Megan and Bob’s wedding was my first wedding of 2011…and what a way to kick off the year! These two are one of the nicest, most laid back couples I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing. If every bride was as easy going as Megan, my job would be effortless!

Megan and Bob also have one of the sweetest stories…Megan’s mom had a colleague who was determined to set Megan up with this guy she knew. Megan graciously declined the offer, but the woman insisted she give him a chance. Megan said when she found out the guy was a firefighter she was hesitant and when she found out his name was Bob she said “I’m not so sure.” However, the positive spirit that she is, Megan eventually agreed to meet him, thinking, “what’s one more bad date?” Well, their first (blind) date ended up being the best date of her life. And now, Megan is married to her kind, caring firefighter husband, Bob.

They appropriately were married at Waterfall Garden Park near Pioneer Square, which is across from the headquarters of the Seattle Fire Department. They had a heartfelt, intimate ceremony with only their parents, siblings and one of Megan’s best friends, who was also the officiant. Following the ceremony we ventured around Pioneer Square for photos. I absolutely loved the architecture, textures and colors that the area provided and despite being a chilly January afternoon, Megan and Bob were up for anything. The group then enjoyed a celebratory dinner at the Metropolitan Grill.

Megan and Bob, thank you so much for allowing me to be there to document your incredibly special wedding day. I wish you nothing but the best as you start your married life together!

Dress: Nordstrom

Shoes: Badgley Mischka

Hair: Jamie O’Neill

Makeup: Naomi Lewis with High Maintenance

Flowers: Fleurt Studio

My first wedding of the year was last Saturday…and what a wedding it was! Full post on these two awesome people coming next week!

Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s 2011? I’m so excited for all of the adventures in the year ahead, but before we lurch full force back into our daily routines after the holidays I wanted to share a few of my favorite wedding images from 2010. As I mentioned in my last post, some of the images below are personal favorites from weddings that have already been featured here and others are from weddings I shot for a local studio and are making their first appearance on the blog.

I hope you all have a wonderful start to 2011! I think it’s going to be the best one yet!

Sean and Xia (married on the Skansonia)

Chris and BriAnna (married at The Seattle Temple and a wedding I second shot for Matt Shumate Photography)

Jen and Edsel (married at St. Thomas More Church in Spokane)

Carrie and Dave (married at the Daybreak Star Cultural Center in Discovery Park)

Kiera and Josh (married at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School)

Maria and Mike (married at the great new event venue in South Lake Union, 415 Westlake)

Lindy and Mark (married at the Pickering Barn and another wedding I had the pleasure of second shooting for Matt Shumate Photography)

Natalie and Seth (married at the Westminster Chapel in Bellevue and reception at the Robinswood House)

Kristy and Andrew (married at The Golf Club at Newcastle)

Sadie and Brian (married at Snoqualmie Ridge)

Katya and Andy (married at Shilsole Bay Beach Club)

This past wedding season, in addition to my own commissions, I had the privilege of shooting for a local studio here in Seattle.  Over the next few weeks I’m planning on sharing some of my favorite images from those weddings. But before I blog my 2010 season favorites, I wanted to call out one particular wedding that stands out so very vividly in my mind. So much so, that I felt it deserved its own special blog post.

From the moment I met Kristy and Andrew on their wedding day there was something different about them. Kristy was not at all concerned about tiny details or the looming rain clouds outside her hotel window. Across the hall, Andrew watched football and ate pizza with his best buddy, eager to see his bride for their “first look.”

The fact that they were not consumed with trying to perfect the day’s imperfections was so refreshing to see and experience. All these two cared about was the lifelong commitment they were about to make to one another. And apart from all of that goodness, they have the most incredible love story…

Kristy is a nurse and Andrew is a medic—both in the U.S. Army. They were both deployed and stationed at a U.S. military hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. Kristy is an avid runner and desperately sought to relieve the daily stresses by running. However, the circumstances in Baghdad didn’t allow for women to run unaccompanied. Andrew, a true gentleman and an athlete in his own right, offered to run with Kristy. And so, in the countless laps around the barracks and under conditions that are hard to imagine, these two heroes found solace in each other’s company, quickly forming the type of relationship that they least expected.  And that is the end—or rather the beginning—to Kristy and Andrew’s beautiful story.

