The Covenant Sessions
2016 has been... interesting. We look around and see so much uncertainty, fear, heartache, and discord. And yet, there's been a fascinating undertone throughout the year that's been hard to ignore. Amidst the constant talk of controversial topics, the word that has become the battlecry of many we know is the word 'love.'
We believe that love is important. Love is spiritual. Love is personal. And love is eternal. But love without true, self sacrificing commitment isn't real love. Real love is defined by the setting aside of one's desires, even in some cases one's happiness, and putting the desires of another before your own. We know this, because we've been loved by a good God who has done these things for us.
Yesterday, Mindy and I celebrate ten years of marriage. Ten years is a long time, and ten years is a short time. But it's definitely enough time to learn what it means to truly love. The amount of times I've had to admit that I was wrong is immeasurable. Ten years is long enough to reveal the selfishness in our hearts, and it's long enough for us to push each other to break that. Every day we learn how to love better, and every day it's hard. But when we lay our heads down at night, every day it's worth it. We can say, without question, that we love each other more honestly, more deeply, and far better now than we did when we were younger.
This year we had the unique opportunity to turn our cameras it a little bit different direction. We called this 'The Covenant Sessions,' and it was a project we took on to highlight what marriage means to us, and to some of our closest friends (and in a few cases, people we'd never even met). These are real couples, who have been through some of the hardest, brightest, and strangest events, and come out stronger for it. These couples have chosen to love one another through the good, the bad, and the ugly. To fight for each other. To choose their spouse over themselves. To love.
Join us in celebrating marriage today. These marriages. Our marriage. To celebrate the past ten years, and to anticipate the next ten.
And for the final image, one frame from our anniversary celebration yesterday, courtesy of our immensely talented friend David.
Lauren + Max - Put-In-Bay Wedding
Lake Erie Coast
"Ohio."
"Why Ohio?"
We get this question often, and the answer has never been entirely clear, even for us. I didn't grow up here, so I don't have that innate sense of "home." At the same time, our kids were born here. Mindy's family is here. There's something special about this place. The closer we become with our neighbors, our church, and our photography community, the more the question becomes irrelevant. But besides the people, we're consistently surprised by this amazing state. The more we explore, the more we come to discover, and the more we appreciate where we live.
And so it was at Lauren + Max's wedding. Seeing the western coast of Lake Erie for the first time, and riding the ferry to Put-In-Bay, we had visions of our travels to the Pacific Northwest, and even in a sense, our trip to Italy's coast. This is a landscape that we honestly didn't know existed right here in our backyard. But unlike the PNW or Europe, being at their wedding still gave us a feeling of belonging, which is a comfort that anyone can relate to.
Ohio. Because this is home.
Daniela + Tim - Columbus Ohio Engagement
October has been good to us. We usually have too many shoots and not enough sunny days. The stars aligned and this year the sun has been shining bright on just the right days. The light in Columbus on this evening with Daniela + Tim couldn't have been any better.
We spent our evening strolling through Inniswood Botanical Gardens, sipping some wine and then chasing the sun downtown for some long boarding. Best part of the night, we ended it together at Condado. Our favorite tacos, and two new friends. Nothing better.
