In the spring, I attended a conference for creatives and like a ton of bricks it hit me why I was a wedding photographer.

Now, about two months ago a Facebook friend had posted a photo that said “If you want to learn what someone fears losing, watch what they photograph.”

That statement was a hit straight to the gut.  A take-your-breath-away kinda gut punch for me.  And I finally have mustarded up the courage to talk about that statement.

God always seems to place these signs in front of me at the perfect time.  Always a reminder of why I do what I do.  Why I spend my weekends away from my family to spend it with two people so in love with each other the emotion is infectious.

I don’t just photograph weddings, I photograph marriage.

And I’m TERRIFIED of losing my marriage.

Not because I think my marriage will fail, but because I’ve seen marriages fail.  Several of them.  Been in the middle of one.  At Three.

I’m the product of teenage parents who married only because there was now a baby in the picture.  Not the best PSA for the blog – I’m sure…  But that failed marriage, years later, has given me my gift.  My gift of telling a story that needs to be beautifully told, not just for this generation, but the generations to come.  I needed to find a way to help preserve a marriage because Lord knows at three years old there was nothing I could do.  (At one time, I even thought I would be a marriage counselor.)  But now.  Now there IS something I can do!

I photograph weddings because they’re the start of marriages.  And I can give my couples constant reminders of their why in marriage.  My couples are SO in love that those moments on their wedding day need to be captured and remembered for the tough days.  The “worse” days that are part of the “for better or worse” that are stressed in your vows.  Those moments need to be constant reminders of your marriage why.

I’m amazed each wedding that I have the pleasure of photographing how beautiful the start of marriage is.

But marriage will not always be beautiful.  Love is always beautiful.

My prayer is that on dark days, on days when marriage isn’t beautiful for my couples, my photos of their love story will shine down a much needed light.  A reminder on those dark days that love is beautiful.

The saying is cheesy, but it’s true, I’m in love with love.  I love my Husband with every ounce in my body, and can not imagine doing this crazy life with anyone else by my side.  And because of him, and this marriage that we have together, and my fear of losing my marriage, all that wrapped up together is the perfect recipe that makes me the photographer that I am.

So while I should end this post with an apology for my late night ramblings on the blog, I’m not.  Here’s just another look into my thoughts and my explanation of why I photograph weddings.