Here are a few of my favorite frames from their special day at the Newcastle Golf Club.

P.S. As if I’ve not raved about these two enough, they both did a triathlon on the morning of their wedding! Amazing!

Kylee and Hannah may quite possibly be the two children that have been in front of my lens the most. Their mom, Whitney, is one of my closest friends and for years I have been taking their photos around the holidays. It has been wonderful watching these little girls grow up. Every time I see them, I’m amazed at how much they have grown. For as long as I can remember, it has always been “Whitney and the girls,” but now they are lucky enough to have a little baby brother, Hudson (and hopefully a new photography subject for me!).

While I was in Spokane last month, I was able to make it out to Whitney’s lovely house and property outside of the city. It has become tradition to start our session at her uncle’s old barn, which has a gorgeous, faded door that I’m in love with. We spent some time wandering around the property and down by the river before heading over to her family’s horse stable. The girls had a blast playing in the hay, while little Hudson was content sleeping in Whitney’s arms.

Each time I drive away from spending time with Whitney, I’m always overcome by her immense optimism and unwavering “can do” attitude. Despite life’s ups and downs, this girl always has a smile on her face. And for that, I am always in deep admiration of her.

My time with Whitney, Kylee and Hannah is always special (although far too infrequent!). I am looking forward to watching Hudson grow up as I’ve done—and will continue to do—with his big sisters. I can only hope that this little family has many years still to come in front of my camera.

Before the Thanksgiving festivities begin, I wanted to share a few of my favorite shots from Katya and Andy’s gorgeous wedding at Shilshole Bay Beach Club. I met Katya in my photography program at the University of Washington, and so I was honored when she asked me to be their wedding photographer. We started out the day at her parent’s house with Katya and her girls getting ready. Then we headed to the University of Washington, which is where Katya and Andy met. Although it had been raining on and off throughout the day, it stopped just as we got onto campus and the sun started peeking out from behind the clouds. We took advantage of the manicured grounds and impressive architecture and right as we got in our cars to head to the beach club, it started raining…the rain gods must have heard my prayers that day! Their ceremony and reception was a joyous, intimate affair with lots of heartfelt speeches, lively music and good food and wine—a celebration indeed.

Katya and Andy, thank you both for inviting me to capture your wedding day. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for you both! Next up…baby photos, right?!

Vendors:

Dress: Maggie Sottero

Catering: Apulent Catering and Events

Hair/makeup: Robert Leonard

Flowers: Brittany Flowers of Kirkland

Pat and I have just returned from a quick, but wonderful vacation to the island of Oahu. It was the first time either of us had been to Hawaii and our first visit to a tropical climate together. And it was absolutely spectacular! Last week while I was packing I kept thinking to myself, “Am I really going to wear these shorts and need these flip flops?” For some reason I always find it hard to imagine drastic climate changes, but much to our excitement we boarded our plane in cold, rainy Seattle and arrived to sun and 80+ degree weather in Honolulu. It was heaven!

Some highlights of our trip included snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, where we saw the most colorful fish and the water was crystal clear. We signed up for a scuba diving adventure, which had been a dream of Pat’s since childhood (I was a little nervous during our pool training session, but managed to pull through without a major panic attack!). During our two dives we saw huge sea turtles (which swim right up to you!) and we were surrounded by countless tropical fish and gorgeous coral. Scuba diving was such an incredible experience and it will definitely remain one of my fondest memories. We also spent some time exploring the island and other beautiful beaches. One afternoon we drove around the island and ended up on the North Shore, where we ate at a local shrimp shack and watched surfers tackle huge waves. Of course we enjoyed every opportunity to soak up some much needed Vitamin D (I’m fairly certain I was the palest person on the beach the first day!). But, more than anything, it was just wonderful to spend some time together, away from everything, enjoying each other’s company (and maybe a few Mai Tai’s!).

We’re already planning our next trip back to one of the other islands (and scuba certification for Pat), but for now here are a few images from our short visit to paradise….

