Our Wedding Journey
Michelle and I married four days after Christmas in 2002. The morning was cold. Michelle handled every detail; all I had to do was show up. That might sound bad, but it’s true.
My brother Rommel, my best man, arrived a little after us. Leah, Michelle’s childhood friend and matron of honor, was already there and excited.
Michelle and I met while working part-time at McDonald’s. She worked the register; I was on the grill. As our shifts passed, we began planning a small wedding with close family and a friend. However, the guest list soon grew to include coworkers, families Michelle had nannied for, and a few old friends. In the end, about 75 people came, but it still felt intimate and perfect.
Our wedding was during the holiday week, so we couldn’t find a photographer. I wasn’t thinking about photography and couldn’t do it myself. I asked my sister-in-law, Marlyn, who had a creative eye, even if she didn’t realize it. She captured the moments that meant the most to us. I’m glad she never became a wedding photographer. Her photos are still personal, full of love and warmth.
After a short, beautiful ceremony, we left for a cozy bed and breakfast in the early afternoon, ready to start our lives together.
Six months later, we went to Eric and Tanya’s wedding in Rockport, Maine. Eric is Michelle’s brother; they hired a professional photographer. I talked with him during the rehearsal and ceremony. His passion for wedding photography was contagious. That conversation opened a door for me.
That’s how I found wedding photography, almost by accident, and it set me on my creative path.
Now, as a professional street photographer, I capture people living and loving, usually in black and white. To me, wedding photography is another kind of street photography—a chance to document couples naturally on one of the most meaningful days of their lives.