Lessons in Love

I took this picture over 25 years ago. I’d been shooting weddings for a short time, after graduating from California College of the Arts, with a BFA in photography. I’d originally wanted fashion school, but my father refused to pay tuition for my choice. As if photography were a more practical career.
I asked him to kiss her. Her hand pressed into the back of his neck and his hand covered hers. Her sweet handbag likely carried kleenex and a lipstick.
Marriage is a beautiful mystery to me. The couples I’ve photographed have taught me about love, through the slightest glance and gesture.
I gave my husband a print of this image, not long after we met. We live next door to one another now, while we learn to appreciate everything we took for granted.