Destination Weddings

Montana destination wedding

Montana Destination Wedding

Just in from England, Stephanie and Michael were greeted by beautiful springlike weather with a gentle rain shower in the hills above Livingston.  Stephanie vacationed in the area with her family when she was very young.  She and Michael chose to return here for their Montana destination wedding.  Chico Hot Springs is hosting this grand occasion and I am very much looking forward to it!

For the last year, we have only skyped and planned via email.  So, last night we had a little ‘meet and shoot’ at a private place near Livingston.  Such a happy and authentic couple, we hit it right off.

Love this place!!!





Authentic home wedding

Last week I traveled to my childhood home in Kansas City, Missouri for the wedding of my nephew Lucas Stanley to the love of his life Missy Johnson. The days were filled with spending time with two of my brothers and their families and a long stay at my Grandfather’s farm in Amsterdam Missouri.

The spring air that greeted my waking mind after sleep smelled just as sweet as it did 50 years ago. Memories emerged of happiness and many sublime years of a loving family.

Watching though my lens on the day of the wedding I found something of myself in the faces of those that gathered at this wonderfully authentic and simply beautiful ‘home wedding’ celebration.

Prior to my return flight, my youngest brother Jerry and his wife Karen brought out boxes of images from my Mother’s belongings. It was a treasure that I did not know existed. Century old photos of family, nearly a complete photo history of my family. Among them I found a beautiful wedding portrait of my Grandmother on my father’s side and one of my earliest photos taken with my simple camera and printed in my own little darkroom in the basement. I would have been 7 then. It is a photo of the farm that I stayed at during my visit!
Enjoy…

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Grandmother Bertha Stanley the youngest of 5 children (front row center)

 

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Bertha Stanley’s wedding day portrait

 

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One of my earliest photos I was able to find. Image of the farm of my beloved Grandpa Earl Locke
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Holland Lake Lodge wedding

Holland Lake Lodge wedding

On August 11th of 2007 I photographed Evan and Kristin’s Holland Lake Lodge wedding.  Last weekend, 8 years later and on the same kind of  ‘smokey’ weekend in August they returned to Holland Lake Lodge for a week of fun.  This time they were joined by their sweet daughter Helen.  At first she was a bit camera shy, but then a new and unexpected side of Helen appeared.  Helen is a STAR!  She danced and ran and giggled and played while taking full advantage of 3 or 4 of her favorite dresses.  And when I asked if she would spin…  wow!

What a treat to photograph with this couple and their lovely, inspiring daughter!

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Wedding Anniversary Portraits

Katy and Scott married ten years ago to the day of this Wedding Anniversary Portraits shoot. Only this time they were joined by their son Winston!  I was so pleased they called me for this grand occasion.

It was a splendid couple of hours on the 320 Ranch with all the mountain weather you can imagine.  And in the end we were baptized with the most delicious rain and sun… and then the rainbow!  Here’s to ten years of love, romance and a fine young son!!!  Congratulations Katy and Scott!

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Sarah and Phil married in Tarrytown

Families and friends gathered at the beautiful Tarrytown House in New York for the wedding of Sarah and Phil.  This historic estate along the Hudson river glowed with love and excitement from Friday night until the final Sunday morning brunch and a lot of happy goodbyes.  After a painterly sunset on Friday evening, the weather changed to deliver magical snow that fell on the wedding day.   The pictures tell the story.

Enjoy!
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Inspiration from the East

This post is not about wedding photography directly. However, it was a wedding in New York that gave me leave to visit this magic place in Walden and find Inspiration from the East.

I have always been fascinated with the culture of Tibet and it’s people. In 1999 I had the great fortune to visit Lhasa for 9 days and it was life changing for me. In 2007 I went to visit my daughter Jennie Lynn who was attended college in Poughkeepsie, New York. She told me of a Buddhist center that she visited as part of her studies. She had made the acquaintance of Lama Kalsang and Ani Kunga which led to the invitation to come and stay for a weekend retreat. It was wonderful. It was a quiet weekend at the center. Jennie Lynn and I were the only visitors on Friday and Saturday. Lama Kalsang welcomed us warmly. He answered any and all of our questions and we spent hours with the Lama sharing thoughts, laughter, meals and his kind wisdom. Then on Sunday 20 or so people came from around the state for meditation, practice and a delicious afternoon meal.

Fast forward to fall of 2014

I booked a wedding in Tarrytown New York and realizing that Walden was only about an hour north I attempted to contact Ani Kunga. Ani is a western monastic,  a highly educated and well studied Buddhist Nun. She has worked with Khenpo Lama Kalsang for years in translating and publishing many Buddhist texts. I called the number that I found for the Buddhist Center Tsechen Kunchab Ling and Ani answered the phone. We did a little catching up during which I found out that His Holiness Sakya Trizin was coming to the US and would be teaching there in March… during the week that I would be in NYC for a wedding. Everything was coming together for another visit!

During conversations and emails I found out that my old friend Khenpo Kalsang had suffered a stroke and nearly lost his life a while back. He has progressed miraculously thanks to the quick and excellent work of surgeons and the great care of several doctors since the surgery. Needless to say, my desire to see Khenpo Kalsang again was prominent in my heart.

OK… so, all that to preface these images. It was so wonderful to see my friends again – alive and well, smiling from ear to ear. Seeing the rituals, hearing the sound of the mantras, the cymbals and the bells, the very fragrance of devotion took me back to Tibet.

Such inspiration from the East!   Many thanks to Ani Kunga for making this all possible.

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the grounds of Tsechen Kunchab Ling – Temple of All-Encompassing Great Compassion

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Vajra Yogini

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His Holiness preparing to teach

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such kind wisdom in his face

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Venerable Khenpo Kalsang Gyaltsen

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Ani Kunga

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