Photographed by our associates Lauren + Lisa
The Heartlanders Collective
Jessica + Ian | Akron Art Museum
Photographed by our associates Lauren + Lisa
The Heartlanders Collective
Photographed by our associates Lauren + Lisa
The Heartlanders Collective
Meeting Kendel + Paul was so refreshing. These two are so young and full of life and appreciation for each other. Just starting a life together, renovating their new home, moving in together, planning a wedding; these could be a source of stress for most couples but these two took every chance to truly celebrate in every way they could. Kendel donning her Grandmother's rose gold, silk wedding gown planned an effortlessly elegant and vintage inspired day that was just so cute, so romantic and so them! Thankful we got to be a part of it!
Long hugs every morning. Spending time taking in the sunshine. Good food. And family. That's what's important to Corinne & Justin. To these two life is, as Corinne put it, either a daring adventure or nothing at all. The why is important to them. They never want to forget the experiences and people that brought them to where they are, they never want to forget all the love that surrounds them as they embark on a new journey together.
We like the way these two think. We met at their apartment, up above the trees and streets of Highland Square in Akron, Ohio. They live in the corner apartment on the top floor with a wrap around balcony. Woah. That's rad. As if that view wasn't enough, they took us on a perfectly lit by the golden setting sun stroll through their hood. The very theater that marked their first date as an official couple, where they walk to get ice cream and listen to the drum line that gathers on the weekends. Perfectly them. Documented by us.
Kirsten + Byron
Highland Sqaure, Ohio
I knew when we met Kaitlin & John that their wedding would be one that fits right in with our vibe of living and documenting the most authentic stories. They're a laid back, loving couple that planned a day as equally laid back and loving. The timeline was slow and casual and left time for them to spend the day with all their favorite people. Their joy shines in every single photograph and it was real. They made memories and we were honored to be the ones to witness and savor it for them!
Where I'm from the back roads spread like veins between acres and acres of family-owned farmland much like the place we wandered around on last week with Angela & Donny. We're from the same small town and we share a love of the not-so-small heartland that surrounds it. This old falWe're so excited for their wedding in September!
"And I, will hold you tight, like the moon in the arms of the sky
And I, will keep you warm, I will build a fire in this house"
Sarah + Chuck
Backroads & Rooftops, Somewhere, Ohio
I was driving the other day thinking about artists and their work. Artists are blessed or burdened, depending on how they look at it, with passionately feeling everything. Not only passionately feeling but passionately seeing everything about life. I'm starting to realize that I own some of those characteristics. I'm deeply affected by the simplest things. I can be overly passionate about a feeling and I'm easily transfixed by things most people pay no attention to. The other night in a caffeine induced insomnia, I started connecting the dots. In college I had a period where I painted emotive paintings with deep meaning to me. I lived and breathed inspiration that mused me to create more deeply and I made some of my favorite work during that time.
I don't necessarily see myself as an artist. I think I'll continue to strive for that. But I am starting to realize that my need to create is inherent. I'm starting to realize that my work is synced with my mood. With photography, I'm able to continually feel and see, so passionately, the romance and elusiveness of human connection and love and I try to make art out of it. I've come to see that I'm more an introvert, exhausted by crowds and happier in my own head. And I've come to realize that telling stories is my form of art. Our adventures, our photographs, our view and how we document love is our art.
If you asked me three years ago about my work, I would have said it was for our clients and for the purpose of savoring a moment. And all that is true. But now, it's for me too. It's for what I'm passionate about. When I can create a moody moment that induces a passionate feeling about anything and romance about that feeling...in the moment and in the photograph, then I am the artist.