A farm with a history.
A family story, continued.
Kohleen Liddell and Kashmir Supersad married at Boundy Farm on Bainbridge Island, Washington, on July 15, 2017. They live in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, but this farm held a special place in Kohleen’s family.
Her great-grandparents once owned the farm and built the house. Her grandmother Roberta grew up here and later married in the house, and Kohleen wore Roberta’s diamond in her ring. The property had new owners, whose invitation made it possible for the family to celebrate here again.
The weekend begins on the water.
Kohleen and Kash picked me up from the airport, and we took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island. While we were on board, we made a few photographs with Seattle behind them. A lovely way to begin the weekend.
An engagement session at the market.
Before the wedding, we spent some time at the farmers market in Seattle and made engagement photographs. I like having time with a couple outside the wedding itself. We could walk around, explore, and have a little fun together.
An evening in the city.
Another photograph from our time in Seattle. The waterfront, the wheel, and the city lights gave us a different setting from the farm where they would be married.
A little of the place.
I made a few scenic photographs during the trip, too. The ferries, the water, and the mountains are part of what it felt like to be here. I wanted those views to have a place alongside the people.
Getting ready, from above.
On July 15, the wedding day began with Kohleen and her girls getting their hair and makeup done. I made this overall photograph from above so you could see everyone together and a little of the room around them.
The morning, a little closer.
Then I moved closer. Kohleen checking her makeup in the mirror, with the wedding day beginning to take shape around her.
Roberta’s diamond, part of her day.
This mirror portrait also shows Kohleen’s rings. Her grandmother Roberta’s diamond was part of her ring—a small detail that carried the family story into the morning.
The last few preparations.
Kohleen was putting on her wedding shoes, with her dress hanging in the background. A small getting-ready moment that holds a little more of the morning in the same frame.
Ready for the day.
Here she is with her mom, excited about getting dressed. There would be another very special moment for the two of them later, on the stairs of the family’s former home at the farm.
A little time together.
Their first look gave them a little time together before the ceremony. The trees and the water made a beautiful setting, but the important part was the two of them seeing each other.
The marriage license.
I made a photograph of the marriage license as well. One of the small but important details in the middle of everything else happening that day.
A place with a family history.
A portrait of Kohleen at Boundy Farm on Bainbridge Island. This place had special meaning long before the wedding: it once belonged to her great-grandparents. That history was part of the day from the moment we arrived.
The little details.
A few details were set out to welcome their guests. I like having these images alongside the portraits, to remember how a place was arranged for the people coming to celebrate.
A little quiet in the garden.
We made a few portraits of Kohleen by herself around the farm. Here, a quiet black and white photograph at the little garden table.
A little behind the scenes.
And here is a little behind-the-scenes view of me making that portrait and having fun with Kohleen. I love seeing the photograph and a little of what happened while we were making it.
One of my favorite images of the day.
This is one of my favorite images from the day. I told Kash to write love notes on Kohleen’s hand, then let the scene unfold. A small suggestion gave them something to share, and I could simply keep photographing.
A pause between the moments.
A little detail from the surroundings. I like keeping a few of these quieter images in a wedding story, too. There was life happening all around us.
The history that brought them here.
The sign told the family story: Kohleen’s great-grandparents owned this farm and built the house. Her grandmother Roberta was born and raised here and later married in the house. On her own wedding day, Kohleen wore Roberta’s diamond in her ring. The family no longer owned the property, but a return to the farm led to an invitation from its new owners to hold the wedding here.
Before the ceremony.
Her mom had written her a note. Before the ceremony, they had time together in the house where Roberta had grown up. With all that family history around them, it was a meaningful place to pause.
A moment on the stairs.
Kohleen and her mom sat on the stairs while she read the card. I stayed with them and photographed what happened. These are the moments I never want a couple to lose in the rush of a wedding day.
Just the two of them.
