Yes....I know it's a rather simplistic title. Pretty obvious too. And technically, I could have probably given most the captures on this list that name. They all reflect it one way or another. Plus, they would all qualify for the simple fact that I love them. I love all my final edits. But there was something in particular that set this one apart enough to give it that name.
The name just recently came to me when I posted one of the Honorable Mention pics. It was a photo of my cousin Reggie, his wife and daughter from the Arkansas family reunion. Soon as it got posted, it took on a life of its own. As of the writing of this post, it's at 235 likes on The Book. But it was one of the very first comments that caught my attention. Someone remarked "This one should have won...all I see is love!"
That stuck with me for a couple of different reasons. First of all, it was clear that the person hadn't been following the Top Captures since she mentioned it should have won. I had made it clear in the beginning that there are no winners and/or losers. Even among the Honorable Mentions. And there has been no rhyme or reason behind the order in which these have been getting posted. It just so happened in that instance that I decided to follow up the Uncle Johnny photo with another one from the same reunion weekend.
The other reason it hit a chord was because soon as she said that it instantly reminded me of all the couple photos I had done over the course of the year. I've been getting extremely lucky in that all the couples I've shot have been very close. There were no strained relationships at all. And trust me...I've had those before. When the attraction the two people have for each other is strong and genuine it comes through better in the photo than any editing could ever do.
That's exactly how it was with the Williams.
Heather is another Norwalk High School alum who scheduled a shoot with me. Coincidentally, she scheduled the same weekend that I was in town shooting another NHS alum. Have you been following the Top Captures long enough to remember it from earlier on the countdown? Well initially I was supposed to be doing a family session for Heather. That would have been cool too because I still would have gotten some looks of just the two of them. Instead, the two of them showed up sans kids. A romantic couple shoot? That could work too.
Now up to this point, I had only done one such shoot. It was done with a couple of friends of mine who were models. They just happened to be a couple too. They were used to making chemistry at the drop of a dime. They weren't afraid to be uninhibited in front of the camera. That's something that doesn't always come natural to us everyday people. So I thought Heather and Gary would have a problem doing that. Boy, I could not have been any more wrong.
The two of them were VERY much into each other once we started. I didn't have to say anything at all. It was like I was witnessing this couple enjoying some quality alone time that they weren't able to get often due to always having kids around. But more than that, it was as if they were newlyweds. They were gushing over each other even more than all these ladies on The Book that fawn over their boyfriend (and yes...it's always the ladies doing it. I never see the guys with similar statuses) about how much they are in love with their man that they've been with a whopping few months. It was very cool to see a married couple do that.
When it came to editing their pics, I was finding there were too many great ones to select. Just about every one was an expression of how much they truly love each other. And for some reason, it was at that very moment that the Beatles song came to my head. I started thinking of a way to incorporate it into one of the photos. Some way you could physically see how love really is all you need. Sometimes simplicity says it best.
cool...would love to see the LOVEcollage~
Posted by: Auntie | 19 December 2013 at 07:43 AM