Engagement

I was honored by my friend Tony Cladoosby, a Swinomish elder, and his fiancé Michelle to be asked to photograph the two of them for their engagement photos. The two locations they chose was on Swinomish land, near La Conner, Washington. We met at “The Hats”, a local gathering spot for locals to gather. The Hats are shaped like that traditional hats worn by his people for generations. Once the light shifted we continued on to a small local beach on their reservation—it was the perfect spot, and a very meaningful one, for Tony and Michelle. And the sun was perfectly positioned behind them. My approach was to shot into the sun and make use of the sun flaring and lens refractions to accentuate their state of love. This was one of the most special shoots to capture and to be witness to.

The couple owns Beaver Tales Coffee & Teas in La Conner and they’ve printed a number of these images onto canvas which are prominently displayed inside, they’ve also used these images extensively in their social media.