Road Trip

We finally did it! After 20+ years of my brother asking us to come visit him in Kentucky we FINALLY went and immediately regretted having waited so long to do so. Its an amazing city with so much to offer and you can’t beat Bob’s hospitality.

What was the magic ‘bullet’ that got us to make the 9+ hour drive for a weekend? Well, I suppose it was somewhat opportunistic on my part but I’d like to think that it was because he’s my brother and I love him.

Bob had asked me if I’d come visit and take pictures of him and his partner Mike. As you may have guessed by now, Bob is gay and he has a great partner, Mike, a great guy who also happens to also be a fabulous chef. They wanted pictures of the two of them as would any other couple. I had no problem in doing this and was very grateful that they recognize my talents as a photographer and thought to ask me to take them. But YIKES!!! What do I do? How do I pose them to show the love they have for each other vs. just buddies? How can I tell THEIR story?

I know this can be a hot topic and have no intention of stirring the pot. Nor do I intend to enter the debate. But a quote I heard just recently really hit-the-nail-on-the-head of how I approached the shoot.

“Every single couple deserves to be understood for who they are” – Kathryn Hamm as seen on Shutter Network Episode 6 with Sal Cincotta.

When they asked me to do this, I immediately knew I wanted to create images that put their relationship in context of where it began – Louisville Kentucky and what that place has meant to Bob.

Thanks to Google Earth, I was able to gain a sense of Louisville and surrounding areas. That helped me to know where I wanted to go to create some meaningful images.

Anyway, back to how do I do this? What poses can and can I not do? Whats the protocol? Yes, I’m ignorant when it comes to photographing same sex couples. I’d never done it before.

But then I realized something that was best said by Thea Dodds in the same episode 6 with Sal Cincotta on Shutter Network . “Love is Love” she said. Plain and simple isn’t it? I wish I had seen this episode BEFORE my shoot with Bob & Mike. But these two women confirmed for me that my approach was the correct one.

I tried to approach the shoot like I would any other couple shoot.I think I could have done better most definitely but overall I’d like to think that I got close to telling THEIR story and created some images they’ll enjoy for a long time to come.