{Stories} The Story Behind The Moment - The Bride

The setting was a beautiful, old manor house. The ceremony was to take place in the garden amid the late summer splendor - the soft canopy of the surrounding trees caught in the transition from deep summer greens to the warm shades of autumn.  It was picturesque.

I can only image what a bride feels planning her wedding - all the details, vendors and little things that require her attention.  The morning of is surely a rush of last minute details, misplaced items, nerves and adrenaline. Surrounded by her closest family and friends the bride can lose herself to the rhythm of the chaos.  But there comes a time, when alone and surrounded by nothing but beating of her heart in her ears, she realizes that she is the bride, and this is her wedding.  

Of all the photos I took that day, this was the truest expression of the bride before her wedding that I had seen. Finally alone, the momentousness of what was about to unfold washed over her.  The months of planning and preparation were about to come together, their destiny finally realized.  It was in this stillness, on our way to take a few pre-ceremony photographs, that I turned to find my bride lost in thought and awash in the light from the window – being for the first time, not the bride that everything centered around, but the bride that was about to begin her journey through life with her soon-to-be husband.

February Seven

“I traded what I know for how I feel.”

-February Seven, The Avett Brothers

I've been drawing a lot of inspiration for my photography lately from music; the way that certain songs resonate with something deep in our psyche and draw forth memory and feeling.  Some songs recall the sweetness of secret smiles and cross room stares from when my wife and I first met.  Others, the deep, passionate longing that a cross-country romance creates.  And still others, the very essence of life's happiness; the simple joy of the road, un-seen vistas and the comforting presence of my best-friend in the seat next to me.  So turn up that song and let the melody carry you away to wherever your heart longs to be.

Life is

In this digital age of shrinking attention spans, I find myself wanting more and more to simplify, slow down and savor all the wondrous moments that comprise this crazy thing called life.  Nearly thirty-two years ago this very camera captured my first moments in this world.  Small, full of promise and hope, those moments live forever on single roll of 35mm film.  This is my favorite camera.  I still use it.  Nothing on it is automatic.  Focusing is done manually and it’s honestly archaic. There is no LCD screen to see if my images are exposed correctly.  Load the film wrong and you’ve wasted $7.99.  You only get 36 shots, so you have to make them count.  It is wonderfully slow. It’s cumbersome. It’s inefficient. It’s pure. 

As we spiral faster and faster further into our future, take a few moments every now and then to slow down and remember what’s important.  Go, capture your story and make every frame count.

Summer Sessions

Its that time of year when the days run long and warm breezes carry the promise of endless adventure and gold colored memories.  Summer has always been the guardian of fun, family vacations and freedom from school.  Here is a little tribute to this short season of light and laughter inspired by family trips to the east cost.

{Stories} The Story Moment Behind - Quiet Moments

The sounds of the reception hall faded to a distant clamor.  Guests were earnestly talking to family, friends and newly discovered acquaintances.  The DJ and hall manager stood a little ways off going over the evening’s order of events.  My partner for the day was off snapping photos and I found myself alone,  in a quiet little pocket of stillness, letting the scene unfold before my lens. 

No matter how carefully planned, nor how intimate the event, chaos always exists just at the edges of weddings.  Weddings are after all,  intricate dances of coordination, timing and planning; all centered around two people and their promise to love, honor and cherish one another.  Quiet little moments rarely find newlyweds on their wedding day, but sometimes, amid the hum and activity, quiet little moments are exactly what you get.

As we waited for the bride and groom to be announced to their guests, a little gap in the door opened a window into a private world between this new husband and wife; a few precious moments alone found this couple nervously practicing for their grand entrance and first dance.  This was a moment that no one would have ever seen – a rare “behind-the-scenes” glimpse of the day’s honorees being, for the first time that day, not the bride and groom, but a couple in love embarking on a journey through life together.