I enjoyed every minute Amanda and I spent together during her wedding consultation. She was so happy and excited to tell me about her wedding. She told me about her fiancee Jesse and his family. We talked about Amanda’s family and I was so pleased to hear her say that she thought I’d get along great with everyone. I could tell Amanda was very close with her family, so I took that as a huge complement and hopped I would live up to their expectations! When March 29th rolled around I surprised Amanda by showing up at Jaazz Salon where she was getting her make up done. I’m happy I went because those are some of my favorite images! Salons are so colorful and there are details and props everywhere! I’m especially pleased with the wedding ring on top of the Moroccan Oil box where I changed the words to say “Amanda’s Big Day” with the wedding date printed at the bottom of the image. After the salon I headed to St. Mary’s church in the Spokane Valley. Everyone was “in the moment” and I could tell they were a close bunch and comfortable around each other and happy to be there for Amanda and Jesse. After the first look I spent some time photographing Amanda and Jesse. I was moving about and just kind of doing my thing when I heard Amanda say to Jesse, “See, don’t you just love her?!” Haha I didn’t say anything at the time because I’m a firm believer in keeping the wedding day about the bride and groom. But now that I’m writing on my blog I get to say that I heard you Amanda! Haha And I want to thank you! That means the world to me that you knew I’d get along with your family and your husband and help make your day fun and memorable in the best way possible! Your wedding party was cracking me up, from Ryan taking out his false teeth (hockey stick to the mouth busted out two teeth!) to your wonderful girls striking a pose for me at the reception! Everyone was so wonderful! You’re truly blessed! I wish you and Jesse all the best! Cheers! xoxo, Emily
Jessi + Matt = Engagement Session
Where do I start with Jessi and Matt?! I’ve known Matt for 11 years, and I feel like I can say that I’ve never seen him happier! And I think the first time Jessi and I met was when I was shooting one of our mutual friends’ weddings. I just remember Jessi’s beautiful smile and thinking “Way to go Matt!” HaHa Even though I’ve only known Jessi for about 2 years, I feel like I can talk to her about anything, and that makes shooting their photos so easy! I know Matt and Jessi, I know their likes and dislikes, and I find myself laughing and agreeing with EVERY post Jessi puts on Facebook! We both have that school teacher/ book worm/ nerdy sense of humor. We even got the same actress when we did the questionnaire on buzzfeed.com, “What actress would play you in the movie version of your life?”! HaHa (It was Emma Watson f.y.i) Again, I don’t even know where to start when talking about their engagement session… The ring (it’s PINK, which has been my favorite color since I was little) Niko, their Australian Shepherd with one brown and one blue eye, the vintage bike… they had so many great things! Matt rides mountain bikes, and I mean pretty extreme stuff! So I thought we were going to hit up Beacon Hill or somewhere close where he rides, but instead Matt showed up with this vintage tan colored cruiser bike WITH A BASKET on the front! And I was like, “Um, Matt, what’s that? You don’t ride those kind of bikes!” And Matt told me they had just bought the bike the night before and thought it would be perfect for their engagement photos! Which of course it was! Everything just fell into place. We had finally gotten some great weather, we happened to find an old public library, and Jessi’s mom was able to tag along to be the dog wrangler! If the wedding day goes half as well as the engagement photos, it’ll be a HUGE success! Cheers to you two! I can’t believe Jessi had 156 “Likes” when she used an image from the engagement session as her profile picture! Things like that make me so happy and excited to be just a small part of their lives and one of the people they trust to help throw the best wedding ever! Thank you! xoxo, Emma 
Jessi + Brandon = Engagement Session
First and foremost this couple is silly and likes to joke around, A LOT! Which is perfect for me, because my emphasis is always on having fun! Jessi and Brandon remind me of so many of my friends, they love the out doors, they love Sitka, their dog, and their passion for life and living it to the fullest every day is my favorite thing about them! I think my face hurt worse than theirs form laughing through this session. At one point Brandon had picked Jessi up and I snapped a few pictures, then Jessi thought it would be a good idea to pick up Brandon. Almost immediately she dropped him (almost on his head) in the middle of my wet and soggy field! I don’t even think I had time to ask Brandon if he was ok because I was laughing so hard. Very professional of me I know. But how often do I claim to be professional? There are some truly sweet and loving images in here too and it makes my heart smile when I look at images like the one where Brandon is holding Jessi hugging and kissing her and she’s got her eyes closed. Sometimes the most challenging thing for the clients is to act naturally in front of the camera. As long as these two act like themselves, I know they’ll get the wedding photos they want! Thanks Jessi and Brandon for a fun day full of laughter (whether you meant to make me laugh or not!) You guys are awesome!!!!
