Wanderers above the Mist

Wanderers above the mist comes from the German Romantic painter Caspar Friedrich. It depicts a figure standing in on a precipice looking over a misty landscape in the mountains.

The scene above from Chis and Erin’s engagement session reminded me immediately of that painting. As it turned out, their wedding day was equally as misty.

Being avid hikers and backpackers, the wonderland of the Pacific Northwest drew them out of Chicago to Washington. They spent a great deal of time in the North Cascades National park during their relationship and their ease with hiking really showed up while shooting. At one point during the wedding day portraits I insisted that instead of plowing through the branches in a wedding dress and suit that we find an alternate route. To which Chris said “oh good idea, we would have just Roshko’d through that” (Roshko being a portmanteau of sorts of their family names).

Check out Instagram for more posts from these two’s North Cascades hiking engagement photo shoot, @gullphoto. If you’re interested in doing an epic hike for your engagement session, please reach out to me.

North Cascades Environmental Learning Center WEdding

In September these two tied the knot at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. The North Cascades Environmental Learning Center doesn’t do very many events in a year. Their mission is on education and facilitating an experience with the National Park. So it was a real honor to have a wedding there. It was another misty, drizzly day and we had to be quick and strategic about getting outside for photos between downpours. Rain is never anyone’s first choice for wedding weather but these two embraced it as an authentic PNW and North Cascades National Park experience. Many of their guests were from out of town and the rain was authentic.

I find myself posting fewer and fewer ceremony and reception photos. Not because I don’t do them or I don’t think they’re important. It’s just that I feel like those are more private moments. I feel that a wedding is about the couple and their family and friends, beginning and end. These photos are honestly for them, and I’m grateful to post these.