JTobiason Photography

10/12/2026

Heather and Jake got married on a mountain, and Jake spent the whole day looking around like he couldn’t believe it.

The morning started gloomy. It had rained hard the day before, and we woke up in a circular house in the trees in Glacier, WA, wondering what the day would give us. Then it just kept getting better. After their first look, we drove up to Mt. Baker and stopped at Picture Lake, wandered through Heather Meadows, and ended up at Artist Point, where six of their closest friends were waiting.

We hiked out to the very end, the spot Google Maps calls Huntoon Point and nobody actually calls anything. They said their vows overlooking little mountain lakes, with Mt. Shuksan half wrapped in clouds behind them. It was about 39 degrees, with flecks of snow falling when we started up. Everyone was cold and nobody cared.

After the friends headed down, it was just Heather, Jake, and me for sunset. We stopped every few minutes to put jackets on, take jackets off, and warm up our hands. Mine stopped working entirely, and I had to look down to confirm my finger was on the shutter. (Bring gloves. I knew that. I was still in fall mode.) Then the clouds turned pink and none of it mattered.

What I keep coming back to is Jake. Every time we paused, his eyes were wide, just soaking in all of it. I get to be at weddings all the time, and it’s easy to forget that for everyone else it’s a top ten day of their whole life. Getting to match that energy and add to it is the best part of this job, and Jake made it easy.

Congratulations, Heather and Jake. Thank you for letting me be there.

10/06/2026

Artist Point is known for its huge views of Mt. Baker. On David and Michelle’s elopement day, we couldn’t see any of it.

The day started at a little red A-frame in the woods, where they had their first look on the deck. Then we drove up the mountain with a handful of their favorite people. By the time we reached the top, the fog had rolled in and settled for good.

They read their vows anyway (David’s were in a little yellow notebook), their friends blew bubbles, and by the end of the day Michelle’s dress was muddy and they were both laughing about it.

I think about this day every time a couple tells me they’re worried about the forecast.

Planning an elopement in Washington? I’d love to help you find your spot.

09/23/2026

Yes, I photograph families too.

Most of the families I photograph are couples whose weddings I shot a few years back, but not all of them. You don't need to have gotten married with me to book a family session.

I also get a lot of practice with kids at home. Kids wiggle, wander off, and melt down right when the light gets good. That's all normal, and it doesn't ruin anything. We'll pick a spot that feels like you, let the kids be kids, and I'll guide just enough to get everyone together in the frame.

New baby, toddlers, teenagers who'd rather be anywhere else, grandparents in town for the weekend. Whatever stage you're in right now, it's worth having photos of it.

If you're thinking about family photos this fall, send me a DM or reach out through jtobiason.com.

09/22/2026

Do you need a permit to get married in Washington?

We’re here with the answers.

Washington has an incredible range of places to say “I do,” and that range comes from a lot of different agencies managing the land. Here’s the real breakdown, sourced straight from each agency, not repeated from another blog.

National Parks (Mount Rainier, Olympic, North Cascades)
All three require a permit for every ceremony, no matter your group size. Rainier is $25 plus a $250 management fee. Olympic and North Cascades are both $50.

National Forests (Artist Point, Gold Creek Pond, Maple Pass)
Different agency, different rules. Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest doesn’t require a permit under 75 people, so most elopements here are covered. Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, the national forest land around Maple Pass, Blue Lake, and the Methow Valley, decides case by case, worth a call ahead.

Washington State Parks
A permit is required, $45, plus liability insurance. If you’re bringing a professional photographer, they need a separate $100 permit too.

City & County Parks
Seattle requires a permit for any ceremony in a city park, plus a separate photography permit. Other cities and counties set their own rules, so check locally.

Washington State Ferries
No permit needed. For larger groups, it’s worth reaching out to WSF ahead of time to coordinate.

Your Marriage License
The one thing everyone needs, no matter where you get married. Apply in any WA county, 3-day wait, valid 60 days statewide.

I sourced every number here straight from the actual agencies. Save this for when you start picking a location.

Comment “permits” and I’ll send you the full write-up with every link.

09/21/2026

Picture an engagement session with nowhere to be.

It could be a tent under the trees and a thermos of coffee. It could be a slow walk around your neighborhood, or a hike, or an hour of laughing at nothing in particular. There's no right version, and you don't have to know what yours looks like yet.

This one was Bryce and Meech, in the woods behind Farm Table, the same venue where they got married later. We set up a couple of tents, made coffee, and mostly just hung out in a beautiful little spot under the trees. I shot it on my Mamiya RZ67 with Portra 160, plus a few double exposures, where two moments end up sharing one frame.

That's really what these sessions are for: some unhurried time together, a chance to get used to me being around, and a discovery that being photographed can feel pretty ordinary and pretty good. By the wedding day, we already know each other.

If you're starting to picture yours, I'd love to hear what it looks like.

09/19/2026

Things I've done at weddings that aren't photography: made ham sandwiches for a very hangry bridal party, fixed a cake, taught a groomsman to tie his own bowtie, bustled a dress, made boutonnieres out of safety pins and garden lavender.

None of that is the job. The job is photos. But I want you comfortable, relaxed, and joyful on your wedding day, and when you are, we make better photos together.

Seattle wedding & elopement photographer.

09/17/2026

The mountain reflects into the lake at sunrise, above and below the water. I guess that's kind of how reflections work. Still, that's your backdrop.

Picture Lake sits with Mt. Shuksan rising right behind it. It's one of the most photographed places in Washington, and there's good reason for that.

You can drive right up to it. No hiking required. There's a boardwalk around the lake and a wonderful little spot for a ceremony right on the shoreline.

But the real thing about Picture Lake isn't that the setting is epic, it's that it's specific. The mountain and the water aren't competing with you. They're framing your moment, which is why it suits an intimate elopement in a way that's different from most other mountain summits.

Sunrise is the best time to catch it still and quiet, though it holds up at other times of day too.

📍 Picture Lake, Mt. Baker

09/15/2026

09/14/2026

You don’t need a wilderness permit to elope somewhere wild.

Deception Pass gets treated like a “someday” location because it feels like it should be complicated. It isn’t.

A Discover Pass for parking. A Special Activity permit if you’re having an actual ceremony. That’s really it.

I’ve photographed couples here on wet December afternoons and gold August evenings, and it’s never felt like the same park twice.

Swipe through for permits, where to say your vows, where the photos happen, what to pack, and when to go.

Save this if Deception Pass is on your list. Send it to the friend who keeps saying “maybe we should just elope.”

Full guide with permit links is on the blog.

09/08/2026

Gold larches and snow on the same day. That almost never happens.

Larch season only lasts about two weeks in early October, and catching real snow before the larches drop is a timing nobody can really plan for. Jonathan and Sarah got it anyway at Blue Lake. Gold trees, deep green evergreens, a lake so rich blue it looked painted, and the cliffs above it all dusted white. We had the whole lake to ourselves, just the two of them and their family.

If a North Cascades elopement is something you’ve been dreaming up, reach out. I’d love to help you plan a day like this one.

📍 Blue Lake, North Cascades



Want to elope in the snow?