Jennifer and Matthew’s wedding did not fall short in any way.  There was plenty of love, lots of beauty, and two hearts DEFINITELY became one.  It was such a joy to be a part of their day.  Jennifer was radiantly beautiful; Matthew handsome and classic.  They were married at the Sleeping Lady Resort in Leavenworth, WA.  My last wedding was at this location as well, so you might notice a few similarities in the backdrops, but hopefully you can see the unique beauty that each couple brought to the venue.

Matthew getting ready was my first stop, (of which I had a little hike and got my workout in for the day ) it was just Matthew and his brother, so to be honest we had to do a little "set up" of the photos, but he was still "officially getting ready". I LOVED his tie, so cool!

There is something about this shot that is so REAL. Jennifer was starting to truly feel the emotions of walking down the aisle , so she released the emotion by spreading out her arms and laughing. Her mom was just about to put on her necklace, a very sweet moment.

I was absolutely in love with her flowers. They were done by my favorite florist Patti Bosket (she put together the flowers for my wedding as well

We took this shot right after they saw each other for the first time that day, it was such a gorgeous background. It was a new spot for me at the Sleeping Lady. It's so exciting for me to find new places at venues I have been to several times.

One of my fav photos of the day. Jennifer looks like a bride straight out of a magazine.

This ones a framer (in my opinion anyway!)

Sweet smiles filled with love and admiration for each other.

I'm a big fan of the romance in this shot. I told them to "really" kiss each other, and they did just that!

Jennifer made my job easy.....she was stunning! And did I mention I loved her flowers?!

The ceremony had the beautiful backdrop of the mountains up in Leavenworth, WA.

A couple touching moments!

I was super excited to have caught this image of Jennifer kissing Matthew's hand as they walked back down the aisle after making it official!

I feel like this photo shows the true spirit of firefighters! Strength, courage, honor, and sacrifice. Like they just got back from fighting a fire!

I would be lying if I said that firefighters didn’t make my heart beat a little faster every time I am around them….because it’s true, I seem to turn into a little school girl every time I see them.

And lucky me…..I got to marry my favorite firefighter last year!  He has always been my dream guy and since the age of 15 I have been madly in love with him.  He is a Godly man, faithful, full of life,  passionate, funny, strong and handsome , amongst many other things.  But when I found out that he was a firefighter, my love for him went through the roof!

Elijah (my husband) is not in these photos, because they were not taken at his station (there are five in the area).  I was very blessed to be asked to go and take photos at Station 5.  The Captain at this station was recently promoted and it was his last day with this particular crew.  So I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of history; documenting this time in Captain Leighton’s life!  I secretly hope that one of these photos will end up in a frame on the wall in one of the stations.  It would make my heart sing. 

Firefighters put themselves in harms way every day, which is something to be recognized, honored, and celebrated!!  Though I have to admit, I pray every day when my husband leaves for work that he will be protected and kept safe.  It’s hard to know there is a chance he may not walk through the door the next day.  But I am SO proud of him for putting his life on the line for others.  He, along with his fellow firemen, run into burning buildings when others are running out.  They climb into structures that are on the verge of collapsing into a pile of rubble.  They pull people out of crushed cars when they have a chance of being injured by an airbag that releases after the crash.  There are any number of things that can go wrong on every call they go on!

I raise my glass to all firefighters who put their lives on the line so that we can live and continue to enjoy all that life has to offer!

Aaahhh.... the laughter of firemen....it's like the sound of angels.

I recently had a friend of mine, who just got engaged, contact me to ask my advice about venues to potentially host her wedding.  And I thought I would share it with all of you!  I know many of you are in the midst of planning for either this year or next, so I hope you find this post helpful.

I have shot at most of these locations, but some of the venues on the list are for weddings I will be doing this year and it will be a first for me (which I love because I get to be on my “creative toes” to create images of a place I have never been to!)

This list is in no particular order.  I will let each one speak for itself.   I love all of them for different reasons!!

#1 Beecher Hill House in Peshastin, WA

www.beecherhill.com

The dance floor at Beech Hill House.

The front of Beecher Hill House.

#2  Mt. Springs Lodge in Plain, WA

www.mtsprings.com

One of the beautiful bridges/locations at Mt. Springs Lodge.

#3  Sleeping Lady in Leavenworth, WA

www.sleepinglady.com

#4  Highlander Golf Club in East Wenatchee, WA

www.highlandergolfclub.com

Looking over the Columbia River.

#5  Pine River Ranch in Lake Wenatchee, WA

www.prranch.com

Taken by the 1944 dairy barn.

#6  Red Tail Canyon Farm in Leavenworth, WA

www.redtailcanyonfarm.com

#7  Cave B Winery in Quincy, WA

www.sagecliffe.com

Looking over the breath taking Columbia River at the Gorge.

#8 Banjo Creek Farms in Manson, WA

www.banjocreekfarms.net

I loved the farm feel!

#9  Warm Springs Inn in Wenatchee, WA

www.warmspringsinn.com

Warms Springs is surrounded by beautiful orchards.

And has a couple rustic barns to take photos by.

#10 Suncadia Resort in Cle Elm, WA

www.suncadiaresort.com

It has amazing views of the mountains.

