Sartain Family // Fort Wayne, IN

Ive known Jason and Audra for a long long time. Jason and I met each other through the hardcore music scene Fort Wayne has in the late 90s which lead to meeting Audra and together they are just rad people. They helped me through so much in my early days as a father and when I bought my first house. We even spent the whole Y2K New Years together just in case we were in the disaster predicted, I knew Id want to spend it with them. They have always been there to lend a helping hand and that's rare in this day and age(or even back 14-15 years ago) and whether they know it or not I will always been grateful for what they've given me and my family. Through out the years we remained friends but alas growing older and growing in to our own families took precedence. We all rekindled at a wedding I shot three or so years ago and it was like nothing changed. It was an awesome feeling.

Audra contacted me asking if Id like to do a family session with them encompassing fall colors and how could I turn that down? In the last 15 years they are parents to three lovely daughters. Mia, Nora and little Layla who just recently had a birthday before this session was taken. We met up at Franke Park here in Fort Wayne and the falls hues set an awesome back drop. The session was quick and I knew in my head the spots that I wanted to use. The girls were super cooperative and really my biggest hassle was Jason and his "I'm not pretty enough for that camera" like comments! Love you Buddy! ;) It was a great session and I hope this is the start of things to come with this family cause they're super rad and fun to work with. I want to thank Jason, Audra and the girls for allowing me to capture them and having fun while doing so. I will end this with a line from one of Jason's favorite bands Hot Water Music that he seems to live today and I truly admire that. "Instead of resting your legs should be standing up. Instead of folding your hands, you should be giving them out, Instead of turning your back you should be showing your face" Thank you for reading and enjoy.

Crystal + Sean Wedding // New Haven, IN

perseverance : nounˌ pər-sə-ˈvir-ən(t)s\: "the quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it can be difficult." I say this because this day posed it's challenges but that would in no way stop me from accomplishing what I needed, being a perfectionist at times can be a blessing and a curse. Ive most likely mentioned that I draw everything up on a story board for my Bride/Groom formals and knowing that we had to travel from New Haven to southwest Fort Wayne to the reception site I had some specific locations in mind along the way from the ceremony to the reception. Today started out cold and rainy, it may have been the coldest day of the fall. I was able to get some images of the flowers straight away and then on to the Bridal party getting ready. After that it was off to the Church which was literally right around the corner. The atmosphere was cozy as I shot away using places in Crystal's home to stage things which added a touch of old with new and I enjoy that.

Grace Gathering was the location for the ceremony. It was a modern church with darker features and the stage was set and decorated by a co-worker of mine from Choice Designs who also happens to be the mother of the Bride. The ceremony was quaint but there were some really powerful moments in the short time that really showed a sense of family and togetherness that its really awesome to see. After the ceremony, the plan was to trek to downtown Fort Wayne to shoot the formals and the closer we got I noticed that some of the streets were blocked off and there was a faint resemblance of zombies walking about. Little did I or the wedding party know it was Fort Wayne's annual Fright Night and we just happened to hit DTFW in the middle of the Zombie Walk! As awesome as it may have been to put Crystal and Sean in the middle of the chaos I felt we really didnt have the time. I was familiar with a large Victorian home on the corner of Broadway & Wayne that is up for sale so we took the stroll over there. Its a location Ive always wanted to use. Inside would have been even better but alas no keys plus time crunch and traffic... two things that are never on my side. We rocked out the formals and off to the reception at Chops. Im stoked I was able to capture some uplifting moments in a small amount of time and I wish Crystal and Sean, as well as Madison all the best in the future. Thank you for reading and enjoy.