Meet Kirsten and Scott. They love fine food. It was one of the things that brought them together, and has been a consistent thread through their relationship.
Many many of their dates have been over wonderful meals. And, when it came to planning their upcoming wedding, it only made sense to center it around a highly orchestrated, elaborate feast.
Needless to say, when it came to their engagement session, there was no other option than to have a gourmet picnic somewhere beautiful.
complete with sparkly champagne, and an even sparklier ring,
food-sharing,
and many sweet moments.
Stay tuned for the photos of their amazing wedding in September.
I know I'm a little late, but I just couldn't let the day go by without a little shout-out to all the great fathers out there. A few of my favorite father photographs from the year:
And, just to melt your heart, a few words straight out of the mouths of babes. This is an excerpt from a larger project I did with this beautiful family. (To view, make sure the sound on your computer is on, then push the play button at left)
And last, but not least, a shout out to my own dad. He means the world to me. I love you, Dad. addendum, 6.25:Thanks so much to one of my wonderful blog readers, who noted: "Hey, not fair! You only have Dads with babies. Fathers are fathers for life!"
Point taken! I've gotten to work with so many wonderful fathers of all ages. So, just a few more photos, to better represent the full story.
The father (at left) in this photograph is extraordinary. So extraordinary, that I devoted a year to documenting his life story, then turning it into a movie and a book. So extraordinary that his youngest son (center), who was 19 when I interviewed him, described his dad this way: "He's honestly the most intelligent person I've ever met. . . He's, like, the hippest dad. I really love hanging out with my dad."
A portrait of the same family, circa 1990 (no, I didn't take this one)
And here's yet another exceptional father who, at 92, is also a grandfather, and a great-grandfather. I spent a magical weekend with him and his family last summer gathering loads of colorful stories about the years when his three daughters were little, then turning them into a movie.
A portrait of the same dad with his three girls (two of whom are in the top photo) circa 1955 (I didn't take this one either)
In just a couple weeks, this father/grandfather/great-grandfather turns 93! Still completely lucid and a continuous example of kindness and generosity.
Three cheers for all the wonderful fathers out there - and also to my blog readers, who remind me what's important if I ever forget :)
I love documenting people's lives. As soon as someone else pulls out a camera or other recorder, though, I get distinctly uncomfortable. I don't want anyone to think that I think my life is unusually profound. And, I'm not so sure that this is my finest moment.
I often hear this concern from people contemplating recording images and stories from their lives. What if we don't look very graceful in our pregnancy photographs? What if we don't say the right thing during the recording? Is it weird to focus so much energy on us, our story?
Over time, I've learned to recognize these concerns as coming from my 'little picture' self - the part of me that's worried what others think of me, my flaws and imperfections. The part of me that thinks of the hour-to-hour, day-to-day, not the grand scope of my life and my purpose. To me, though, that 'little picture' voice represents the opposite of what telling one's story is really about, which is stepping away from the little picture, and into the big picture.
To me, documenting people's lives - and my own - creates the opportunity for a big picture view, the ability to see where we have come from, where we are heading, how we have changed and yet, how our truest essence remains wonderfully the same. If you are a journal-keeper, you know this experience well. You look back at a journal from 10 or 15 years ago and realize that the seeds of the person you've finally become were there all along.
I've had the privilege of documenting Michelle and Mike's life for nearly four years now. Here's a glimpse at what has unfolded. In the photo above Michelle and Mike were weeks away from the birth of their first child - and probably getting their last decent nights' sleep ever since ;)
Here's what happened next:
2006
That's little S, at one month, three months, six months, and nine months old.
Fast forward to our most recent session, in April:
Little S, April 2009
I know - she's ridiculously adorable, isn't she? She has grown up so much.
And, that's hardly the only thing that's changed in the family.
Little S and Little A, April 2009
Meet Little A. It's like deja vu, isn't it?
So. Who is this documentation really for? It's for Little S. It's for Little A. It's for their grandparents. It's for their grandchildren. It's for their great-great-grandchildren, whom they will probably never meet. It's for Mike and Michelle - for today, for 10 years from now, for 50 years from now.
And yes, it is about all of them. But not little-picture them. Big-picture them. Their essences, steadfast even as they travel through the unpredictable storybook of life. It's about who they really are, way beyond any one moment in time.
JK Life Stories is the work of Julie Kay, who combines journalism and photography to document people's lives through time. She frequently works with couples as they:
(Note: to view the mini-documentaries, please make sure the sound on your computer is on, give the page a moment to load, then press the play button at lower left.)
