We moved back to Denver in 2015, a return home that was 10 years in the making. We survived 10 Texas summers. We got past the Great Recession in 2008: Tyler was in Denver interviewing on October 15th for a job that would bring us back home, the same day the stock market dropped 500 points the first time. We battled the grief-ridden decision to leave great friends in a place that had welcomed us with open arms.
But running a business as a married couple is something we brought with us. Re-establishing our business in Colorado presented some new opportunities, a chance to do things differently than we had in Texas. A new website kicked-off the shift from a Dallas-based photography studio to a Denver-based photography studio.
One of the final pieces we still missed, however, was a picture of us on our About Us page. We knocked down that domino this past week.
And in so doing, we reflect on the five things that happen when a married photographer couple steps in front of camera. Photo credit goes to the maestro behind the camera snapping the shenanigans: Don Hales.
Married Photographers Lesson 1: The confused, doe-eyed freeze that happens to everyone: “So, what should I do?”
So we do this everyday, but that doesn’t mean we don’t get stage frozen when the lights are on.
Married Photographers Lesson 2: Embarrass each other (or one embarrasses the other)
This is where most of the frames were captured. Because I (Tyler) am ridiculous. I admit it. It is a rare picture where Tiffany and I are both looking straight ahead, smiling nicely for the camera. There is something deep within me that rebels. And Tiffany expresses her feelings well in the fourth shot here.
Married Photographers Lesson 3: All hell breaks loose.
Nevertheless, Tiffany cannot resist for too long before she joins in with her own brand of crazy.
Married Photographers Lesson 4: Develop the “I got this” look and fight to nail the shot.
By this point we knew we were on to something. We’d shaken off the rust and reservations and we were both having fun with it.
Married Photographers Lesson 5: Have fun and capture a moment that reflects our relationship.
Here’s the key. We stopped performing for the camera. We started having fun with each other. The camera just captured it. The featured image at the top was the winner. We love it because it captured us in a quick, summary glimpse. The rest is all us too. But the great thing we love about photography is that it is editorial: a single image does not show the full range of our relationship.
That instance though, shows one of the most beautiful aspects: we have fun together. Despite the pain. Despite the change. We do it together.