*note - I stay out of politics as much as humanly possible. I prefer to look at things from a humanistic standpoint, I know what I feel, and I go with what feels right.

2014 was the first year that I had the privilege of working with same sex couples. With the recent progression of equal marriage rights in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, I was both excited and honestly nervous about the opportunity. Excited because it was new, and nervous because......it was new. I got to know these couples just like I do with every other one , my goal being to lower the walls that restrict us from connecting and opening up with one another.

What I quickly realized after photographing several ceremonies and engagement sessions was that I was witnessing firsthand something that can only be described as historical. There was a consistent theme of "acceptance" & "overcoming" that would present itself over and over again in each individual sermon. As I photographed family members I could almost see where they had wrestled with the idea of acceptance in their sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters.

The heaviness was undeniable.

As ceremonies continued they would progress into familiar themes of "love", "passion", and what I felt the most: "celebration". It was as if this huge stone was lifted off everyone involved and the permanence of the promises made by the two people standing before us became a reality.

Have you ever held something inside for so long that when you released it you felt as if you were flying? That's how I imagined it for my couples.

The feeling in my heart as I pushed the shutter over and over again was love. Undeniable, irrefutable, overwhelming waves of love. There was no "wrong" or "right". There was just love.

Any confusion or over-thinking was cleared away. It was so simple.