stillmotion

it’s thursday. but it’s not just thursday to me. it’s the day after one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

i’ve spent the last two days with a group of the most open, honest, and genuinely wonderful people i ever expected to share so much with.

over the last couple of days, justin and i hosted our first stillmotion workshop for professional photographers, an opportunity that forced us to truly introspect into our art, but more importantly, into ourselves. we wanted to share that experience with the photographers that were attending our workshop and from the connections we all seemed to make with each other, it seemed evident that everyone was moved in some way – including us.

hence the name, the workshop was much more about the why of photography than the how. but, in asking yourself “why”, you trigger so many more questions about yourself than you ever knew you had. this was the most incredible part of the workshop for me.

one of the main topics that was discussed was the process and personal commitment to creating meaningful images. on day two, we went out for a small shoot where we shot two of the attendees, mel and dave, who actually got married earlier this year. we had about 15 minutes of free shooting before we started into a bit of content. in these 15 minutes, i asked for the story of how the two of them met, and managed to create three images that represented that story in my eyes. what was amazing to me was how mel reacted when seeing the images for the first time. before she realized the meaning of the images, she probably noticed the photographic and esthetic qualities of the images, which is what most people see when they look at our blog or website. it’s only when she realized the deeper meaning in what she was looking at that the real emotions came. in the honesty of the moment, her tears inspired the photographers around her (including myself) to continue down the path that we are newly and constantly exploring.

i asked mel and dave if they would be willing to share their story with you all. they sent me two separate perspectives of their growing friendship and romance.

melanie:
When I met David, I was in the darkest period of my life.  I was 28 and getting divorced. I was humiliated and felt so alone – I didn’t know anyone else who was separated.  My friend, though a great listener had no idea how to relate to my situation.  So, one morning while we were chatting, he handed the phone over to Dave in the hopes he could provide me with some insight since he’d just survived his own divorce.  David was so sweet and supportive and told me I could call him anytime if I needed to chat.  But everyone says that.  He knew I’d never take him up on his offer so later that evening, he called me just to check in.  From then on we were fast friends and confidants.  We helped each other persevere and grew as people.  Later, when I felt ready to resume real life, I remember a friend rolling her eyes when I said “I need to find someone like Dave”.  I couldn’t see what was right in front of me.  Finally it hit me – like a truck.  David sees the real me.  He is the light that took over once the darkness faded.

david:
I moved back to Sudbury after my divorce. My best friend, Shawn, wanted to support his close friend Mélanie through her divorce but was having difficulties relating to her situation. One morning when he was listening to Mel on the phone, Shawn asked me if I could talk to her since I had just gone through it myself and might have some advice. I agreed and he passed me the phone. I didn’t have any advice, but I understood her and that made a difference. When we were done talking I told her that she could call me anytime. I knew most people who say that don’t mean it and she would assume I was full of crap, so I called her that evening just to touch base and check on her.

At this point, Mélanie believed me and took advantage of my offer after that. Our friendship grew out of our honesty, a genuine desire to help each other through an experience no one else we knew could even understand, and a shared sense of adventure.

When I was ready to date again, I found myself wanting to find someone like Mel. Apparently, she felt the same way. We found our counterpart in each other. I couldn’t have trusted or loved anyone else as easily as Mélanie.

I have studied Journalism and English Literature, but I have never found a combination of words capable of describing the depth of my love for her. We are partners in everything, even learning how to live.