They laughed and cried together on those stairs. A note from her mom, in a house that already held so much of their family’s story. I was glad to be there for it.
Ready for their guests.
Inside the barn, the tables were ready for the reception. I made a few photographs before everyone came in, keeping the wood, the flowers, and the window light together.
Something sweet for later.
Their wedding cake and desserts, arranged inside the barn. Another little part of the celebration, ready and waiting before the room filled with people.
Her new name at the table.
A close photograph of the table setting, with Kohleen’s new name on her place card. I like details that connect the decor back to the people the day is about.
The ceremony setting.
They were married in the forest just beside the barn. A simple, beautiful setting, with the flowers tucked into the trees and the light coming through around them.
Staying with the bride.
This is why I stay with the bride for the last twenty minutes before the ceremony. My assistants can be up front photographing arrivals while I stay nearby for moments like this. I would miss these images if I left too soon.
On their way.
Then they walked across the field to the ceremony. I stepped back to show a little of the farm around them and the trees where the guests were waiting.
Simple and beautiful.
Here is the setting, just inside the forest with their guests. It was simple and beautiful, with the light coming through the trees behind them. I wanted a photograph that showed how it felt to be there.
A first for me.
In more than thirty years of photographing weddings, I had never seen this before. Kohleen and Kash actually tied a rope together—they tied the knot. I thought it was such a cute part of their ceremony.
Married at the family farm.
Then the kiss. Their family and friends around them, in a place that had been part of Kohleen’s family long before she was born.
The celebration begins.
And back down the aisle together. I love the change in energy right after a ceremony, when everyone can relax and enjoy what has just happened.
Out for a walk.
After a ceremony in a place like this, I often tell the couple to go for a walk and follow them with a long lens. Kash is funny, and here he was pretending to try to get his wedding ring off. Kohleen’s reaction made the photograph.
A little room to breathe.
Another view from the trip. Between the people and the celebrations, I wanted a little space for the landscape that brought everyone to this part of Washington.
The room and its details.
A few more details from inside the barn. The flowers and the lights were beautiful, but the family photographs made the room feel especially connected to the story of this place.
More of the story on the wall.
With the farm meaning so much to the family, I wanted to photograph the pictures they had brought with them. Different generations, remembered together in the room where everyone was celebrating.
A view from above.
There was a loft in the barn, so I went up for another perspective. From above, you can see the size of the space and everyone gathered around the tables.
Happy to be with mom and dad.
Kohleen and Kash love their dog, and they take care of animals. They finally got to bring the dog in with them, and that face says it all: happy to be back with mom and dad.
A little time for something sweet.
Then it was time to cut the cake. After photographing it earlier in the day, I like coming back when the couple is there to enjoy it.
A familiar wedding moment.
Kash feeding Kohleen a little cake. One of those familiar wedding moments that still belongs to each couple in their own way.
A little closer.
We made a few more portraits together, too. Here, a close black and white image that brings everything back to the two of them.
The animals belong in the story, too.
Of course, we had to include the animals at the farm. This horse gave us a little company for another portrait of Kohleen and Kash.
The evening in motion.
They had a beautiful Rolls-Royce for their departure. I blurred this image on purpose as they walked past it, keeping a little movement in the photograph.
One more view of the place.
The barn from outside at night. After all the daytime photographs, I wanted a view of the building lit up for the evening, with the trees around it.
Their people light the way.
Their guests gathered with sparklers as they left. A bright, happy finish to a wedding day that had brought so much family history back to this farm.
One last wedding-night photograph.
Then a photograph inside the car. After the sparklers and all the people around them, a quieter moment together before they drove away.
One more image.
The next day, we made one more image at the barn. A final portrait with the building that held their celebration and so much of Kohleen’s family story.
A last look across the water.
This photograph was made earlier in the trip, on the ferry back to Bainbridge Island after our evening in Seattle. I wanted to end their story with that view across the water—a little reminder of the journey that began the weekend.