The unexpected joy I’ve gathered from it lately, in a season of editing thousands of images, is being able to learn small but important things about a family. After going through one session of edits, I learned that everyone on one side of the family has a dimple on the right side of their face, that Grandma makes everyone she encounters laugh a throw-your-head-back-and-hold-your-side-kind-of-laugh, that some family members will look at each other rather than the lens, and that the groom loves to watch the bride when she turns around. I see a good bit on the day of the event, but learning these little idiosyncrasies, finding patterns and details of joy in a contact sheet full of images is like being there all over again. Those details are the stuff that paper boats are made of- the point of my business. These tiny, easily forgotten details are here now in images you can hold. Maybe it’s because I was a writer before I was ever anything else, but I am so appreciative to be able to witness these stories in the precise moment that an experience is becoming part of so many different people’s stories.  I find myself looking at images of guests and talking to my computer, “She was awesome!”  or “I loved that guy!”

All of this just to say thank you so much for trusting me with these moments and that you can believe the hype. I love my brides. I love these moments, even after they are over. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

“The most inspiring thing about it {the 2005 Pride & Prejudice film} for me was one of the last scenes when Elizabeth and Darcy meet at dawn and there is the most amazing sunflare behind their faces. Something about that sunlight hit ‘refresh’ on all of my pages…I think I’ve probably blogged about this before, but what I took from it is that I really need to do an engagement shoot at dawn. Maybe when it’s not 4 degrees out, but in winter. Fabulous blue and gold light. Very exciting.”

So…when Stephanie, who had shared with me that Pride and Prejudice was one of her favorite books, said she wanted to do an engagement shoot, I was dreaming of sunflare at dawn.

{She has no idea how beautiful she is. Just no idea. But he knows. I love how he looks at her.}

It’s hard to explain, but it was so healing to get to be there with good people and warm light on a cold morning. Before they arrived when everything was still very dark, I heard roosters crow and ducks landing on the water. A fish jumped. I kept thinking of this book that my daughter reads called Polar Bear Night that begins “the air was clean and cold.” It was perfect and just what my heart needed. I loved every second of my time with them. I’m finding it difficult to choose favorites.

Works Cited:
venue- Talon Winery, where they will be married in August.
light- 100% God. Very very little editing was done to these images.
inspiration- a couple who emanate kindness

Listening to: Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard – Paul Simon

I had 30 minutes to experience B&H Photo Video, lust over lenses, hold the mini fuji instax, and generally run through what I’ve heard described as the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory of electronics. It is quite a place and much more efficient than the Service Merchandise of my childhood.

I picked up some black and white film and these new outfits for my Canon:
This one for those outings when I just want to put the camera body in my purse and go, and this Jill E one for days when I need more lenses with me,

My back is already happier.

Music is Peng! 33 covered by Iron & Wine.

I tried something new in this slideshow {a bit of HD video here and there} which slows things down, but it was too adorable to leave out. If it stalls while you watch the first time, just pause and come back in a bit and it should play fine. Big files take a bit more time to load the first time around, but once it makes it all the way through once, it will be fine. Enjoy!

Robin & Paul, set a date! You win!