I think the sea turtles were my favorite part of scuba diving (and they reminded me of the turtles in Finding Nemo!). They’re so docile and laid back…

Sunrise over Diamond Head…taken from the beach in front of our hotel.

A beautiful Oahu sunset…

And a few mini polaroids from my Instax…

Today I’m sharing a very special session and I’m excited to finally be posting these photos! Earlier this year, before I had a blog or a website and before Kathryn Bradley Photography became a real, living business, I begged my dear friend Olita and her boyfriend Steve to model for me. I was nearing the end of my photography program and needed to put together a body of art for our final exhibit. I had a vision for the type of session I wanted to do, and knew Olita and Steve would be perfect for it.

It was early February, which in Seattle is by no means a dry time of the year, but on the day of our session it was sunny and the air was crisp. The three of us headed out to one of my favorite Seattle spots. I’m not sure if it was the location, the yummy afternoon sunlight or the obvious chemistry between these two, but this session felt really special while I was shooting it. And although I feel like I’ve learned so much since the start of this year, these are still some of my favorite photos to date.

Olita and Steve are some of the kindest, most genuine people I have ever met. They are wonderful individuals and as a couple they bring out the best in one another. Spending time with them, you simply know they are right for each other.

During our shoot, Olita would tease Steve about how fun it would be if it was actually their engagement session. Steve simply laughed with us, not letting the teasing get to him. Little did Olita know that Steve had plans of his own! As it turns out, patience really does pay off. After years of dating and Olita wondering if Steve would ever propose, he popped the question during their summer road trip to California. Of course her answer was a resounding YES!

Olita and Steve, thank you for doing this session and being patient with me! Without a doubt, this world will be a better place because you have chosen to spend your lives with each other. I love you guys!

I thought I’d also post a few photos of the sample album I designed from Olita and Steve’s session…

This week has been particularly beautiful in Seattle. The trees are bursting with color and the continuous days of warm sunshine have been a welcome treat. However, it’s not supposed to stay like this for much longer. Cold weather and rain are in the forecast and as we set back our clocks this weekend, it seems the warm days of fall are almost over.

Thinking about the cold weeks and months ahead, I remembered a not so dreary time from this summer. My best friend Julia and her boyfriend Christoph came to visit us from Germany for several weeks. I was born in Germany and most of my childhood memories are from there, the majority involving Julia. We met in third grade and have been best friends ever since, despite being five thousand miles apart. While our lives have changed significantly over the years and our phone calls have become less frequent due to school, jobs and just generally busy schedules, whenever Julia and I do talk or see each other it’s like we pick up right where we last left off. During their visit this summer, we had a blast playing tourists in our own city and showing Julia and Christoph all of our favorite Pacific Northwest spots. Plus, I think we did a pretty good job of convincing them they should move here! Not a big ask, right?!

Enjoy a few sunny photos from our evening at Golden Gardens…it might be awhile before we see the sun again here in Seattle!

Julia und Christoph, Ich hab euch beide sehr lieb und hoffe das wir uns bald wieder sehen!

Happy November! Seriously, where is the time going? I feel like this year especially, time is going by faster than ever before. These past few months have been some of the busiest months of my life. Between shooting weddings for a local Seattle studio (more on that soon!), shooting my own weddings and portrait sessions and a really busy time at my day job, I’ve been finding it hard to catch my breath. But things are (thankfully!) starting to slow down a bit and I’m excited to get back to blogging more regularly and sharing some of the weddings and portrait sessions that I haven’t posted yet.

And what better way to start out this month, than to share a few of my favorite shots from baby Hudson’s newborn session last weekend. Oh my goodness, this little guy is absolutely adorable! It is so amazing to photograph a baby that is just several weeks old. They are so pure, so helpless and have their whole lives ahead of them to achieve whatever they set out to do…it’s really incredible when you stop and think about it for a minute. Little Hudson is lucky enough to have two wonderful sisters and an amazing mom, who I photographed as well. So stay tuned for the post of that session soon! But for now, enjoy some of my favs of baby Hudson and his beautiful mom, Whitney.