In late April I had the honor to be the official photographer for the marriage of these two beautiful and amazing ladies, Jen Shelby and Elizabeth Renew. The wedding was held at River Ridge Ranch in Springville, nestled in the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada. The grasses were still green, the oaks with fresh new leaves on them, and the moon was full. The spirit and energy of everyone in attendance was abundant love and kindness and radiant smiles. The brides were so fun to work with. Thank you both for inviting me to help capture this moment in your lives: you did it!!
There are a couple of things that are particularly touching to me about this event. The very morning after Jen reached out asking if I was available and interested in working with them, a little tragedy occurred with my camera while in India (see instagram post), emerging from the other end of it feeling that it was symbolically blessed, albeit only through completely letting go of my desire to be successful. The way things have been progressing with my photography work in the last 6 months as I have been taking steps to develop from a hobbyist to a business, it certainly feels that way.
It was very meaningful for me to shoot an LGBTQ wedding. Even as a lot of things are going through upheaval in our country and our world, at least progress has concretely happened in this issue in my lifetime. There is still a long way to go, from eliminating hate crimes to ending more minor but still damaging discrimination that happens regularly to LGBTQ couples and individuals. The opportunity to act as an ally and celebrate your love in these images means a lot. These two are a perfect match and to witness your joy on this day was incredible.
