Small Things in a Great Way
There is something so special about being a photographer for a small, intimate wedding, like an elopement or a courthouse wedding. To stand witness and capture the memories of something so special is amazing regardless of the size of the wedding, but when it’s just you, some close friends, and the couple, it feels like you’ve been invited to a private club.
One of my earliest weddings I had the pleasure of capturing was Daniel and Sal’s courthouse wedding, and I couldn’t have felt luckier to be the person documenting that day for them. Their love for each other was beautiful, and I wanted to capture the essence for them in a way that would last for years to come.
As a photographer, I strive to capture the most genuine parts of my clients, reach past the surface to find those moments of uncontrived meaning. During the course of a wedding day, you get so many opportunities for those candid moments because emotions are bursting out of the seams in a way that you rarely see. There are few times in life when emotions live so close to the skin.
We met at the marriage licensing office, and I photographed the brief but poignant ceremony at the Lane County Courthouse. That evening we met back up at a location that they introduced me to, which has since become one of my favorite places to photograph. It is a wildlife refuge, and far enough out of town that it’s like being in the middle of the country. There are birds in the tall grasses and the water, a sense of desolation and that feral beauty of wild lands.
We walked around the land, just me, Daniel and Sal, and their close friend who witnessed their wedding. The sun was falling low on the land, and it turned the brown grasses into glowing golden strands. While I edited the photos, I felt so grateful for having such an amazing opportunity to capture these memories.
