Sarah + Mitch

A perfect June day set the tone for the afternoon wedding of this Des Moines couple at St. John's Lutheran Church downtown. It's pretty unusual for a wedding to not suffer several bouts of hiccups throughout the day to throw us off schedule a bit. Sarah + Mitch must be diligent planners as this Saturday was "butter."

I love the look on Mitch's face as he sees his bride for the first time.

Always one of my favorite moments, the big entrance with dad.





A first for me, Mitch jumped the gun and had a bite for himself before Sarah could feed him.


Congratulations to Sarah + Mitch and all of their family and friends for a great day.

Kari + Scott

Engagement sessions are a 2-way street. My clients get some fun portraits to use for wedding stuff and I get a chance to see how they are in front of the camera. Plus, we get a chance to know each other so we're not such strangers on the wedding day.

For a while, honestly, I was in a rut with engagement shoots, always trying to wring something new out of the same locations. Lately, I've been trying to inject some new energy and the element of chance into the shoots by trying random locations and suggesting poses I might have been too reticent to try before. Sure, it's not cutting edge but I'm having more fun and the resulting images have a little more punch.

Kari + Scott, whose Aug. 18th wedding is nearly upon us, played along nicely.

Whisper to a Scream: Brittney + Matt

It was another (Satur)day at the office for the wedding photographer. Brittney + Matt seemed the typical young couple with the requisite number of friends and family. The June wedding day started innocently enough with the usual quiet buildup to the ceremony, everything slightly behind schedule. The church ceremony featured the required steps to unite the couple.

Little did I know how much the well-mannered cast at the wedding were just saving their energy. Unleashed from the ceremonial and ritual portion of the day, the party hounds were unleashed. The result was a celebration, not just of the newly wed, but also of friendship and family.

You might see this grassy knoll a lot on the blog. It's in a strategic spot downtown and holds a lot of photo-potential.

Brittney and the girls try to energize a drooping bridesmaid before the ceremony.

Matt has to be one of the shyer and quieter grooms I've met but as long as he focused on Brittney, he went along with my photo reindeer games.

The grassy knoll again. That would be the Des Moines skyline, in case you didn't recognize it.

When the d.j. was setting this lights up, I thought Foghat might make an appearance. I'm not knocking them. The Temple for the Performing Arts is notoriously dark so I welcome any help.
When you give people a chance to sing, they will. Simon Cowell would have walked out of this reception.


This kid held forth on the dance floor like he was Michael Jackson.


And, this is what happens when, deep into the reception, your photographer decides to put on his beret and try something new. This will be part of an ongoing series. I like it.

I've been a bad, bad bloy

"I have no idea how this happens

All my maps have been overthrown"

- "You Are My Face", Wilco

I swear (frequently, but mostly under my breath), I started this blog thing with the best intentions. And, for a few weeks I was on a roll. Then, summer happened. The perfect storm of weddings, the kid's summer vacation and my ongoing, lifelong battle with making "good use of my time" knocked me way off course.

The funny/sad thing is, 6 weeks ago, I was quickly addicted to the idea after being dragged,

 kicking and cynical, to the blog thing. I was always checking my stats on Google Analytics, giggling because I had one reader in Serbia and Montenegro.

What is it about the inability to get things done while the mind wanders? Should I be delusional and defend it as part of the creative process? Nah. My biggest hurdle is getting started. When I'm busy, that big pile of to-do's looks like a mountain. I like to look at mountains, they're beautiful, but climbing them is a completely different enchilada. Great, now I'm hungry.

Alright, enough late-nite navel gazing. I've had some great shoots with some damn good-looking clients lately and, no more excuses, I'm going to share them. Soon.

But first, a vacation picture of my son, with his first-ever catch (and release). I have no idea what kind of fish this was but, man, they sure seemed to eager to get onto a hook and out of that lake. FYI, Campfire Bay Resort on Fish Trap Lake in Minnesota. Bliss, with a beach.

Jessica + Joel

Iowa has had more than it's fair share of rain this spring and May 26 began with more of the same. On cue, though, the sun burst forth and, although the decision to move the ceremony inside had already been made, the weather couldn't have been better for the wedding of Jessica + Joel, two very handsome Des Moines-ites (or Des Moinesians).
The ceremony and reception were at the appropriately lodgy Jester Park Lodge in Grimes.

Flossing and brushing for Jessica, right, and a bridesmaid after their pre-game meal of Jimmy John's and watching "Flubber."

Jessica recently lost her grandmother who had taught her macrame. In her memory, Jess, mostly on her own but with some help from the other important women in her life, sewed enough tea towels for every wedding guest (and a couple of photographers). It's a nice complement to my collection of koozies.

This is the look of a man who sees his future and likes what he sees.

A wedding day is an emotional ride and Jessica was not afraid to lay it all out there. However, every tear was quickly eclipsed by a big smile.


Sometimes I have to prompt my subjects to canoodle. Jess and Joel did not need any coaching. They were all about the, as Journey put it so succinctly, "lovin', touchin' and squeezin'."


The wedding cake is one of those wedding traditions that more couples are foregoing. Jess and Joel chose a chocolate fountain, which takes a while to get the hang of.

When Jess spoke of her family's year leading up to the wedding, the tissue supply took a big hit.

The single ladies demanded a re-toss of the bouquet after the bride's first throw fell short.



One of the more satisfying shots I've taken in a while, I just like the feel of it.

Come on, get happy!: Elara + Mike

When I interviewed with Elara and her lovely mother last year, she seemed like such a happy person. Maybe it was the stress of having a wedding day with great weather, a beautiful location and the constant attention of Mike, her doting, loving groom, but I couldn't seem to get a smile out of her. Have a look, it's sad that such a winsome bride couldn't have a better time on her biggest day.

Mom gets some help securing the back of Elara's dress.

Sure it's a cliche but if it's fun, then I say to heck with worrying about that. Besides, even an old chestnut like can reveal something about the subjects.

Elara's father didn't say much on Saturday but his non-stop smile spoke volumes.


I don't know what this device is called that Elara is jumping for joy upon, but it's a series of plates that sounds musical tones when pressed. I think this would have been a good time for video.




I have no idea what the exact placement of the garter was here but I believe Elara wished it was positioned in a spot easier for Mike to find.


I'm more than a decade away from watching my son get married but I can already sympathize with Mike's mother holding on tight during their dance.

I don't think this little one has been to nearly as many weddings as me but even once might be too much for some to witness otherwise dignified people move to a terribly loud version of the "Electric Slide."


Thank you, Elara + Mike. You and your friends and family were warm and gracious subjects. Elara, you were beaming, beautiful and organized, the perfectly-balanced bride.

Bigger + Better: The new website

While I loved my now-former website, the host of the site seemed incapable of handling the responsibility of making sure the face of my business was up and running consistently. Last year, they even deleted the site "accidentally" and claimed there was no backup. Since my mother (Happy Mother's Day!) might someday discover the internet and read this, I won't share the colorful language I used to suggest they never lose my site again. Well, they didn't lose it but it's been down occasionally and even once is too much. So, I found a new host, bought a new site and it's up and running.
The upside of going thru all this I have a way to display much larger images. I'm still filling in some blanks on the site but check it out, let me know what you think. It's right here.