Cory Parris - Seattle Wedding Photographer!

09/08/2026

Building and expanding major infrastructure requires raw physical labor, precision, and relentless consistency. When photographing the expansion of the SR 520 bridge connecting Seattle and Bellevue, I spent time on site watching local ironworkers prepare the structural foundation long before any concrete was poured.

The focus of this project was capturing the crews responsible for placing and tying the rebar. Rebar forms the backbone of a bridge deck. Every piece of steel must be placed according to precise engineering specifications, bound together by hand, and secured to handle the stress of daily traffic across Lake Washington.

Working the Grid

Standing on the deck framework, the scope of the manual work is apparent. Ironworkers spend hours bent over endless grids of heavy steel, pulling tie wire tight with pliers to lock every intersection into place. It is repetitive, grueling, and physically demanding work carried out in all weather conditions.

Precision under stress: Each rebar tie holds the structural cage in alignment so it won't shift when thousands of pounds of wet concrete are pumped over it.

Team rhythm: Crews work in coordinated lines, moving steady and methodical across massive sections of open deck.

Environment: Working out over the water adds another layer of exposure to the weather, wind, and height.

Documenting the Process

My goal with these images was to record the honest reality of industrial construction. Rather than overly staged portraits, the photographs focus on the actual mechanics of the job: the strain on hands, the worn gear, the scale of the steel structure, and the steady focus required to build something designed to last for decades.

Infrastructure projects often get judged by their final appearance or traffic flow, but the real integrity of the bridge is set long before the road opens. These photos capture the trade union members who built that foundation, one tie at a time.

06/01/2026

https://www.coryparris.com/blog/2026/6/john-and-ajs-seattle-elopement-at-the-municipal-court

When John and AJ planned their Seattle elopement, they didn’t expect the city itself to become such a big part of the day. The grooms wore matching blue suits and brown shoes. As we started walking through downtown before the ceremony, something unexpected happened. Total strangers kept congratula...

05/30/2026

https://www.coryparris.com/blog/2026/5/warehousing-and-logistics-stories

I learned a lot about warehousing and logistics shooting for some very cool clients just south of Seattle. I set p to get some motion blur on a pair of forklifts. This particular warehouse is fully dedicated to appliances.

05/26/2026

First stop on a whirlwind Oregon shoot last week: Portland!

I was creating marketing portraits for an architecture firm and wanted to bring a little structural drama to the background. There’s nothing better than transforming a regular office environment using light.

Behind the scenes on this look: One softbox to camera left, and a second shaped light creating that diagonal across the green wall.

05/19/2026

https://www.coryparris.com/blog/2026/5/headshots-vs-marketing-portraits

It came as a bit of a surprise to me when I found out that many photographers price headshots and portraits as completely separate product lines. To me, they have never been two different things. You have a portrait session, and a headshot simply ends up being a part of that by cropping the photogra

05/06/2026

The wedding of Audrey and Alex at Willows Lodge was a beautiful example of how a setting and a story can weave together. From the first quiet moments in the gardens to the exuberant energy of the reception, the day followed a wonderful narrative arc that was a joy to document.

05/05/2026

Engineers inspecting a water treatment reservoir in Eastern Washington.

05/03/2026

I recently had the pleasure of photographing John, an IT professional, for a magazine feature. While the final image needs to stand on its own, I find that explaining the "how" can be just as interesting as the "what." This session was a great opportunity to lean into some core lighting principles I’ve used throughout my career in Seattle.

The Philosophy: Building from the Back

When I approach a new composition, I don’t start with the subject. I build the photograph from the back to the front:

The Background: This sets the stage and the mood.

The Midpoint: This is where the subject—in this case, John—lives.

The Foreground: An optional layer used to create depth or frame the scene.

By layering the image this way, I can ensure the subject doesn't just sit "on top" of a background but feels integrated into a three-dimensional space.

To get the lighting right, I evaluate four specific variables. If you understand these, you can essentially "backwards engineer" almost any photograph you see:

Quantity: The raw amount of light hitting the sensor.

Quality: Is the light soft and enveloping, or sharp and delineating?

Color: Light temperature matters. For context, ungelled flashes sit at about 5000K (daylight), while tungsten is closer to 3000K and deep shade can hit 7000K.

Direction: Where the light originates and where the shadows fall.

For John’s portrait, I wanted to play with the office's existing geometry. I started with the background, placing two flash units behind him. I aimed them up and inward through a series of vertical metal bars that were part of the office decor.

To add a technical, modern edge, I used a red gel on one flash and a blue gel on the other. I left these flashes undiffused; the "hard" quality of the light helped define the sharp, rhythmic lines they cast across the ceiling.

Finally, I moved to the midpoint. I used a small softbox with a grid to light John. The grid was essential here—it allowed me to illuminate his face and shoulders while preventing light "spill" from washing out the vibrant colors I had just established in the background.

05/03/2026

https://www.coryparris.com/blog/2026/5/behind-the-lens-engineering-an-it-professionals-portrait

I recently had the pleasure of photographing John, an IT professional, for a magazine feature. While the final image needs to stand on its own, I find that explaining the "how" can be just as interesting as the "what." This session was a great opportunity to lean into some core l

04/23/2026

I love how my job gives me a backstage pass to so many different industries. For this company, I was telling their story of how it goes from plan, to supplies, to fabrication, to installation, and finally inspection for insulation. Which, if you are like me, never really think about and take for granted. Always cool to learn about a new industry!