Kira & Zac: Portland Bridals

Since my cousin was married over a week ago now i figured it was about time to post some more pictures. I haven't even looked at the wedding pictures yet (don't have room on my hard drive to download them), but here are the bridals we took the day before the wedding! I know us Johnsons are a last minute bunch, but i've got to hand it to McKays, i think they took the cake! But i love 'em! I love them so much, in fact, that after shooting these pictures throughout the morning and early afternoon, i stayed up until 3 AM touching them up! If that ain't love...

This first series of pictures were taken at the Women's Forum in the Columbia River Gorge outside of Portland overlooking Crown Point (you can see it in the background occasionally).
The overcast morning resulted in some fairly nice lighting and negated the fact that we weren't really out there all that close to sunrise.

My Mom actually made this bouquet. Isn't she so talented? I guess the blue flowers are actually painted or stained that color though, and they kept staining the bride's dress. She wasn't too happy about that.

i absolutely love this shot, it's one of my favorite poses - as any bride i've ever photographed will attest to - seeing as how i typically waste a good amount of time trying to get it just right.

I thought this one was funny. I think they were congratulating eachother for putting up with me for so long.

This is actually a follow-up shot to an earlier engagment picture.

If this was really candid, it'd be awesome, but it wasn't. But it looks candid, right?

Ah, yes - the green sweats. These facilitated changing in public. If you can't tell, the groom is indicating to the bride that the shoe/slipper does not fit.

The pout. It was almost as much fun trying to illicit this face as the "come hither" look.

Now we have moved from the Women's Forum over to Crown Point, the little building you could see on the ridge in the bacground in some of the earlier shots.

I know, i know, it's washed out, but i actually did it on purpose. I think it looks cool. i may be the only one though.

The benefit of two photographers: One of my aunts also came along on this bridal shoot and while she was taking her picture i got this one! One of my best candids and also the bride's favorite! When you're out on a formal shoot it's so hard to get real candid shots... unless you have someone else taking pictures, or some other entertainer - or maybe i just stink. Who knows.

The beautiful Columbia River Gorge.

This picture reminds me how much i like the idea of a flash. Notice the catchlights in her eyes which you can only get with a flash or if you have a reflector and reflect the sun directly in the subject's eyes (which the subject always loves). But my stupid flash batteries kept dying! It annoyed me (and everyone else, no doubt) to no end that my batteries wouldn't even last for one shoot. In the middle of this shoot and the wedding shoot, my newly installed batteries would already be taking forever to recharge. i gotta find some new batteries.

Against the bride and groom's will, i believe, i dragged them over to Multnomah Falls for some more pics. In my defense, the bride did originally request pictures here although her enthusiasm by this time had been severely depleted. This goes to show that a free photographer is not necessarily a nice photographer (that'll teach 'em not to pay me!). But i'm glad we came, i thought the pictures turned out wonderfully!

Look! Come hither, she got it! Yay for me... or for her.

Well, there you have it. Maybe i'll hold out on the wedding pics until someone funds a new portable hard drive for me. Anyone? Anyone?