we’ve got a new home on the www!

There you have it. We’ve got a new flashy spot to display all those marvelous images we keep trying to capture. So come on over and check us out at our new sexy home on the www.

www.brightenphotography.com/blog

Be sure to update your bookmarks and RSS feeds to keep up on the latest and greatest happenings at Brighten Photography. And to all you wonderful Tumblr folks who have been following us… we have been honored to be a part of your dashboard. Unfortunately this is where we part ways. Don’t get all emotional about it. Just throw us in your feed reader. Sometimes in life things just need to change.

So come on over and wish us some love at our new home!

Cheers!
Ben +Whitney

something big is coming…

o.k…. So it might not be that big of a deal…. But we think it’s pretty awesome. check back Friday folks. Friday. That would be August 1st.

4 years later and she is still crazy….

because what stunning, beautiful, brilliant, and level headed person would stay married to this random guy?

here’s to the rest of my life with the most magnificent person this world has ever seen. i can’t wait.

Bobby+Shantae…hitched

It was an incredible joy and honor to be a part of Bobby+Shantae’s wedding day. Bobby was deployed for a tour of duty a month ahead of schedule and thus they found themselves having to pull of their wedding in just over a week.

They pulled it off phenomenally, and it proved to be one of the most moving days, filled with so much joy, yet deeply aware of the reality that was coming in just a few short days with Bobby’s deployment. The love that was celebrated is the type of love that will outlast any distance this beautiful couple may find between them-that we are sure of.

With more beautiful moments than one could ever possibly capture, we clicked away, and thus are sharing more than our usual.

With no further adue…. Bobby + Shantae Connelly

Bobby+Shantae- We can’t begin to thank you enough for allowing us to get to know you both and be a part of this piece of your lives. You are both incredible people that we will never forget. Know that we are incredibly grateful for the sacrifice that you are making on behalf of us all. We pray that you may experience the greatest sense of peace and comfort in the coming months.

Much love new friends.

Brendon+Brittany…hitched

This wedding was truly a blessing to be a part of it. We always enjoy moments, ceremonies, and relationships that remind us of the beauty that lives in every nook and cranny in this world. This was absolutely one of those days.

the ring bearer workin’ hard during the ceremony:

Brendon+Brittany- You are a blessing to this world. Thanks for sharing your lives with us! I have no doubt we will be crossing paths many times in the near future. Much love new friends.

the end is the beginning…

In 15 minutes I will walk down the stairs and out of the doors of Mars Hill Graduate School for the last time as a student.

We moved out to Seattle to pursue this place, to go on a journey that we knew would completely change our lives-and change our lives it did.

I never dreamed I would go to graduate school. Especially at a seminary.

This journey to the wonderful place called the Emerald City deserves a much longer post than this, but I must jump on a plane to meet up with Whitney (who has already left town) to shoot another wedding this weekend.

I find myself quickly becoming emotional. This truly has been quite the journey. Nothing has been as difficult as this. And nothing has ever felt this rewarding.

Quick… someone say something funny. This is feeling far to somber. I must celebrate this as soon as the madness of the summer quiets down. I have an 18-year bottle of Glenlivet waiting on the shelf for such an occassion.

Wow. This is all really ending.

I leave you with the last images I shall take as a student, which ironically are taken from the isight on my laptop…

Here’s to you, Mars HIll. You have changed me in ways I never dreamed. Cheers.

Matt+Alyssa…hitched

It’s blogging moments like these that remind us why we absolutely love our jobs. Matt+Alyssa always equals a good time full of laughs, love, and shenanigans! We knew there wedding would be a doozy, and we weren’t disappointed in the least…

With no further adue… Mr. & Mrs. Thelen.

Matt+Alyssa-When you stop traveling the world… feel free to travel to the northwest. You are always welcome as a part of the fam! Thanks for inviting us to be a part of your journey. Much love to you both!