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I’ve always been a sensitive, sentimental person, having felt deeply sad as a child when I found my favorite foam football chewed to pieces by my dog. Staring at the bright orange chunks on the ground, I remembered all of the good times I had with that ball, and ruminated over the games of catch we would never have after its destruction.

Funny enough, and I think I’ve said this somewhere on this site a couple times, but I still am that same sentimental kid at heart — a prime example being that there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t wistfully thought about what I wrote in this post, over a year ago, about me quitting weddings.

I reflect on it often. I remember the intensity of each wedding, the challenge and the beauty. I remember the feeling of being a part of such an important, happy day. I remember having a really hard time wiping away the tears, unleashed by my sensitive eyes, that welled up in my camera’s viewfinder. But more than anything, these days I keep wondering if I should start photographing them again. I stopped because I wanted to devote my time and attention to personal projects, and to focus on family work, which has worked out pretty well.

But I guess I just miss making the photos. These photos.

I also think it’s because back in January I asked my Syreeta, the most amazing girl I’ve ever met, if she would marry me, and she said yes in a flurry of tears. Since then I feel so much more in-tune and connected with not just weddings and love in general, but also with my past wedding work… including this incredibly serene honeymoon session with Dottie and Tim, at the Four Seasons Hualalai.

It’s a wonderful thing rediscovering the past and finding new ways to appreciate it. I’m proud of the wedding work I did before — even more so now, because I have a deeper emotional connection with it through my own relationship.

The truth is that I am really excited to get married, and likewise, I am really excited to see others get married too, and capture it in a way that is hopefully beautiful, honest and vibrant! So, from this post forward, I am open for weddings once again. I will be pretty selective about which ones I take on, but If you’re interested, get in touch and we’ll see what we can do. No power in the ‘verse can stop us!

– Jim

PS. I eventually got a new football. It was green. Like this flash. 🙂