The local City of Lynden Fire Department celebrated their 100th year this month and they asked me to do a few photos for them. I ended up taking on a large project in which I had a complete blast working at. Below are a few of the photos from the shoot. I have served with these people for the past few years and I definitely understand what people are talking about when they refer to the fire service as one big family. These guys are great and give up so much to help others.

Thank you guys for giving me the honor of serving with you! I am definitely proud to be one of the family!

“The Place of waiting, is a unique spiritual position where human beings hate to be but where the biblical God is always leading them.  It is when you have left the tried and true, but have not yet been able to replace it with anything else.  It is when you are finally out of the way.  It is when you are between your old comfort zone and any possible new answer.  If you are not trained in how to hold anxiety, how to live with ambiguity, how to entrust and wait, you will run…anything to flee this terrible cloud of unknowing”  – Richard Rohr

The importance of rest and solitude is sometimes overlooked until I feel that I cannot face the challenges of life anymore.  I hope to eventually learn this lesson and to incorporate it into my daily life so as to live with a continual sense of perspective and vision instead of merely reacting and simply trying to survive.  I think of Jesus, and his continual pursuit of ‘solitary places’ and I am reminded of my need to imitate this lifestyle of my Lord.

Below are some pics of a recent trip into the Mt. Baker Wilderness for a time of refreshment and rest.  In this busy life we find ourselves in, may we never forget the need to take a break and find some silence in which we can be still and listen to the one who created us…  I do believe he longs to speak to us and be with us, and I find I’m so quick to forget that. May we all remember.

This past weekend I got the honor of capturing the union of a good friend from University and her Husband.  It is always an incredible joy to be involved in a friends wedding and it reminds me of why I love to photograph weddings.  A wedding day is special in and of itself and when it is a friend, it is even more meaningful.  John and Arleen were an amazingly peaceful and glowing couple and I had no problem capturing them with a big smile on their faces.  The reception was a riot, filled with much laughter and many games.  I hope you enjoy watching the moments as much as I enjoyed capturing them.  Thanks to everyone in the family of friends who made this day happen! 

Check back again after October 31st for more photos!

Here is the Slide Show

Hildebrand-Rouw

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A wedding I was honored to be a Second at this past weekend held at the Larimont Manor in Fairhaven.

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Last weekend I had a blast hanging out with Reed getting some senior portraits before he graduates from high school this June.  Reed lives on a small farm in the county that has a plethora of incredible photo opportunities!  I had a complete blast working with him in many different locations throughout his parent’s property, and experimenting with various lighting set ups.  In some of the photos, I was trying to use the harsh, bright, sun as much as possible, mostly as a hair light, instead of eliminating it as I’ve had a tendency to do in the past.  It was quite the challenge at first, but I think it turned out great in the end.

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About two weeks ago I had the privilege of being a second shooter for a close friend (Ben Bender) with whom we do many weddings together.  The wedding was in Ferndale, and the bride’s family was good friends with Ben.  This wedding is one that will forever be remembered by Ben and I as being a very fun, encouraging, and a very meaningful event.

The couple emanated a certain peacefulness and genuine love for each other that resulted in many incredible moments.  Another aspect that was truly special, was witnessing the love and respect the families had for each other on both the grooms side, and the bride’s side.  There was about a 30 minute sermon, given by the father of the bride, during the ceremony that was very inspiring and filled with so much truth.

Ben and I were talking afterward and the best way I can describe it is that without even knowing the couple, this wedding would have been a real joy to simply attend, and we got to not only attend it but to capture it!  Being a photographer is truly a special job in that we get to witness many sacred moments with the couple that no one else at the wedding get’s to see in quite the same way.  We both drove away from the wedding feeling encouraged and reminded of why we are photographers!

Best of luck in the future Josh and Kristi and thanks for inviting us to capture your day!  It was truly an honor!

“Jesus Answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whomever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” – John 4:13-14

May we drink from Him and find our fill…

Here’s a rather fun picture I recently took while visiting the Vancouver 2010 Olympics…the overall visit to the downtown scene was quite the experience.  I definitely felt honored to be a part of such a big moment in history for Canada, I just could have done without the hordes of people.  However, I guess that is what happens with a worldwide event…

I spent 2.5 years on the Lynden Fire Department here in town and I recently got asked by the association if I would be willing to shoot a benefit dinner for a fellow FF who came down with Cancer. The turnout was incredible and this FF was overwhelmed by the generosity of his community he has served so well for many years. Here are some pictures from the first half of the dinner.

A good friend and fellow photographer (John Fehr) was in the area from Saskatchewan this past week so we took some time and played around with composition and lighting.  We were trying to add more depth into our shots by including some of the foreground in different forms.  I think a lot of the pictures turned out great!  It is amazing what happens when you give  a photo a little depth and perspective.