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!

The first image pretty much sums up the spirit of this session. In the midst of a few outfit changes and a pretty humid morning, we managed to play, jump, laugh, blow bubbles, chill … and capture these two beautiful summer boys. I instantly fell in love with this family.

I kept asking mom and dad where the baby got those stunning blue eyes and the quick answer was “Grandpa.” I had no idea just how much he resembled said Grandpa until I met him just a few weeks later for a 50th anniversary session. Turns out, they were spot on.  I plan on blogging them next, so stay tuned.

Remember those “unscripted moments” I talked about in the last blog post? Yep. The next image was another one of those. I was busy shooting big brother above and just happened to turn around and look behind me. There, on the grass was Dad and little guy just hanging out. I couldn’t have planned this one any better.

I had a blast during this session, which included trekking around downtown to capture this brother and sister (and their fabulous mom.) There are all kinds of little ones on this blog, but I love it when parents and “older kids” come back for a session “just because” … no particular reason, just a wonderful opportunity to freeze the moments and capture life through pictures.

“Walkin’ on Sunshine” kept popping into my head while editing this family photography session. You know the one by Katrina and the Waves. And just in case you’re too young to remember, here it is. (Don’t be mad if it’s stuck in your thoughts for the rest of the night.)

We shot this one just before sunset and I’m sure the inspiration for that little number in my head has something to do with the wash of warm light all around us, not to mention the happiness emanating from this family. Love them!

Below are many of my favorites from their session. I’m slowly getting through the backlog of blog postings. To that, I say “And don’t it feel good!”

I had so much fun with the haze from the sun, the back lighting and a watercolor texture added in post-processing. I can see these displayed as gallery-wrapped canvases.