Tag Archives: destination wedding

KIM + JOE | HOUGHTON LAKE WEDDING

UK couple referred to an Oregon photographer by an Australian photographer for a Michigan wedding. Because internet. It’s amazing how small the world can be… and I love how you can make friends across the globe with this job. It’s a weighty responsibility to figure out my clients in short order, document their joys and sadness, and provide images that will last forever to remind their great grandchildren that they are a product of this sacred day. It’s a responsibility that also happens to be one of my greatest privileges. It’s also interesting how some of the photographs we can smile at and quickly pass over become treasures as life moves along. We lose people we love. We see friends marry. Siblings move across the globe. Babies are born. As a wedding photographer you just have to hope you find the heart and soul of the couple and their loved ones, because that’s the point. Not the details, not the food. I want couples to have the ability to share the images and let people experience the day as if they were there, and to have a visual remembrance for the rest of their days. If I’m lucky, even strangers can smile and feel like they know a little bit about the people… if I’m really lucky.

USA meets UK with this couple. The London bloke and the Michigan gal. It’s always fun to see the cultural differences at weddings, and I am a big fan of the British toast/roast of the groom format. Dry British humor just makes my day, thank goodness the toasts are so much longer overseas, it gives them time to really set the jokes up 🙂

Houghton Lake was perfect, and it provided the setting for two of my most memorable moments from this wedding season: waist deep in the lake shooting the couple in a rowboat by moonlight, and a massive midnight wrestling match in the water that all started with the groom getting tossed from the dock. Anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for getting in the water to shoot, so yeah, I was in my happy place. Thanks to Joe and Kim for letting me be a part of this amazing day, I will honestly remember it as a favorite so long as I hold a camera in my hands. A bonus thank you to my homie Rob who hooked us up from the other side of the world (never underestimate the gesture of offering to do a friend a favor because they ask for help on Facebook 😉 ).

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  • Hannah Wheelerlove!!!

  • Rosa Freyyou did it, jay. you took me here. beautiful!

BENJ + MADDIE + 4 YEARS | TACOMA WEDDING

It’s been 4 years since Benj and Maddie were married. I can’t even begin to explain how much I love these guys, and how much Benj’s friendship has meant to me. In 2008, we were simply Flickr friends, and beyond a mutual admiration for each others work, we really had no points of connection. Little did I know that this would end up being one of my favorite weddings, and a couple of my favorite people, not to mention the wedding photographer I would choose if I were getting married today. The things I remember most from the wedding are all great stories on their own, but together they build a broader narrative of love and commitment. This is in large part what a wedding photographer does. We tell a story that could never contain everything you need to know about the couple, their families, and their friends… but it’s a snapshot. It’s a teaser or a trail of breadcrumbs for other people, in order to get the conversation started. For the people directly involved, it is a reminder that life “can be whatever you want it to be.” It is a window that shows both the past and causes you to wonder about and plan the future. That’s the story we try to tell. I have no idea what Benj and Maddie’s story will look like in 5, 10 or 15 years. All I know, as I approach my own 15th anniversary, is that they have both chosen wonderful companions for the adventure.

Some of my favorite moments:

  • Maddie’s starbucks cup save the date idea
  • The very detailed card Maddie made Benj, explaining how he would now replace the teddy bear as her long time sleeping companion
  • Benj official relieving the teddy of his duties 😉
  • The pearl ring which is a new family heirloom
  • High school girls love them some romance. The looks on their faces as the newly married couple kisses outside the sanctuary kills me every time
  • The Canon cake
  • The party-foul… drink spilled on the best man’s sleeve. Who’s the blame, the best man or the planner? 🙂
  • Um, fireworks.

I sat at dinner with Benj and Maddie last weekend (we have a shared affection/obsession for Indochine) and talked a bit about their anniversary, and possible plans for their future and couldn’t help but smile at all they have to look forward to. It’s also Benj’s birthday, so go give him some love on his facebook page. Shooting and editing styles change, but I will never stop loving this wedding. High five to my Washington homies, here’s to 64 more anniversaries.

benj haischbenj haisch photographyjay eads photographyjay eads seattle wedding photography jay eads washington wedding photography jay eads oregon wedding photographerjay eads benj haischbenj haisch married

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  • Jay EadsHillary Uhler-Powell gets the high five as coordinator and makeup and all sorts of good stuff 🙂

  • Craig FloodAMAZING!

  • Rodrigo PaivaWow! o.O

  • EmilieLove these images! Happy anniversary Maddie and BenJ!!!

A FAKE CONVERSATION WITH MY DERMATOLOGIST

So I had a random dream last night. It included a discussion with my dermatologist about business, and how he got to be so popular. See, it takes forever to get in to see him for an appointment… subconscious being overactive? Anyway, he fake told me that to be as busy as he is, all someone has to do is follow his example: specialize in something people really want, which has built-in longevity and repeat business. Be excellent at your specialty, cultivate the reputation for being THE one to go to for that specialty. Not bad advice for a dream.

The quest to find a niche and a specialty is one of self-discovery, and patient expectation. That’s the polite, artsy way of saying it seems to take forever and I don’t want to wait any longer. Sometimes a step or three back to “see the forest for the trees” is a good thing. Bottom line is, the imaginary discussion taking place during REM sleep has actually provided some humorously perfect direction.

If you need a good dermatologist in the Eugene area, Jay Park is excellent – and he gives good dreamtime counsel, too.

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  • JeramieWell you certainly have been following your own advice. I can’t imagine another photographer in Eugene making a living with you in town 🙂 Anyways, beautiful work as usual and thanks for always being a good source of inspiration, even beyond the visuals.

  • MelindaDo you think he’ll bill you for the dream time consult? Is that covered by insurance?

    Love your images. And if you ever decide to teach a local lighting workshop I’d love to hear about it.

  • Kim O'NeilI agree with Melinda…teach us, please! 🙂 And, I love your shots of the bride and groom on the beach. Your lighting and exposures are always perfect, Jay!

  • LizI love your portraits. They are some of my favorite in the biz.

  • SethI had a dream I got punched in the face by Optimus Prime. Your dreams are way better than mine. You got great advice. I got punched in the face by a benevolent semi. On an unrelated note, I love your work.

 

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