To see Arthur and Kelsey’s beautiful wedding lead the Real Weddings section took my breath away and reconfirmed what I already knew: Arthur and Kelsey’s wedding is truly unique and firmly rooted in the beauty and quirkiness of the Pacific Northwest.

Thank you Seattle Bride!

Jocelyn and Austin are best friends, love each other deeply, and their wedding was both fun and classic. I love that we traveled to the Seattle Asian Art Museum to enjoy the small break of good weather for the day and get to walk the grounds and explore the art deco architecture of the museum. So much fun.

Thank you for having me as your photographer, it was a great pleasure.

I love the new albums that just arrived at the studio and wanted to share how great they look:

Erik and Kristin came together through dancing. Swing dancing. Both Kristin and Erik brought authentic swing dancing clothes for the shoot. When I first met them in Georgetown, Erik opened up the back of his car and showed me, literally, an entire wardrobe of swing era clothing for both Kristin and himself. It was really fun picking out several outfits for different parts of the shoot. This kind of planning is what makes a good photography session FANTASTIC. And with that I present to you their wonderful photography session in Georgetown (an industrial and artsy neighborhood in south Seattle.)

Despite the constant rain, Robin, Maeve, and I are enjoying our weekend. We hope you have a great weekend too!

More shoots on the way, stay tuned.

Congratulations Erik and Kristin!

Your story was incredible and full of love and beautiful imagery. I’m excited to create a unique photography session just for you to celebrate your love for one another.

Of course, we will have a photography giveaway next year at the same time and I may even have a ‘secret’ giveaway sometime before then if I have time.

Thanks to all who entered. Your stories are very inspiring.

Erik Johnson’s winning entry:

It’s hard to write a short paragraph about Kristin. She was the girl next door, we went to high school together, and we shared the same friends, the same mountains, and the same lakes for ten years. We used to backpack together, bantering like siblings, and then we learned to swing dance.

Kristin’s an incredible dancer. She’s agile, quick and light, and just a little mischievous, which is perfect for swing. When you spin her, she smiles, and if you lift her, she lands on the balls of her feet and never breaks form. It’s fun. For the first half of our twenties we’d spin each other around the dance floor on New Years, or on the beach by an Independence Day bonfire. We dance well together.

Then my old middle school called me and asked me to chaperon their Valentine’s Day dance. They knew I knew swing, and thought a simple lesson would encourage the boys to dance. I needed a partner, and I called Kristin–promised her dinner if she’d help me out. And it was odd day. I cut my hair, spent 20 minutes picking a tie, and arrived early with sweating hands to pick up a girl I’d known since I was 16. She didn’t tell me until later, but she was doing much the same thing–bought a new top, brought 3 changes of clothes in case she changed her mind. At the dance, I couldn’t banter with her anymore. I brought her punch instead–watched myself do it. And it was different dancing with her that night. I can’t quite explain it. Something had sparked, and we weren’t just friends from high school or former almost-neighbors–we were a team, we knew how to move together.

We got the middle school boys to dance with the middle school girls, and when their night was over, Kristin and I kept dancing, barefoot, beside my car under the moon. At my house we started talking about everything we never could when all we could do is banter, until she fell asleep on my shoulder.

That was last Valentine’s Day. By next Valentine’s Day, if everything goes well, we’ll be engaged. Over the last year, I’ve been able to meet her like she was someone new. I love her.

It was really nice to get out of the house and feel brave enough to bring our new baby to a public place. It seems that walking with Maeve in a baby carrier or pushing her in the stroller, makes her really really happy. And to top it off, it also makes her tired enough to sleep at night. A perfect combo.

This is the one time of the year that I’m not jetting about or shooting wedding photos in Seattle.  I’m so happy that Maeve was born at THIS time of the year so that we can take her to places like the Frye Art Museum (with its amazing ‘Tete-a-Tete’ Frye personal painting collection as seen above) without feeling stressed by work yet to be finished at the studio.

Wedding photography season is just around the corner, but for now Robin and I are having a great time in our new life together as parents.

The wedding, which began in Magnolia at the Magnolia United Church of Christ, was a refreshingly intimate affair.  The couple did their absolute best to make the ceremony and events surrounding the wedding inclusive. It was clear this was the forming of a family and not just a marriage between two people.  Declan, who is Shawn’s son, was included in all the special moments.  He wore a Superman cape and charmed everyone. At the end of the ceremony, Shawn and Dyan called out to Declan as they walked down the aisle. Declan ran and jumped into their arms. It was so sweet.

Dyan got ready at the Arctic Club Hotel in downtown Seattle.  Dyan’s dress was a stunning champagne silk gown. She wore pearls and Ippolita earrings.

Arctic Club Hotel
700 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
Tel: 1-206-340-0340

The Arctic Club Hotel is famous for the unique architecture on the exterior of the building, which is adorned with gold paint and sculpted walruses.  This theme is also carried throughout the new hotel.

