Pete & Melissa Engagement.

One of the most important things to me as a photographer is to really get to know a couple before I photograph their wedding. Being in front of a lens isn't always the easiest and not necessarily the most natural feeling so to be at least comfortable and familiar with the face behind the camera makes things a little more natural.

Melissa reached out to me in the late Spring about their August wedding in Montana. Although we had only interacted on the phone and via e-mail (because she was still living in Seattle) it was instantly natural and I was already getting excited for their wedding.

In late July, after Pete & Melissa moved to Spokane, we were finally able to meet in person for their engagement session. You can instantly tell if you're going to vibe with a couple or if it's going to take a little warming up and with them it was from the first second.

This weekend I will take the trip up to NW Montana for their wedding and it's going to be the perfect finale to this busy August!

Here are a few shots from our early morning engagement session...

Ronald McDonald House of Spokane.

I have been lucky enough to be able to volunteer my time now twice with the good people at the Ronald McDonald House of Spokane and photograph some of the families that have been staying there. I hope that no one has to face having an ill child but I am happy to know there are places like this for families to alleviate some of their worry and stress at such a difficult time.

The purpose of this shoot was to feature Noah, his mom, and their family and also photograph a few of the 22 (yes, 22, and there is a long waiting list on top of that!) families that are staying at the House. In my short time that I spent with Noah I saw how he is such a great big brother not only to his little sister but to all of the kids staying at the house- always helping and always with a kind smile on his face. I also saw the happiness in Agnes' face, Noah's mom, to simply see her child play and laugh in the sun on a late-winter afternoon.

Having a child myself, I have realized there is a truly animalistic nature that becomes a part of you the moment your baby enters the world and gives you the new title of their mom. I know there is absolutely nothing that I wouldn't do or let stand in my way to protect my daughter. There are true stories of mothers lifting cars or overcoming extraordinary measures to save their child because the power of motherhood is a fierce kind of love. You can see exactly that it in the eyes of Agnes and the other mothers at the Ronald McDonald House.