I tend to fall in love with people while photographing them and often come away from the experience with a sense of admiration and love that is normally difficult to achieve when you're just meeting someone for the first time. Now, I'm not sure if my couples end up feeling the same way about me, but hopefully they see my love in the images they end up with. ;-) Sally & Rodney just blew me away with their kindness, joy, love, compassion, and inner beauty, which resonates in everything they do and with everyone they meet. While most couples will keep in touch maybe a year or two after their wedding, they often slip out of contact and remain beautiful memories, but Sally & Rodney have only become closer to me as friends over the years and through the many different twists and turns our lives have taken since then.
They were probably the 9th or 10th wedding I was ever hired to photograph, and if I recall, they hired me after running into some trouble with the original photographer they had hired. There were so many things that could have upset them on their wedding day (running an hour late, rain, vendors blowing up on people, the wrong music being played, etc) but their love was so strong that none of that mattered. Their perspective on what matters most in life is so admirable.
I was still trying to find my style at that time, which is quite clear from some of the processing on the images, but how I see and what I care about capturing have remained much the same- especially the unexpected moments that can't be replicated. I owe so much to this couple because in the years immediately following their wedding, they referred so many wonderful couples to me and almost single-handedly gave me the confidence to quit teaching elementary music so that I could just focus on photographing people in love. Really, there are no words to capture the love I feel when I think about Sally & Rodney. Instead, I merely offer my memories of their wedding day in celebration of their 4th Anniversary of Wedded Bliss. ;) Click on the image above to view their complete wedding slideshow. (Here's a link to the original post I did for their wedding.)
And I thought it was just me who got all gooey over the couples I photograph. The first couple who hired me will always have special place in my heart, but I have found that each couple I work with touches me in their own unique way, and I hope that the images I capture reflect that special bond.
ReplyDeleteAnne,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this heartfelt post. You have touched our lives in so many ways as well. We love you and Alex and consider you both as great friends, and practically family.
And yes, you have grown so much stylistically and with your technique over the years. We are so very proud of you and all the work you put into each and every assignment. The beauty that you are able to capture in your work is a clear reflection of the beauty you are able to see in the everday, and that beauty must therefore be within you in order for you to be able to develop these magnificent images. That has always been true of you and your character.
Much love,
Sally and Rod
Judy - isn't it wonderful.
ReplyDeleteSally - You have no idea how much your words mean to me!
Anne,
ReplyDeleteHi Anne, I've never left a comment on you blog before, I've been following your blog for almost a year. I wanted to say thank you for putting up this post. I think it's interesting to revisit images from the past. You get a chance to see how a photographer has evolved.
I consider myself as just starting out, and I am struggling with my confidence finding my own style, workflow, basically everything. It is reassuring to know that everyone has been in this same place.
Thanks again.
-Crystal
totally gorgeous!
ReplyDelete