Photography Blog

Crystal Madsen Photography

A Classy and Beautiful Spokane Wedding

& Weddings.

There is something to be said for a beautiful bride in the perfect dress, a groom that is obviously head over heels in love, and a picture perfect day.

And that would be an amazing wedding!

I met this wonderful couple at another wedding that I was photographing in the spring.  Hydi was a bridesmaid and Don was the DJ.  When I got the call that they wanted me to work with them to truly capture their love for each other in both their engagement and their wedding day, I couldn’t have been more excited.  They were a blast to work with during their engagement shoot as we played in the beautiful landscape of Mirabeau park in the Spokane Valley.  Even with having to toss out quite a few pictures due to how chatty Don was, the shots were exactly what we all wanted.  When I was done reviewing and editing those photos I knew their energy and love would be easy to capture on their big day and I couldn’t wait.

Their wedding took place at Millwood Community Church in the Spokane Valley.  It was the perfect location for the two of them and offered up some photos that screamed class and elegance.  The pews were lined with a very simple decoration, the sun shone in the large windows, and  their closest friends stood by their sides at the alter, which made it all that much more special, as all eyes were on them.  The stage was definitely set for Hydi and Don to share their love for those that were there to witness their special day.  Her dress I am pretty sure took everyone’s breathe away and his white jacket and shoes helped to share his fun personality. It was truly perfect.  Don’s mom even lent us her classic red convertible which we were able to use to snap some of the best photos of the day.

Hydi and Don’s love blew the roof off of the church without a doubt.  I could have captured thousands upon thousands of photographs of them all day and night if time permitted, but in the hundreds I did take there were so many amazing shots that I think really show off their love for each other, which is what we all wanted.  I wish them lots of laughs and love in the many years to come!

Venue: Millwood Community Church
Make-up:  Evelyn Mauro
Dress:  Art of Weddings

Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 West Pacific Avenue #209
Spokane, WA 99201

A Nature-Perfect Senior Photo Session

& High School Seniors.

When you meet a high school senior as genuine as Bethany you are really taken back.  Her mature personality and good natured sense of humor are one of a kind, I knew working with her was going to be special and I was eager to catch her natural beauty at any location she wanted.

When deciding where she wanted to have her senior photo shoot take place, she couldn’t decide, but when I asked her about her summer events she was beaming ear to ear about the camp that she has been attending for years.  This camp is Shoshone Base Camp, a sister camp of  Lutherhaven, and is a special place to a lot of youth in the Spokane area and without a doubt it is a special place to Bethany.  As she talked about her experiences there I could only focus on one thing, this is where we had to do her shoot.  The place is gorgeous and unique, giving any photographer a perfect setting for a senior session and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to capture Bethany’s last year there.

The natural landscape takes your breathe away the minute you arrive to the camp grounds which are cut in around the large evergreens, the smooth running river,  and the hidden trails.  The perfectly constructed log cabins are placed precisely and give the kids a great place to hang out and share memories, which is just one of the spots we stopped snap Bethany in her summer element.  Bethany’s beautiful blond hair and soft blue eyes glowed all day long among the beauty around her, giving us perfect shot after perfect shot.

I hope to go back to this fabulous spot and enjoy it maybe a fraction of the amount that high school senior Bethany has over the years.  It was my pleasure to work with Bethany and I wish her luck as she walks down the many roads into her future.

Location:  Lutherhaven Camp in Northern Idaho

Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 West Pacific Ave #209
Spokane, WA 99201

An Autumn Senior Portrait Session

& High School Seniors.

I met high school senior Morgan by chance really.  She was coming into town from Montana to visit her brother at Gonzaga University and thought that it would be the perfect time to capture some unique, original and completely different than her classmate photographs, so I of course was ready show off my home town and her style right in downtown Spokane.

We walked through downtown for over three hours finding the perfect places to highlight Morgan’s beauty and style.  The shopping district, as any girl knows, is a great spot to bring out the fun and vibrant side of a girl, so we snapped some shots in the streets that are lined with some of the best shops.  We also wandered through the beautiful Riverfront Park that is located in the center of downtown Spokane.  The river runs through it, the falls drop by the gondolas, the Bloomsday statues stand for something special to our town, and the beautifully manicured grounds are a piece of art themselves in this exquisite park.  The park screams come take photographs here and that we did.  Morgan wouldn’t have gotten any of that in her pictures in Montana, so I think we meet and exceeded her desires in this photo shoot which is always what I strive for. Morgan’s crystal blue eyes and fun personality make each photograph beam.  Working with her made my job so easy that those three hours flew by, I truly could have worked with her for an entire day.

