I was driving a few days ago with one of my childhood friends across the Golden GateBridge, we have both driven across this bridge so many times and yet we both agreed that it is still breath taking every time we see it. While we were driving across she said "I'm so glad that there are still some things that photos can't do justice to, until you see them in person". As a photographer who has a passion for the art of photography I whole heartedly agreed with her. I had a moment of realization that this was the exact reason that I am in love with photography. I enjoy it because a photo gives you a glimpse into a moment, or a place. It shows you a split second captured in time but behind this still photograph is a story that intrigues its viewer.
"This is what I love about photography. It comes in to save the day when I can’t quite describe something visually, but at the same time it doesn’t show you every detail of the story."
This is one of the reasons that I am so fond of engagement photos and wedding photography. I am given the opportunity to shoot photos of two people that have come this far on a journey together that I will never know about. I will never know their ups and downs and why they are so madly in love, but I get to capture these small moments on camera that just scratch the surface of their love story.
One of my favorite shoots of all time was actually an engagement session with one of my closest friends from college. When she asked if I would take their photos, and I was so happy that she chose me for this special moment in their lives. I immediately said yes, and we started to plan out her vision for these photos. We decided that we would take them up at this gorgeous old white barn in Park City, Utah. This spot has actually been a location that I’ve been in love with for a while and I actually dreamed of one day having my own wedding at.
The day we took the photos it was freezing cold. When I say cold, it was one of those take your breath away avoid going outside kind of days but there was no rescheduling with both of our busy schedules. Allison wore this stunning vibrant red dress and the contrast against the white snow was something I can’t even explain. We shot for about an hour in which Allison didn’t complain once about the cold, while I struggled to keep from shivering in my winter coat. It’s probably because she’s a Minnesota girl so her idea of cold was much different than my California idea of cold. Throughout the shoot I couldn’t stop smiling. Allison, Sean and I were laughing and having fun snapping away capturing all of the photos that Allison had in mind. This shoot was special to me because I know Allison and Sean’s journey and theirs wasn’t always easy, but what I captured in my photos didn’t show that. It showed how happy they were, wrapped in each others arms and how eager they were to spend the rest of their lives waking up next to each other. It showed a glimpse into a moment that had a bigger story behind it.
This is what I love about photography. It comes in to save the day when I can’t quite describe something visually, but at the same time it doesn’t show you every detail of the story. It leaves you with an idea of how beautiful these people are, or how stunning this place is. It leaves you looking at it with this ability to create your own story about these people or these places and that’s why it’s beautiful. It leaves you wanting more, but also satisfies you at the same time. My job as an artist isn’t to pose or stage a moment, but rather capture it for what it truly is and that is why I am utterly obsessed with this profession.
