Meeting people you watch on TV has always been an interesting experience for me. Most of the time a cast member has to act a certain way on his or her show and you never see the true personality of someone until you meet in person. With Faith and Thunderstorm Artis, I was pleasantly surprised to see the same character in person as was portrayed on the popular singing competition show The Voice. I believe this speaks volumes to the kind of people these two are. On my last venture to the wonderful city of Vancouver, I was privileged to meet up with the newlywed couple and take advantage of the lush green hiking areas.
Of course, congratulations are in due order for Thunder. On the most recent season of The Voice he became a finalist and consistently provided a more than entertaining performance week by week. However, I believe an even greater congratulations is due for finding such a sweet and amicable wife. Having spent even a few hours with these two, it is undoubtedly apparent that their chemistry is in line with any couple whose intentions are to form a truly lasting marriage of friendship based on similar, foundational principles. Congratulations to both of you for finding this rare bond in life and for recognizing it so soon after being with each other. I truly wish you both the best in the many years to come!
Not being from the area, I was thankful to locate the Salmon Creek hiking area in Vancouver, Washington. As with most areas in Washington, I was impressed with how green EVERYTHING was around me. While some areas are only water and grass, in contrast there are also plenty of areas covered in douglas-fir and cedar trees. The entire Salmon Creek Hike is more than 9 miles, offering more than enough landscape variety for any photographer and event.
Every photographer knows shooting a couple for the first time can have its challenges. Of course, this is entirely dependent on both the photographer and the couple. A photographer’s style must match what the couple is desiring to hang on their wall to see everyday and the couple must feel comfortable enough around the photographer to be themselves and produce moments full of emotion so they can be captured. This was one of those shoots. From the beginning pose with these two, I knew the pictures were going to be amazing. Between Thunder knowing every trick to get them both laughing and Faith reigning them back in for a serious portrait, they were everything in a couple I look for to silence time and capture such beautiful affection. Well, almost everything. For being two of the most talented and harmonious individuals I know, there was one component missing. THE SINGING! I suppose I’ll just have to pay like everyone else. After all, it is well worth every dollar!
Thank you again to Faith and Thunderstorm Artis for letting me shoot such a wonderful looking couple. I wouldn’t have spent my birthday any other way this year. It was a privilege to get to know both of you. I wish you the best in all your future endeavors and truly hope to photograph both of you again!
Faith & Thunder decided it would be a good idea to throw in a random trust fall during their pictures. Luckily, Faith was ready for the surprise and more than delivered. Disclaimer: no Artis’ were hurt during this production.
You can follow the Artis family and learn more at:
Thunder: Twitter Instagram Facebook
These two are fun to follow. Frequently they will post concerts on their stories that you can tune in to follow. If you are feeling generous, and if you love what you hear, you can also become a patron to support Thunder in his aspiring music career as a singer/songwriter.
For more of Matt Ehnes’ couple’s photos, click here.