Did you know that there are studies that show that children in homes where their own photographs are displayed are more confident and secure than ones without photos displayed? Now I don’t know if this holds true for grown-ups and marriage, but I do know that every time I walk past a photo of my husband and I, I’m comforted to remember that there is such a thing as “us.” All the more so if it’s an old photo and it reminds me of years of history.

      Wedding photos are important to me, (clearly!), but not just because they're a paycheck, or because they’re pretty, but because they speak to the oneness of two people, they speak of beginnings and history all at once, they speak of promises that will hold for years to come made with hearts that didn't quite know what they were promising and yet still vowed to hold true.

      My own wedding photos were done by Jaylene Debenedictis at Sacred Images Photography, (if you’re in Houston and need wedding photography look her up), I can’t share them with you because our wedding was the last one that she did entirely on film and I have yet to get them converted to digital. (Thus I am spared your teasing about how young I look!). She was just starting out fifteen years ago and gave us a killer discount- and the images are simple and not on par with her work now, but they're our wedding photos and I love them.

        Is wedding photography a luxury? Absolutely! And in general I tend to be one of the "good ol boys" who grumbles about hard work and no one gets a free lunch, but for me this one is different- I believe that everyone should have this luxury so this is an area in which I put my money, (and time), where my mouth is. Every year The Kinship Perspective gives away at least one or two completely free or deeply discounted wedding packages to a couple who wouldn’t have those memories preserved otherwise. Please know that I say this because I want you to know where your money goes when you book a session here,  and also because if you know someone that needs this kind of help I want you to know that you can ask for them.

      I struggled with what photos to put with this post, I didn’t want to put wedding photos for fear of it looking as if I were “outing“ a couple whose wedding I had shot for free, (and I make it a firm policy to never kiss and tell- and request that my clients do the same). So I settled on this series of the Portland, Oregon skyline. These photos are taken from an Airbnb that I stayed in when I ran the Portland Marathon two years ago – an Airbnb that was adorable and I wish I could recommend it here, except that it’s no longer available. Also, marathons turned out to be a one and done for me, I will stick to half marathons thanks, but if you’re a marathon runner I highly recommend the Portland, it’s gorgeous!

       I love this set of photos and I have long pondered what to do with them, so in a little bit of a huge risk, I am putting them in this post and you can click here and purchase these images as art prints- all of the income made from the sales will go directly towards funding more free and discounted wedding images for those who could use them. Right now I just give them away when I see a need and I will continue to do this, however even if I do not count my time as money, weddings cost a photographer money out of pocket, in childcare, in overhead, in gas, etc. The sales from these prints will afford me the ability to give even more generously. YOU can help me gift someone with memories. Memories that remind them that they are not alone, they are part of an "us."