Shelley Miller Photography: Washington, Wedding and Whales

Washington
I am a firm believer in "paying it forward" My good friend and fellow photographer Paula Lockhart had a second shooter, Dan, that worked with her for many years. When Dan proposed to Irene, the first person he called was Paula. He said he would pay her anything, if she would come to Bellingham Washington to shoot his wedding. Paula is probably one of the most generous people that I have ever met, not only volunteered to shoot his wedding, but also asked me to accompany her and shoot along with her. I LOVE to travel and have never been known to pass up a free trip anywhere, so I jumped at the chance. A little background here...I second shot for Paula when I first started out, and she was also generous enough to come to Connecticut and shoot my sons wedding a little over three years ago.

So off we went VERY early last Thursday. Weather was typical Seattle area, chilly and rainy. That didn't stop up from checking out Vancouver...from the car, because we didn't want to melt (our natural sweetness makes that a possibility=)) I would love to get back there sometime and really explore. It looks like such a beautiful city.

Wedding
The wedding was on Friday, at 4 pm, and like clockwork (just what I promise all my brides) the rain stopped and the weather warmed up. The clouds over Bellingham Bay made for beautiful diffused light.

I am used to developing a relationship with my brides before their wedding day, but because of the circumstances, I had never met Irene and Dan. Within five minutes . . . no make that two, I felt like we were all old friends. When we arrived in he hotel, she had her dress, shoes, jewelry and bridesmaid dresses very artfully arranged on the bed in perfect photographic fashion. Paula and I got to work...

Irene was adorable, and soooo photogenic. . .and so willing to put up with two photographers, both used to being the lead photographer at their weddings, put in their two cents and posing ideas. Paula and I work well together, both bringing very different styles to the table, but really complementing each others work. I loved being the second shooter for a change. It gave me the chance to focus on the fashion, candid and natural shots I love so much, while someone else did the "gotta gets".

Stunning!!

Dan couldn't help reverting to his old photographer self!

Dan was tall and handsome and it was evident immediately how much in love they were. The ceremony was held outside the Bellwether Hotel overlooking Bellingham Bay. Such a beautiful location. They incorporated both a Christian ceremony with some Philippine traditions. The officiant, Jeff, was a good friend of the groom, making it all the more personal and meaningful.

Dan's first look at Irene....Can't you just feel the love!

And this is what he saw! His gorgeous bride

Hotel Bellwether

Whales

Okay, so on Saturday, the sun came out and it warmed up. Paula and I were leaving on the red eye out of Seattle, so we had the whole day to play. We decided on a Whale Watching tour out of Anacortes, about an hour south of Bellingham and kind of towards Seattle. We boarded the boat at around 10:30 am and were treated to almost 6 hours on the water, of whales, seals and birds. What an amazing experience. Once radar, and all the technical and not so technical info comes in as to where the whales are, we went off to find them. It didn't take long to spot their water spouts, and then them jumping out of the water. Regulations prohibit the boats from going to close to the whales, but evidently nobody told this to the Whales! They seemed to sense we were there and at some times became playful and come closer to us. When they disappeared under the water, there was no telling where they would resurface. One swam just below the surface right under our boat!! These were the Orca whales and a most amazing creature. What a treat!

We also got to see Stellar Sea Lions. This was also an amazing sight. These are very rare to see in these parts. We were told that they only come to the San Juan Islands for two weeks at a time, in the spring and the fall, (Maybe they own a time share there) and spend most of there time in the Bering Straits. They were huge and resembled Jaba the Hut from Star wars!!