We have all grown up with the Happily Ever After syndrome. We watch the Cinderella movies and dream of our Prince Charming. I use to wonder, “what happened after they rode into the sunset”. Of course this was also before they started turning out Cinderella 2, 3 and 4 versions. But what did happen to Cinderella after a few years of marriage? How did she handle it when her Prince dropped his dirty socks on the floor or forgot to take out the trash?
Married life is a rollercoaster of emotions, challenges(Dean this word is for you), joys, sorrows, frustrations and resolves. It is not a neat little package tied up with string. It is complex, ever changing and growing over the years. It is with this knowledge that I set out to edit this session.
I shot this session last May and have been sitting on it for 10 months. Every time I sat at the computer to edit these photos, it just didn’t feel right to me (notice the first images on this blog post). There was no doubt that this was a beautiful session of a gorgeous couple. I started to edit in my normal airy, clean style, but something was missing. 
It finally hit me. This wasn’t a couple just starting on their journey in life. This wasn’t the end of the movie where they rode into the sunset. This was a couple that had lived life. The couple that had 12 years together. A couple that had parted for two years but come back together to continue their married life and the rest of the fairytale.
The rest of the edited photos in this session show the real couple. They show the passion, the sorrow, the beauty and the grit.
Jacq and Dean, I love you guys both so much. Thank you for allowing me to photograph your marriage “Part II”. May you have many more years together.