I wish her luck and maybe when she heads this direction again we can do a follow up shoot!

Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 West Pacific Avenue #209
Spokane, WA 99201

A Waterside Wedding in Liberty Lake

& Weddings.

Wow, what a fabulous wedding this was!  Luckily I caught bride Marquie’s eye at the Bridal Festival in January and she ended up hiring me to make this day last a lifetime.

When I first met her I was drawn to her unique style, contagious laugh and her fabulous smile.  I knew that I would be able to capture all of her special moments after just moments of talking with her, so I kept her around at my booth as long as possible.  I could feel the love that she and her fiancé Dustin shared for each other from speaking with her and I so wanted to be a part of their special day.  Like I said, thankfully she thought the same thing, and after she called me it was all about planning and getting ready for their big day.

They chose to get married at the  Zephyr Lodge in Liberty Lake, which is just east of Spokane.  This place was gorgeous.  The building itself lent to so many photo opportunities due to its large structure, grand detail, and small home touches.  We were able to spotlight some of the special reception pieces on the front steps for all to see as they were framed with railings wrapped in lights.  Not only was the building perfect, the property that it sits on gave us some amazing portraits with shadows and contrasts in detail that I know were one of a kind.  However, I believe the best part was that it was right on the lake.  We caught some unique moments out on the dock with the bride and her maids, as well as the newlyweds themselves under the high sunlight and calm water.

Besides all of the beautiful detail and scenery around them, this wedding was all about Marquie and Dustin.  Their friends and family were a huge part in their special day, and they made it just that much more memorable.  From her mom making her wedding dress to the fun surprise dances at the reception there were unique touches everywhere you turned, it all made my job so enjoyable.  This was definitely one wedding that I could do over and over again.

I wish you both a life time of happiness, continual surprises, and love!

Venue: The Zephyr Lodge
Dress:  Made by the Mother of the Bride
Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Flowers: Bridal Party and Hobby Lobby 
Hair:  Brides Sister-in-Law Lynzie Spears from Northside Regis 
Make-up: Brides friend Hayley Farnes
Cake: Mother of the Bride and Cousin of the Bride
Cake Pops: Mother of the Bride and Bride

Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 West Pacific Ave #209

An Apple Orchard Country Wedding

& Weddings.

There are so many perfect places to get married in the Spokane area, and this unique spot was one that was breathtakingly beautiful.

Bride Tami and her groom Ryan wanted to get married outside in a beautifully natural location and they did just that.  They got married with the perfect weather gracing the day in Colville, WA which is north of Spokane, on an apple orchard.  The old white country home with the large wrap around porch was straight out of a story book and it gave us some great group photographs that we wouldn’t have been able to get elsewhere.  The scenery itself added to the perfect shots that we were able to capture, with the rolling hills and mountain sides behind them, the apples hanging precisely on the trees, the rustic fences and the old barns, this was the picture perfect country style wedding location for Tami and Ryan.

Besides all of the detail around them bride Tami made this day special for everyone, with custom hangers for her bridesmaids to her broach on her bouquet she put her touch on everything.  Her absolutely gorgeous and elegant lace wedding gown gave her the look of walking on clouds as it fell to the soft grass as she walked down her mason jar lined isle.  The groom and the bridal party continued the soft look in linen and flowing coral dresses, it made this sunny day just that much more perfect.

The intimate touches were everywhere.  Their friends and family got involved for the ceremony itself by guiding the bridal party under the orchard trees to the alter, proving to the couple how much they support their love. It was beautiful.  The day was gorgeous and we were able to capture some amazing photos for them to remember their day.  I wish them luck and love in their life together just like all of their guests did that day.

Flying Balloons to Love Unique Hang Dresses in the Hillside A Touch of Coral Dressed for his Day

Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-49-1090
114 W Pacific #209
Spokane, WA 99201

Changing of the Seasons Senior High School Session

& High School Seniors.

As the seasons change in the Inland Northwest and specifically Spokane, we are given some fabulous color pallets, textures, and sunsets that make a senior high school session just that much more amazing.

When I met with high school senior Rachel I knew right away that her look was going to be perfect under this new season.  The gorgeous glows of auburn, burnt orange, browns and tans were going to work perfectly with Rachel’s skin tone.  We were able to find some breathtaking locations in Peaceful Valley in downtown Spokane that gave us some shots with the river behind her and the eroded rocks underneath her feet, adding detail and contrast to her graceful poses.  Besides Peaceful Valley we did captured some shots at my studio, where we played with props, her wardrobe, and the different subtle textures that came with it all.  Just like outside, we were able to find her natural beauty and bring it to light in each photograph.

