Friends of the Ranch // Circle 8 Ranch | Cle Elum, WA

Every year in preparation of another season of camping, the Ranch as we call it, gathers help to clean up the campsites and buildings for future visitors. This weekend is called "Friends of the Ranch" and as like many years before, there was a great turnout of helpers. As I busy on my own tasks, I unfortunately didn't get around to everyone in the campground, but I could certainly see all the hard work by everyone. Earlier this year there was a wind storm that is know as a microburst wind storm. Basically the wind comes straight down at damaging forces and wipes out anything in its path. As you will see in the pictures below, that windstorm took down dozens of trees throughout the campground that had to be cut up and hauled away. Of course we like to have some fun after a long day of work. Take a look and enjoy!

Join us next year and mean while you can plan your trip by visiting the Circle 8 Ranch website and liking them on Facebook!

Wedding Sneak Peek! // Lynnae & Michael // Lake Tapps, WA

Lynnae & Michaels wedding was so lovely! The expected rainfall had taunted us the entire day, but rather than rain we were cast with perfect soft lighting everywhere. We made it over to this group of trees near the venue and captured this gorgeous shot. I can't wait to share more with you all soon! Big congrats to Lynnae & Michael!!

For wedding and engagements, contact myself at info@harthphotography.com and be sure to like on Facebook!

Rainy Day Vineyard Engagement // Courtney & Peter | Woodinville, WA

This was certainly a day to remember! I worked with Courtney and Peter for weeks trying to find a day of sunshine for their engagement shoot. Of course it was basically the season of Washington's most rainfall in the year. The inches per day was unbelievable! So, with no good report of clear skies, we decided to visit the a winery in Woodinville and try our best no matter what. It started off nice, had a few glasses of wine and soon after the rain came in. As you will see, we got the umbrellas out and made the best of it! We may have ended up soaking wet by the end, but we certainly had fun and got some really wonderful shots! Congrats again to Courtney and Peter, we can't wait for your September wedding!!

Anna & Brian's Country Wedding // The Winthrop Barn, WA

Meeting with Anna and Brian is like getting together with two best friends. Completing each other sentences and checking to see what the latest score is on the sports channel, these by far being traits of their every day relationship. It was on their September wedding day that I saw these two not just madly in love, but also as friends making a pact for life. Surrounded by their family and friends, it was special to see how Anna and Brian, in their own charismatic style, made that happen and the hard work they put into it! Their wedding day was an absolute blast from the time we arrived and well into the late evening! Congrats again to Anna and Brian, we're so excited for the happiness you've found!

WeddingChris HarthApril 14, 2014Anna & Brian, Best Friends, Big Red Barn, Bride & Groom, Country, The Barn, Washington, Weddings, WinthropComment

Baby TJ {1 Month Newborn} // Maple Valley, Washington

I had a great time photographing this little guy the other day! Full of energy and full of character. As you can see below are some of my favorite photos captured and the fun we had working with TJ and his wonderful parents. They're an awesome bunch, check it out!:

FamilyChris HarthJanuary 31, 20141 month, Baby, Cute, Little Brother, Maple Valley, Mother and Father, NewbornComment

Tair 11A 135mm F/2.8 Lens {Gear Review} // Part I

Whenever I get stuck inside the house on rainy days i'll tend to test out different setups or gear, in this case a lens I borrowed from a fellow photog for the weekend. I don't do this often but I thought it would be nice to do a quick review. This is not a new lens, but an older Russian Zenit model that I have found to be really impressive! Production of these were between 1958 and 1960. It's all manual focus with focus confirmation, as well as manual aperture control. It has a max aperture stop so you can limit your f-stop. As shown below I always left it at 8, but it would be fine 4 or even 2.8 :) This lens has an attached, built-in lens hood so you never have the trouble of losing or twisting on/off like other hood types. The storage case is a solid tube that holds up to 3 or 4 filters stacked. And to top it off, a nice gun metal finish to let everyone know you're serious. See the lens and various sample images below...

Snoqualmie Falls // Winter Wonders

Whenever I get stuck inside the house on rainy days i'll tend to test out different setups or gear, in this case a lens I borrowed from a fellow photog for the weekend. I don't do this often but I thought it would be nice to do a quick review. This is not a new lens, but an older Russian Zenit model that I have found to be really impressive! Production of these were between 1958 and 1960. It's all manual focus with focus confirmation, as well as manual aperture control. It has a max aperture stop so you can limit your f-stop. As shown below I always left it at 8, but it would be fine 4 or even 2.8 :) This lens has an attached, built-in lens hood so you never have the trouble of losing or twisting on/off like other hood types. The storage case is a solid tube that holds up to 3 or 4 filters stacked. And to top it off, a nice gun metal finish to let everyone know you're serious. See the lens and various sample images below...

LandscapeChris HarthJanuary 8, 2014harth photography, Landscape, Long Exposure, Pacific Northwest, Snoqualmie, Snow, Washington, Waterfalls, WinterComment

Film // Kodak 200

Just got some film developed recently, it's always exciting to see some of the stuff that was shot months back. Since i'm pretty slow at getting this stuff developed it's pretty much like Christmas morning as i'm waiting to see what's inside! Here are some of the images I got in this roll:

FilmChris HarthNovember 17, 2013Cat, developed exposure, film, harth photography, kodak 200, lake, machine shop, shoot film, TDI, VolkswagenComment

Fall Season // Circle 8 Ranch - Cle Elum, Washington

Couple images I wanted to share of our favorite place in the Pacific Northwest! It's a great place to relax and spend time camping in the Summer. As the season changes to Fall and Winter, it's very interesting to see how the landscape changes from what is normally seen during the summer heat. Can't wait to get some snow up there!

LifestyleChris HarthNovember 14, 2013Circle 8 Ranch, Cle Elum, Fall Season, harth photography, Landscape, Nature, Northwest, WashingtonComment

Carrie & EJ // Wedding Sneak Peak // Maple Valley, WA

This fantastic Maple Valley wedding was held at the "Gaskill's Saloon", a beautiful family abode. The sneak peak photo was taken shortly after we took the family photos in which the newly wedded couple took a moment to soak up the ceremony they just shared with their family and friends. I'm going through the entire album and can't wait to share rest of the photos from this day... check back soon!

WeddingChris HarthAugust 21, 2013Bride, Couple, Groom, Log Cabin, Maple Valley, Sneak Peak, Washington, WeddingsComment

Three-Legged Love (Pitbull)

We have a new family member! He's a two and half year old pitbull. My sister Shauna came across him at a clinic in Eastern Washington where he was being treated for a bad wound due to a collision a car. Sadly he had lost his front left leg due to the damage inflicted. Prior weeks before that he had fractured his other leg in another incident. This week he gets his stitches out, about 28 of them! He's tired but doing very well and is making great adjustments to getting around. Pitbull's have been given a bad rep over the years... though having two previously, we can only say that they are absolutely the best and this one does not stray from that either!

LifestyleChris HarthJune 11, 2013Amputee, Animal, Brown, Dog, Family, injured, Love, name, Pitbull, three-leggedComment

Hot Air Balloon Engagement // Snohomish, Washington

For some reason I have been spending the past few evenings photographing hot air balloons throughout the Snohomish, Washington valley. With the help of a little bird and good timing, I caught an engagement proposal in action! Here are some of the highlights from the Airial Balloon Company and a few other local flyers: