Celebrating 50 years together. There’s a story behind that, he told me. Wanna hear it?

Are you kidding?!, I said. You bet.

As he tells it,  she was just 17 years old when he attended a wedding in which she was a bridesmaid. Upon meeting her for the first time, he proposed.

She laughed it off and said no. I mean, she was 17 and who did this guy think he was, after all?

Never one to back down from a challenge, he looked her square in the eye and said, “I’m only going to ask you three times and then I’ll never ask again. You’ve already turned me down once, so that leaves two more chances.”

Being the savvy girl she was, she opted for a few dates instead of a ring. And he kindly obliged.

And then he asked again. To which she replied, no. Again.

(Did I mention this guy was stubborn and not easily deterred?)

So the courtship continued and, feeling brave, he asked once more. As it turns out, the third time really is …. well … charming. And so are they.

Photographing the two of them, hearing their stories and witnessing the ease and devotion that fifty years has nurtured left a giant mark on my soul. If it’s possible to have a couples crush, then they are mine. And I’m fairly certain I took far more away from their session than I ever could give through imagery.

Congratulations, John and Joyce!

What a fantastic year! It’s been a blessing to be able to do what I’m passionate about for clients who truly appreciate the art in the imagery. So THANK YOU for an amazing year filled with bellies, babies, toddlers, big kids, high school seniors, families and more. To celebrate, I’m holding a BIG promotion and contest – watch the blog tomorrow for details. You don’t want to miss it!

In the meantime, enjoy a special slideshow looking back at the many faces, bellies, piggytails and piggy toes that truly made me smile this past year (click on the play “arrow” in the middle and turn up the speakers to hear the music):

You might remember Ryan and Kate from their session last fall. And if you know them, you know that their love for one another is closely matched — and often exploited — by their sense of humor and creative flair. So when I came across this video on Kate’s Facebook page, I just had to share (with her permission, of course).  Ryan is traveling and Kate is missing him. So, she’s done what any technology-savvy gal would do …  put her loneliness on YouTube.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I love capturing images like the first one here – the kind where I’m invisible and they’re simply caught up in a moment. And to answer my own “wonder” above, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t chatting about the grocery list. I’ll leave that secret to them.

Their session is a visual representation of why I love photographing couples, be they engaged, married or none of the above … simply in love. These two are so clearly matched in every way, but I love their laughter and ease with each other most. Enjoy some of my favorites from their session. This is a long overdue peek and, come to think of it … a long peek. I couldn’t choose just a handful and there are so many more where these came from.