Joey’s 3 Year Old Photos
Joey and I go waaaaaaay back. He was about 2 months old and living in Arizona. I got to meet Joey for the first time during a lunch date with his mama, my long time friend, Heidi. Of course I fell in love with Joey the second I saw him! You could tell he was going to have his mom’s beautiful red hair, and Oh My Gosh those dimples!!!!! I’ve watched Joey grow up, and develop his own personality. He’s a great combination of both his parents. I can’t wait to talk sports with Joey when he grows up, and convince him that, although his dad may be delusional in rooting for the Yankees, Joey does NOT in fact have to like them too! Hahahaha Joking Kevin, you redeem yourself by working at my alma mater. It’s been my pleasure to get to watch this little family of three welcome their baby girl AND move back to Spokane! Thank you for supporting my photography and allowing me to document all the special milestones in your lives! xoxo, Emma
Kuhlmann Family Welcomes Baby Rachel
So I’m glancing back through the archives, and I’m looking for the blog of the Kuhlmann’s family photo session from November, and… I…. cannot… find…. it! So, I’m including some of my favorite images from the November shoot! Along with the images form the previous session, I’m posting my favorites from their daughter’s new born session! Baby Rachel is just so perfect, and big brother Cam melts my heart with his smile and the most beautiful red hair I’ve ever seen! Congratulations Katie and Dayne on your beautiful family! 
Miss Luna’s 5 Month Session
Little Luna’s smile is contagious! Just look at these photos! Luna visits my studio every month to have her photos taken in her adorable little mermaid out fit. Her mom does this so that she can make a collage when Luna is one year old and compare how much she’s grown in her first year! For February her mommy brought Luna’s Seattle Seahawks tutu, onesie and head band! I thought that was a great idea to capture Luna in her Seahawks gear the year they won the Super Bowl! And of course we had to shoot some Valentine’s photos! Below are a sample of just a few of the many images we captured!
Rosa and Phil’s Pregnancy Session
When Spokane received it’s first beautiful snowfall of the season I was secretly super excited! I say secretly because everyone around me usually curses the white stuff as it makes it difficult to commute to work, the grocery store and all other daily activities. But, I work from home, so I don’t really need to leave the house/studio! And on top of that, snow makes for pretty pictures! I had not met Rosa and Phil before their pregnancy shoot, but I got to know them during the session and learned they’re from a place that’s much colder and snowier than our dear Spokane. They’re from Chicago! Anyone want to complain to this couple about cold and snow? Haha Mother Nature must have known that snow would add a beautiful element to our baby bump session and was fitting for this couple. We started the session in the studio and captured exactly what Rosa expressed to me they were looking for, simple, beautiful photos. I added a few splashes of color and baby paraphernalia, but for the most part we focused on Phil and Rosa and her cute baby bump. Then it was a quick trip out side on the property where my studio is to shoot photos of Rosa and Phil wrapped up in a bright red blanket! I got the idea from an engagement session I saw and I was super happy that Rosa and Phil were on board to cuddle together in the blanket. They were so easy going in front of the camera and I hope they enjoy the memories they made that Saturday afternoon at my studio and in the snow and trees. Congratulations on your new bundle of joy! And thank you for spending time with me and allowing me to capture this important time in your lives! Cheers! 
Olivia + Brandon = Wedding
Brandon and Olivia met in their early years of undergrad through mutual high school friends. The story board at their wedding tells the cute story of Brandon bravely calling Olivia’s house to ask her on a date. About 6 years later they wed at the beautiful Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane! Six years may seem like a long time to date, but Brandon and Olivia were hard at work in college. And this May there will be a doctor in the house when Brandon finishes medical school. Check out the awesome cuff links Olivia gave Brandon! Talk about attention to detail! These families and this wedding party were the dream team to work with! I know Brandon and Olivia will have a lifetime of wellness and happiness! Cheers! 
Lindsay + Geoff = Engagement Photos
Any one else excited about the snow?! No? It’s just Lindsay and Geoff and I? Of course we had the engagement photos scheduled about 6 weeks before the Nov. 5th date and had no way of knowing what the weather would be like! And since I was traveling to Moscow nothing was going to make me reschedule (except maybe rain). So Lindsay and Geoff toughed it out like the tough police officer and firefighters that they are and we had an amazing engagement photo shoot with Miss Meg (their dog) in tow! Can’t wait for the BIG day! Congrats! See ya in May!
Portfolio Shoot for Hair Stylist
Photographers get asked all the time to shoot a wide variety of subjects. And that keeps our job interesting and our creativity flowing. And that’s why I was so excited when my long time friend (and hair stylist) asked me to help her out with a shoot for the salon she works for! She recruited a local beauty that we both knew, so the shoot was super relaxed and fun! Thanks gals!!
