Christianson's Nursery in Mount Vernon is one of my favorite places for portraits and weddings. The gardens and greenhouses photograph beautifully and keep my clients warm and dry year-round. It's always special to be back at the place where we got married, and it brings me so much joy when couples choose me to capture their celebrations here, too. As I prep for my May mini sessions, I've brought together a handful of favorites from the past two seasons.  

In 2018 I had a very special opportunity to document Brian and Anni's birth photography.  They wanted someone they could trust, who would focus on the love and connections of all the people bringing Eliana into this world.  They wanted photos of their joy, their happy tears, and photos of them being there for each other.  I had never been present for a birth, let alone photographed one, but Brian and Anni trusted me to give it a try, and I'm so glad they did!  Little Eliana took her time, and when she finally arrived, there were so many big emotions in the room.  Everyone cried, myself included, and to put it simply: it was amazing.

I had so much fun photographing the Appel family (all 17 of them!) and squeezing in lots of couple portraits and candids! Everyone was in town for a wedding but wanted photos together without the timelines or fancy outfits.  And I'm so glad they did!

When Anni and Brian first asked about doing maternity photos together, Anni told me she wasn't looking for a "glamour" session.  I teased her that I could more easily imagine her cracking up and tossing on a dinosaur costume, like that silly viral video (keep scrolling to see the best party crashers).  We loved the idea of planning a fun weekend getaway and having me tag along for a portion of it.  We picked a place special to them, took the ferry from Anacores to Orcas Island, and enjoyed puzzles and ferry coffee along the way (their favorites!).  It was the perfect way to celebrate one of their last adventures before becoming a family of three!

I've known Kai since he was six days old, and I feel so lucky I get to capture these moments for his family. To celebrate his second birthday, I followed him around Boulevard Park on a Tuesday morning for sweet father-son photos. It wouldn't be a Kai-session without handfuls of rocks and noses covered in whipped cream!