format. I wanted the main page to load more quickly, so I’m including just one photo per post on the main page - and you can click through to see the rest.

There’s also a nice new search feature - so if you’re looking for the link to your engagement photos, or if you want to find all the photo sessions I’ve done at Carkeek Park or EMP, you no longer have to scroll through hundreds of posts.

Oh, don’t forget to tell me what you think! I’m hoping that commenting will now be a much more interactive experience for all of my regular readers. Thanks, and see you at my new home! Kate x

Beautiful in Bothell: Chris & Nicole’s Wedding

You may remember Nicole and Chris from their engagement session earlier this year … well, it was finally time for their wedding, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The entire event happened at the Monte Villa Farmhouse in Bothell, another fantastic indoor-outdoor venue. I started with the getting ready photos and we were blessed with the cutest little room with amazing light flooding through the old windows. It’s unusual for me to post a bouquet shot in black and white, but when the light is so perfect, only black and white will do.

Just after 5pm, I set up Nicole and Chris’ first look moment with the help of my superstar assistant Mike. We didn’t have much time or space available, but I love how much emotion there is between them - it made my job so easy! We followed with a few group shots on the balcony, and then it was time for the ceremony. After a decidedly gray day, there was a small miracle - just as Nicole and her dad began to walk down the aisle, the sun broke out! The ceremony was amazing - there were so many tears and hugs and giggles, and they even shared communion out on the lawn. I welled up a little myself at one point, although I think I managed to keep it hidden from the guests!

After the ceremony, I took Chris and Nicole off to an old willow tree that Chris had spotted, and we spent a few minutes taking couple shots - I think these are my favorite photos from the day. Then back to the reception. There was great food by the Farmhouse’s catering company, good tunes from their friend’s laptop, and lots of drinking and dancing. One of the guests, Jeff Bradshaw, is a photographer in California, and I am so grateful to him for encouraging me to get out my fish eye lens and some strobes to capture all the fun on the dancefloor - I had a great time with this!

One of the most remarkable things about this perfect wedding was how much of it was done by Nicole and Chris and their friends. Apart from the photography and the catering, the entire wedding was “homemade”. The cake, the decorations (I loved the orange and pink color scheme!), the bouquets (Nicole made an early morning visit to Pike’s Place Market for the flowers) … and, most extraordinary of all, Nicole designed and made her own wedding dress! She is finishing up her degree in fashion design - but still, what an accomplishment! It was one of the most beautiful and striking dresses I’ve ever photographed, and of course it is completely unique. Huge congratulations to Nicole and Chris, not just on their marriage but on pulling off a perfect event. Enjoy the teasers!

Happy Engagement, Happy Birthday! Christa & Shaun

After a glorious sunny wedding on Saturday, the heavens opened again and Sunday afternoon was filled with gloomy gray skies and drizzly rain. Not to worry - my engagement session couple, Christa and Shaun, were all big smiles and bright eyes and made it feel a lot more cheery than it was!

We met up at Golden Gardens near Ballard, one of my favorite photography locations, and spent some time on the beach and by the beautiful red brick bath house. Christa and Shaun are so natural in front of the camera, and with very little direction they kissed, laughed, horsed around, giggled, smiled and hugged. It was a lot of fun just standing back and watching them interact, and I got so many fantastic photos of them on the beach!

After a while, we decided to head to nearby Fremont, and we played around in front of the graffiti at the open air movie theatre (I love this spot) then retreated to a very nice coffee shop for some hot chocolate and a few final photos. I promised Christa I’d put up some teaser photos for her birthday … so here they are! I hope you’re having a fantastic birthday today, and that you finally understand why I love to shoot down. Thanks for keeping me warm and happy on such a grizzly day!

© Kate McElwee Photography

Romance in Issaquah: Jennifer & Kirby’s Wedding

On Saturday, I had my first wedding of the summer season and we were blessed with beautiful weather - warm and sunny, and even the occasional slither of blue sky! It was the perfect day for an inside-outside wedding, and Tibbetts Creek Manor was the perfect location.

After taking some photos of the girls and guys getting ready, and of course getting my fill of fabulous detail shots, I headed out into the countryside for Jennifer and Kirby’s first look. We don’t know the name of the place, but it’s a gorgeous spot just outside Issaquah with woodland trails and a landing field for hangliders (who were out in force on Saturday - such fun!)

We spent a little longer out there than perhaps we should have, but the light coming through the trees was beautiful, and Jed Rusyniak (surely the sweetest videographer in Seattle) and myself were enjoying the hangliders a little too much!

Back at the Manor, we took some group photos, followed by the ceremony at 6pm. The tent - and in fact the entire property - looked amazing, thanks to Trixie and her team at Forte Design Studio. I loved all the hanging candle holders, the trees, the flower-adorned moss balls … it really was quite spectacular.

There were many tears during the ceremony and throughout the reception - it was very emotional, and lots of fun to photograph. I have never seen so many grown men shed so many tears in one night!

Thanks to Jennifer and Kirby for hosting a beautiful event, to the fabulous Jenny GG for assisting me, and to Laura Gram who did a fantastic job coordinating everything. Laura is worth her weight in gold, and I’m excited to be working with her again this summer.

© 2008 Kate McElwee Photography

Come Rain, Hail or Shine: Murray Franklyn Employee Event

On Friday I had an unusual photo challenge: documenting an employee event for Murray Franklyn over in Redmond. The company is launching Redmond Ridge East, a beautiful suburban housing development, and they wanted to celebrate by giving all of their employees a sneak peak.

April Boudoir Marathon: Teaser Photos!