From the Arctic Club, we drove to a small park in Magnolia, Magnolia Park, where we stopped for a few minutes to take photos. Even though it was a winter day, the sky was beautiful and the air was still. It was really a nice quiet moment before the beginning of the ceremony.

Dyan sitting on the back of the 1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II reminded me of an angel– kind of like the winged angel on the Rolls Royce, known as the Spirit of Ecstasy or The Flying Lady.

I love how happy everyone was at the Magnolia Church of Christ before, during and after the ceremony.

Magnolia United Church of Christ

3555 West McGraw Street
Seattle, WA 98199-3213
Phone: (206) 283-1788
Fax: (206) 283-1534

Shawn and Dyan are lucky to have so many people that love them. It’s really one of my favorites parts of any wedding: seeing friends and family come together to support a newly wedded couple!

The details at the Arctic Club Hotel are really interesting. I felt like I was in the home of a world explorer.

The most stunning part of the hotel, however, is the Northern Lights Dome Room where the couple’s reception took place.  The ceiling of the room is a spectacular dome, which gives off an ethereal quality and atmosphere. It’s probably one of the most picturesque venues in Seattle.

Seeing Shawn and Dyan dance together under the dome was really moving. They have a strong love and I am proud to have been chosen to document their special day.

Thanks,

Kirk

PHOTOGRAPHY: Arctic Club Hotel Wedding Photography by Kirk Mastin of Mastin Studio

WEDDING PLANNER: Wedding Planning by Stephanie Solomon, Solomon Events

DJ/MUSIC: DJ/Music by Chris Graves, Your Song Entertainment

Whether we were up in a tree, running through the rain, cruising around town in a 1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II (only 75 left in the world), or taking in the beauty of the Seattle’s Arctic Club Hotel ballroom - Shawn and Dyan’s wedding was an adventure!

I’m still working on the photos from their lovely wedding at the Arctic Club Hotel in Seattle but I can’t resist posting this sneak peek. More to come soon!

Arctic Club Hotel
700 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
Tel: 1-206-340-0340

Arctic Club Hotel Wedding Photography by Kirk Mastin of Mastin Studio

We managed to hike through a beautiful jungle, explore Rio de Janeiro, nearly get mugged in Salvador da Bahia and ultimately take a 4 hour sea-taxi to a small island called Morro de Sao Paulo. Which was the best. place. ever.

I ate amazing food and met warm friendly Brazilian people everywhere I traveled. Unfortunately (or fortunately, it depends on how you look at it) I was NOT a photographer yet. Meaning that I experienced everything without a lens in front of my face. I captured a few great photos, but really, I captured a lifetime of fond memories.

Imagine my surprise when the Brazilian fashion magazine GLOSS contacted me to post some of my work…

Here is part of the article they published. You can see photos from these shoots here and here.

If anyone out there knows Brazilian Portuguese I would love a translation of this article!!

***(if you translate this please post it in the comments. I will send a surprise to first person who posts it.)***

Thank you GLOSS magazine!

-Kirk

Adam and Annie are two of the kindest, smartest, and wonderful people one can ever hope to meet. Put them together and you have an unforgettable couple whose love for each other is abundantly apparent in every interaction they have.

Adam and Annie were a joy to shoot because their chemistry is so apparent and easy. As such, I used only film on this engagement shoot. No digital shots. No second takes were necessary.

New York’s Prospect Park has beautiful light and we were lucky to shoot on one of the last warm days of fall.

Adam and Annie, it was an honor to spend the afternoon with you at Prospect Park in Brooklyn. What great sports! Even the chill in the air on this brisk Halloween weekend did not dampen your cheerful and playful spirits. Bare feet in late Fall? Absolutely!

Thank you. I cannot wait to see you at your wedding in August.

Robin and I are home again in Seattle, but we have fond memories of visiting our friends on the East Coast a few weeks ago.  The weather was perfect and crisp.  The leaves were changing. NYC is great in the Fall. And, although I shot a wedding an engagement shoot (coming soon), we made our best efforts to enjoy ourselves outside of working. We hit the streets of Brooklyn on Halloween and wandered around until we found a sweet place serving food and apple cider. On our way there, we saw tons of kids dressed up for Halloween. This mom and son, however, were my favorite. Who doesn’t love a mama owl and a baby owl celebrating Halloween together?

If you recognize them, please let me know. I’d love to give them a copy of this photo, which was taken in film on my Contax 645.

With the Smith Tower looming in the skyline, we took many photos on the green roof of the Seattle Justice Center.

After the ceremony, we hit the streets for Pioneer Square and Occidental Square for more wedding photos.

I hope you enjoy the photos, Denise and Matt, as much as I enjoyed your urban chic wedding. It was wonderful.

Seattle wedding photography by Mastin Studio

To take you into the weekend, I thought I’d show you a sneak peek of Denise and Matt’s courthouse wedding at the Seattle Justice Center. There are lots of wonderful moments and pictures to come . . .

Photography by Kirk Mastin of Mastin Studio.

Seattle Wedding Photography by Mastin Studio