Recently we had one of those evenings where, for no real reason, pulled out some images of our past vacations.  Seven years in to our marriage gives us a little distance now from our dating years and life before kids, (oh such carefree times) so looking back at these photos had a different ‘feel’.  We loved looking at all of the places we visited, and we had a LOT of photos of our surroundings.  We had landscapes, photos of our cabins, touristy places we had visited, all that good stuff.  But, as we looked at these I had a bit of a lightbulb moment.  More than anything else, what gave us the most joy and impact was seeing photos of ourselves and friends from these trips.  We were laughing at how different we looked, and seeing people really sparked the memories in a dramatic way.  We have long said that our wedding photography is centered around moments, and while that is a nice catchy thing to say in a Facebook post, we truly believe that people are what matter.

This brings me to a spot of difficulty when it comes to the dreaded world of marketing ourselves as photographers.  I remember before we moved back to Texas, trying to sell our home, the real estate agent’s advice was to remove any of our family photos throughout the house.  I’m sure there are safety reasons for this, but more than anything this is a marketing technique.  You want others to see themselves in a home, not feel like they are simply visiting a stranger in a place that is not their own.  I feel like much of modern photography is like this.  We all want to be noticed, we secretly all think that if we can just show a really stylish wedding, with lots of incredible florals, details, and high end décor, then it will put us on the map.  Now let me insert here that details are an important element to telling the story of a day.  Details are beautiful and creative at weddings, but the more we do this we know that the true value of a wedding is in a teardrop, a silly laugh, a crazy dance move, and the expression of a groom when he sees his bride.

A wedding is a story, one perhaps words cannot tell alone.  Like our family vacations the images we take grow in value over time.  I think about our couples who are experiencing the newness and joy of marriage.  I wonder who they will be in three years.  Will they travel?  Will they be in the midst of a career change?  Will they begin or continue growing as a family?  In ten years will there be trials in their life?  Perhaps down the road these images will help serve as a reminder of their commitment to each other.  When their kids grow older, will these images in a dusty album accompany a late-night story about the early years of them as a couple?  As many years in to the wedding photography world we are in, building a business, what we do can feel like a product in an industry.  When it all comes together however, and our couples get to see the story of their day we know that this is so much more than a “job” or even a “business” for us and for them.

This brings us to Kayla and Michael.  If our goal is genuine moments, then a couple like this is our absolute dream.  I’ll be the first to admit that neither of us (Kimberly or Kyle) are particularly outward, emotions on our sleeve type people.  We are the quiet, reserved type most of the time.  In that way we are very unlike our wonderful couples who give us such rich content to photograph.  Kayla and Michael are those kind of “Dance like no one is watching” types.  Their love for each other and the people around them was evident throughout our time with them.  With all of that said, allow us to disregard most marketing norms and show you these very real, amazing people.  We were so thankful that these two and their families shared their day with us!

 

Venue: The Gallery Houston

Coordinator: Alissa Hagemeier

Florist: Gypsy Blooms

Hair: Kathleen Maxwell

Makeup: Alli Kirk

Bride’s Cake: Blanchard Bakery

Catering: Exquisite Catering