Rachel’s grace and beauty were brought to life in all of the photos that we got, which made my job pretty easy.  It was blast working with her and I wish her the best in her future.

Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 W Pacific #209
Spokane, WA 99201

An Energetic Family Photo Session at Manito Park

& Family Sessions.

Mom of two, Julie and I have known each other for years, to be really specific, since middle school.  We also shared some great times together as mom’s on the side lines as our little boys played on the same baseball team this past summer, so connecting with her family of four for family photos was pretty easy.

We decided to meet up in Manito park on Spokane’s south hill.  The park has some great features that offer up some fabulous textures and pops of color for any family portrait session, but with this one in particular it was the perfect backdrop especially with the color choices for their outfits.  One of the great assets of the park is that there is a lot of space.  This definitely came in handy when working with the Smith’s because with two little boys you have to let them run and try to capture some good shots here and there.  Which we did!  It might have taken it all out of us as the adults, but we really did capture some life long memories in the park this afternoon.

It was an absolute pleasure to work with Julie and her family and I am so pleased to have captured photos of them exactly how they exist today; rowdy, playing, wrestling, laughing and of course loving each other.

Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 W Pacific #209
Spokane, WA 99201

Spokane Senior Portraits at the Glover Mansion

& High School Seniors.

A lot of the seniors I meet want to have a unique experience and strive to really capture their own style and their true selves, Kate was no different. The difference in working with Kate was the location.  To bring Kate’s personality to life in photos, we weren’t going to hit the streets of downtown or the parks, after mulling over different spots in Spokane, we came to the Glover Mansion, which is located on the lower south hill.  The mansion is old, ornate, unique, and truly beautiful, it was perfect for Kate.

Each portrait of high school senior Kate screams her style.  The large entryway shows her detail yet a casual essence as she stops on the large stairway, the old fashioned rooms with her lace dress show she unique fashion sense that works perfectly and is brought to life when she sits in those gorgeous old rooms, and her genuine smile on the grounds of the mansion really show her happiness about life.

I had a great time working with Kate and I am looking forward to hearing about what fabulous things she accomplishes after high school.

Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 W Pacific #209
Spokane, WA 99201

A Romantic Engagement Session at Manito Park

& Engagement Sessions.

I met Jennifer and Jeremy just moments before we began photographing their engagement session.  Our perfect backdrop for their photo shoot was Manito Park on Spokane’s south hill.  The park has so much to offer; gardens, flowers, old benches, great textures, and amazing tucked away places.  After we began our session, time flew by  as we had a great time.  I found them just absolutely fabulous.

The love between the two of them was easily captured in each photo, because it could be felt all around them.  Jennifer’s style gave the photographs a perfectly detailed look and Jeremy’s classic style seemed to bring the sunshine upon them to shine on his future bride.  They truly are a perfect match.

I became so fond of these two and their photogenic love that I continued to try to convince them to hire me as their wedding photographer, but they kept giving me this silly excuse that they are getting married on the other side of the country.  I guess I will have to accept that and enjoy these photographs just as they do to remember their engagement.

 

Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 W Pacific #209
Spokane, WA 99201

Beautiful Spokane Outdoor Senior Photos

& High School Seniors.

Sometimes I am just blessed with all aspects of a photo-session, and this was one of those occasions.  I had the privilege of working with a beautiful, charismatic, and fashion forward senior named Sela and I was able to use the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest to snap some fabulous photos.

I met up with Sela and we went to a private property in Cheney, WA which is 18 miles to the west of Spokane.  This location was found by another senior that I had the pleasure of working with earlier in the year, and amazingly the owners of the property were kind enough to let me come back with another high school senior to capture some more amazing shots on their land.  As a thank you for letting us come photograph Sela for her senior shoot I brought them cupcakes from a local cupcake shop called Sweet Frostings.  What better way to say thank you then some truly scrumptious treats?!

Sela brought some great outfits for her shoot that showed off her great style.  Each piece she wore gave her a different look in all of the photographs that we took, which is always a great way to showcase the true person especially as a high school senior girl.  She also had some small accessories that caught your eye, like her little navy blue bow bracelet and her simple pearl bracelet strand.  They both added just a little touch of flare to the photos, especially when she was in the fields or posing with the old Ford truck.  I love it when high schoolers have such confidence and share their own personalities through their fashion.

It was an absolute pleasure to work with Sela and help her capture high school senior year!  I know there will be many more glowing roads she will be walking upon in her future.

Crystal
Crystal@CrystalMadsen.com
509-499-1090
114 W Pacific #209
Spokane, WA 99201