Last weekend I had so much fun! I had a fully-booked boudoir marathon with ten ladies over Saturday and Sunday - I can’t tell you how exhausted I was by the time I got home Sunday evening, but it was well worth it. I’m so happy with the photos we got, and I’ve had some great feedback already. Three of the ladies even drove all the way from Spokane for their sessions … wow!

It’s my last marathon until the winter as I’m now pretty much booked up with weddings, however I am offering individual sessions throughout the summer for anyone who can’t wait until December.

Five ladies have very generously allowed me to share their teaser photos with you - another couple would love to share but unfortunately have somewhat sensitive jobs! Thank you all so much for sharing these, and thank you to all the ladies for being amazing models. It was a really fun weekend. Enjoy the teasers!

© 2008 Kate McElwee Photography

Lindsay & Dave: Engagement Session Take Two!

On Thursday afternoon, I met up with Lindsay and Dave again to take a few more photos at the UW campus - we were rained off on our first visit. We were relieved to see that the cherry blossoms were still there! We played around on campus for a while, then walked past the Henry Art Gallery to The College Inn, one of their favorite hang-outs. We would have all enjoyed a beer together at the end of our session if yours truly (idiot that I am) hadn’t left my ID in the car … in the U District (oops!)

Thanks again guys for a fun session and I hope you enjoy your photos!

A Whirlwind Engagement Tour: Tecla & Craig

Although Tecla and Craig live in Tacoma, they were up for coming to Seattle and taking a mini tour of the city with me for their photos - and we finally got to do that this Tuesday! We started off at Kerry Park, but quickly headed down to Seattle Center for some fun, colorful photos outside EMP, by the fountain (where I narrowly escaped getting pooped on by a pigeon!) and next to those strange stripy yellow stick things … does anyone know what they’re called?

Next up - a jaunt around Pike Place. Tecla and I were both starving so we stopped off for oysters, fish & chips, and some very tasty pastries. Yummy! Refueled and raring to go, we stopped by Post Alley. We took a couple of silhouette shots and then I asked them to pretend I wasn’t around … I just love the photos of them making out against the wall!

Last stop was the SoDo area. I love the big red wheel on the back of one of the warehouses down there, and the train tracks are always fun. We also finally got some rain (Tecla was actually hoping for rain for the whole session, crazy girl!) and we had fun hiding them between the umbrealla and the old trains.

We finished our whirlwind tour at Krispy Kreme on 1st and I took a few photos of Tecla’s gorgeous ring … and of course we all pigged out on some amazingly tasty doughnuts! A perfect end to a super fun session. Good luck with the last couple of months of wedding preparations, and see you in June!

© 2008 Kate McElwee Photography

Engaged in Snoqualmie: Mandy & Josh

On Sunday morning, bright and early, I headed across to Snoqualmie to meet Mandy and Josh for their engagement session. It was the first time they’d been back together to the spot where Josh proposed, and I’m so glad they chose this special place for our photo session.

After a false-start by the falls (I was not at all happy about the safety fence that was blocking the amazing view!) we drove into the tiny town for some cute vintage-style shots with the old trains and in the pretty streets. I fell in love with a green wall in one of the back streets, especially with Mandy’s super-cute white & orange outfit against it. My favorite photos from the town were with the trains though - and I gave Josh and Mandy a good workout, with lots of jumping and clambering and hanging!

After we had decided that the weather would probably hold for a while, we headed back to the falls and hiked down to the very bottom. This is where Josh had asked Mandy to marry him, and I love that you can see the emotion in their smiles. Mandy had brought along a few umbrellas by Bella Umbrella; they were perfect against the magnificent backdrop of Snoqualmie Falls.

After a lunch break we returned to Seattle for a few last photos - with cherry blossoms of course! They took me to their favorite spot in the arboretum and I was blown away by the display of blossoms. I think this is my new favorite spring photo location!

We got tons of great shots, but here are a few of my very favorite photos. Enjoy!

© 2008 Kate McElwee Photography

Love in the Springtime: Jenny & Jerrod’s Engagement Session

On Saturday, I headed back to the University of Washington for this weekend’s second engagement session, this time meeting up with Jenny and Jerrod whose wedding I’ll be photographing this summer at the Tyee Yacht Club. Jerrod is currently studying for a PhD at the U, and it was fun having him and Jenny show me all the things I’d previously missed on campus - including the fun gargoyles in the quad, and the magnificent reading room in Suzzallo Library.

We started off in the quad for some cherry blossom shots (yes, again - and there will be more; I love cherry blossoms!) We bumped into another couple having an engagement session with Alex Studio, and then one of Jerrod’s classmates and his wife walked over and said hi. Apparently the quad is the place to be right now!

Next, we wandered down to Red Square where I got my “industrial” fix - I do love me some concrete - and into Suzzallo library for shots with all the amazing eye candy in there. The light coming down the huge staircase was perfect, and I couldn’t resist a couple of snaps with the gorgeous lights in the entrance hallway. The reading room was so beautiful I literally didn’t know where to begin - I had a case of photography stage fright I think! Thank you Jenny and Jerrod for being so patient with me. I think the wait was worth it though - I love the “peeping Tom” shot of them through the glass.

On our way off campus we made a brief detour to a spectacular puddle I’d spotted when parking earlier, and then we headed up to Volunteer Park for the final part of our session. I love the Bleeding Hearts that Jenny found for her ring portrait, so cute! And it was fun getting them up on the camel for a couple of silly shots to end the session. Enjoy your photos and see you in June!

© 2008 Kate McElwee Photography