FROM SCIENTIST TO CREATIVE ENTREPRENEUR
about us
HE'S WHISKERS & SHE'S WILLOW
We are a husband and wife team who have been together since high school. Growing up in Seattle, WA, we love the outdoors, the tall trees, and the grey skies. But graduate school called us down to sunny San Diego, where we first started our wedding photography business. In 2019, we moved back to Seattle where we currently have nested with our adorable baby boy Arthur and two funny cats, Cosmo and Lorne.
Wedding days are our favorite to photograph because they lend themselves to emotional moments begging to be captured. They infuse art direction of elegant style and sophistication with happiness, joy, and love. Because we found each other at such a young age, we are romantics at heart and believe in soulmates, two people who are truly compatible and ready to take on the commitment of marriage throughout life's incredible moments. We believe in family, a lifelong support structure of unconditional love. And we are true professionals ready to serve you and ensure your story is told in an authentic and beautiful way.
our favorite things
We love our sweet boy Arthur James. He is the BEST and everyone has told us he is an objectively cute baby.
We love to travel! Our favorite places to travel and where we want to go include
France, Japan, Italy, Greece, Iceland, and the UK.
Jackie loves exploring cute coffee shops and cozying up to our two cats Lorne and Cosmo.
Gaming. Every Friday Matt plays Dungeons and Dragons and enjoys a good round of Catan with friends.
As an ISTJ, Jackie loves long cat naps to recharge.
As an ENTP, Matt enjoys getting suited up and debating the big issues of life over a fine cocktail.
Jackie loves Wes Anderson movies like Moonrise Kingdom and a good love story like Pride and Prejudice.
Matt has extremely diverse music tastes including New Order, Kamelot, Sibelius, and Les Miserables.
Jackie's happy place is on a moutainside, with a cool breeze, taking in a quiet scene.
Matt's happy place is inside a good book. His favorite authors include Neil Gaiman, Terry Prachett, and Anton Chekhov.
About Jackie
Our journey here is anything but prescribed, but it wasn’t an accident. Jackie's love of portraiture dates back to when she was a kid. Her dad was a doctor and on his days off he would take her and her sister hiking to photograph landscapes on medium format film. She would help him set up his tripod and meter light. But she was always drawn to people photos, photos that exude emotion.
But in high school she was busy with many hobbies and was contemplating whether to pursue a career in music (she played violin, viola, and piano) or follow a route toward becoming a scientist or doctor. Rational thinking led her to follow the science route, while still playing music in college. But she added a photography class in for fun and from that point on she and Matt would set out to explore their surrounding environment, taking photos wherever they went.
In 2010 they moved to San Diego. Jackie obtained her PhD in Biomedical Sciences and during this time she found a true passion for photographing other couples. With the encouragement of her friends, she began shooting more regularly. Word got out quickly and soon they were shooting weddings and the business grew from there.
We are multi-passionate people who have enjoyed the simple pursuit of doing things we love. Too often people say to us that they wish they could do what we do, or maybe someday they’ll find time to follow that thing they enjoy. And for us we say, “do it”. It was truly a wake up call when a friend tragically passed away in a car accident the year we started shooting weddings. He had been in a history PhD program for 7 years and didn’t know what he was going to do after. So he started dabbling in photography with the hopes that he could maybe start a career in photojournalism when he was done with his degree.
Well he never got to finish that degree, he was awarded it posthumously, and I think about that moment as the spark in my life that pushed me down this path. If I had waited until after my PhD to start pursuing photography, I would not be in this place today. I would not have built a business capable of sustaining the lifestyle I have been searching for. We would not be internationally recognized, or working with clients that we simply adore. And most of all we would not be sharing our gifts with the world. It is trite but so true, life is simply too short.
About Matt
Matt is patient and kind, with a love for teaching and helping others. He earned his Masters in Chemistry, and has since taken to the classroom where he exudes an energy and eagerness to shape young minds. Matt is easygoing and a true Renaissance man. He can often be found with his nose stuck in a good book, and his stack of books he's reading next is only increasing in size.
Matt loves storytelling and this thread runs true to every aspect of his life from the music he enjoys to the games he plays to the career that he loves. He is currently writing two fantasy fiction novels, a number of short stories, and has spent many years going to Comic Con where he feels right at home with the nerd culture artists.
Matt enjoys the technical aspects of photography, from the equipment to the optics. He loves capturing candid moments, picturesque landscapes, and all the little details. He has been second shooting with Jackie on wedding days and enjoys being able to see the big picture of the wedding day as a whole - the joy from all of the family and friends surrounding our couples.
hear more about us
Photo by Celine Chhuon
Video by Emma Lynn Cinema
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