Lucas photographed our wedding six weeks ago, and took our engagement photos back in July. My husband and I had known him for several years before this, as a friend and as an industry professional (I'm a pastry chef and have worked with Lucas on half a dozen weddings so far). When the time came for us to choose and book a photographer for our own wedding, there was only one choice, and we're still patting ourselves (and Lucas) on the back for our excellent judgment.
Lucas is a shining star to both of us. He has a wonderful philosophy about photography that really resonates with us, and he is both a great observer and a really good listener. His natural curiosity, idealism, and introspection have all combined to help him create images that not only capture the beauty of ordinary life, but also have the power to transport you to another world and another time. All of the photos he's delivered to us have knocked our socks off.
For our engagement shoot, he was on board to make the trip out to Port Townsend and was excited to include our motorcycles as well. My husband was a bit nervous about the shoot (weird, considering how amazingly photogenic he is!), but we were open to the possibilities. Lucas ran with it, and he managed to coax out the silliest and most romantic sides of both our characters. The photos where we're being hams are some of the best. I cried when we saw the finished images for the first time... I had no idea that they would look that good, or that Lucas would've captured the essence of my relationship with my husband so earnestly and beautifully. It was a wonderful "practice run" for the wedding day.
A month or so before the wedding, Lucas suggested that we meet to discuss the timeline for the day. He wanted to ensure that he'd be able to capture the family portraits we wanted. Lucas made some really helpful suggestions that we relaid to our wedding planner, resulting in some tweaks to the timeline (like moving hair/makeup an hour earlier) that made a huge difference on the day itself. He paid careful attention to everything we expressed. We didn't have a "shot list" (??!) but we did want a few very casual family portraits and wanted the details captured as well, since the flowers and calligraphy and styling were all being done by industry friends of ours whose work we really admire. We knew they'd do an incredible job so we wanted to remember their work long after the day itself. In the end, Lucas's detail shots were thorough and absolutely awesome.
He and Karen -- also our friend, and Lucas's effervescent & delightful second shooter -- arrived early on the day. From then on, I felt that I had two anchors there with me, all through the day. Lucas was right there any time I looked up, giving me an impish grin. Honestly, that was so comforting - I will forever be grateful for his benign, calm, and consistently warm demeanor amid the dynamic and intense energy of the wedding!
Our wedding took place downtown, and so we traveled on the monorail to Seattle Center for portraits before the ceremony. The photos he took of us outside the EMP are dazzling, and so creative. He managed to shoot us from such a clever angle that the peplum detail of my dress looks like it's mimicking the curved metal of the facade of the EMP. So awesome it's bonkers. His close-up shots capture the intimacy and sweetness of our relationship better than we could ever have wished for.
Other reviewers have commented on how sneaky Lucas is, and it's true. He's tall, and he has all the requisite gear slung around his shoulders at all times, but he manages to be so inconspicuous that I personally don't even remember how he captured certain images. I didn't realize he was there, and yet we have the photo as proof that he was. Wizardry, I tell you. His remarkable professionalism and people skills really stood out during family portraits. These were supposed to be "casual," but these things invariably seem stressful in the moments before the ceremony, when it feels like the clock is ticking and some folks really don't want to pose for photos. Lucas herded the crowd with lightning speed and impeccable manners, and in the photos we all look relaxed, happy, and natural. More wizardry!
After the ceremony, he stole us away during cocktails for 15 minutes or so, and captured some of our favorite moments of the whole wedding - touching and intimate portraits of us cuddling on the sofa, while our guests mingled upstairs. It really slowed the day down to have these quiet moments for candid portraits, as though the act of being photographed in such a low-impact way could *almost* freeze time for us.
Now we just have to decide (out of the hundreds of perfect photos) which ones we'll put into an album and print for display in our home. If we got married all over again, we'd still choose Lucas as our photographer. He's one of a kind, and we'll cherish his images for the rest of our lives. read more