#11  Imbrie Hall in Hillsboro, OR (this one obviously isn’t in WA, but I loved shooting a wedding there so I thought I would add it!)

www.mcmenamins.com

The following is list of venues I have NOT photographed a wedding at but are on my schedule for this year!

#1  Wapato Point Cellars in Lake Chelan

www.wapatopointcellars.com

#2 Bybee-Nims Farm in North Bend

www.bybeenimsfarms.com

#3  MAC (Museum of Arts & Culture) in Spokane, WA

www.northwestmuseum.org

#4  Mazama Ranch House in Mazama, WA

www.mazamaranchhouse.com

#5 High Cedars Golf Club in Orting, WA

www.highcedars.com

I truly hope that this helps all of you who are in the search for the venue of your dreams.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call.  I’m happy to share what knowledge I have about the area.

~Happy Planning!!!!! 

A couple shots of the flowers I received from my husband this morning! Aren't they beautiful.

I know some of you might be feeling a little anti-valentine’s day, and I don’t blame you.  I use to feel that way a bit and those feelings usually come when we don’t have a significant other to share the day with.  I am not a fan of the commercialism of it.  I mean, do we really need a “holiday” to remind us to say I love you?! NOPE!

Well, once you get beyond any bitter feelings that you might have (and I’m not a negative person, I’m just stating the reality of the feelings we have, they simply aren’t all warm and fuzzy), remember that it’s a day just like all the rest…..all 365 of them.  A day in which we should be expressing our love to one another. As a mother, a daughter, a brother, a friend, a lover, a father, a co-worker, a pet owner, a garbage collector, a bee catcher, a professor, a pastor, a truck driver, (get my point) all of us alike should be sending out love on a daily basis.  Fortunately for us, love can be expressed in a multitude of ways.  I love you does not only come in a card or a box of chocolates or even in 2 dozen roses.  Those are the “extras”, the “bonus points” that make your heart smile just a little bigger.

But truly at the center of it all is love!  Love IS what makes the world go ’round.  It’s why we get up in the morning.   It’s really the only reason to take another breath, as we go about our busy days.  It’s our greatest gift in life; our great gift from God.

So go out and tell someone you love them and tell them that EVERY day!!!

With much love,

~Maija

Though it’s very overwhelming to sift through 1000s of photos to pick just a few, I took on the challenge and have selected five of my photos that I think show my style (at least for wedding photography).  I might be doing this about once a month with different photos, because it truly is painful to only pick a few.

I believe that my style is fun, real, moment by moment, expressive, and creative.  It’s hard for me to label myself as just a photojournalist or even a life style photographer, I think I pull from both.  What I most love about photography is being able to capture those fleeting moments that pass us by so quickly, and to capture those moments that others might have missed had I not been there to capture it (i.e. photojournalism).  On the other hand, I love the creative elements of photography, the textures in a background, a fun or dynamic pose,  not to mention all the joy that I can find in the creative editing process.

I would LOVE for you all to comment on what you think of these photos, which one is your favorite, what emotion do you feel when you look at them, or just give me a few words to describe one or all of the photos.  I really appreciate your thoughts and feedback.  THANK YOU!!

Photo #1

**Capturing the moment**

Photo #2

**real**emotion**

Photo #3

**fun**

Photo #4

**dynamic**texture**

Photo #5

**emotion**creative**

And along with returning to home, I have returned to work.  Yippy!!!  It kind of slipped my mind when I was planning this trip that January is one of the busiest booking months of the year for weddings.  So I was able to hear from several of you who are planning your weddings, while I was sitting on my deck with a view!    With that begin said, I only have a few wedding dates left that I will be booking for 2010.

One of my favorite images....mainly because it was literally taken from where I was laying on the beach. Great view!

And this is my second favorite! Such a stunning view we had.

Love the ocean.

Can't you just see yourself sitting on that bench?!!!

Taken on one of our drives to the beach.

It was a joy to spend the day with Katie and Dereck and a big thank  you to them for inviting me!!

Crawling into the dress...trying to find the top!

I love these two photos showing each of them getting ready in their own separate rooms before seeing each other for the first time.

Katie just looks so happy and beautiful in this photo.

Introducing the sweet Kyah (Dereck's daughter...and now Katie's daughter as well ). I took this when Katie and Dereck saw each other for the first time and she was standing right between them the whole time. So cute.

I love these photos, because they look SO happy. One of the reasons I ADORE my job...I get to see people on their happiest day!

Mmmmm.....pure joy!

Aahhh...the sunglasses shot.

Kids.....gotta love em'!

Okay...she is serioulsy just about the cutest little girl EVER! You just want to SQEEZE her. I love this shot of her showing me her petals.

The men!

During the ceremony they did their unity sand with Kyah and I grabbed this shot just before they poured the sand together...it was too sweet.

I absolutely love how happy they look in these photos right after getting married! Total bliss.

I thought this was a very sweet shot of her hugging one of her bridesmaids after the ceremony. Love the lighting.

We took this shot a little later in the evening as the sun was going down and I really like how it turned out. Very romantic.

This was taken during the same time...and I just love how the back lighting turned out. It's so fun to paint with light!

The very cool cake.

And the first dance...I love how her dress is flowing and spinning.