Jess + Brigid | Philly Lesbian Engagement

13 May, 2014 Jess + Brigid | Philly Lesbian Engagement

I am sure most people reading this blog are aware of how special my career is to me. Probably because I make it known a ridiculous amount that I LOVE what I do for work. You might even be tired of hearing about it. Rest assured I am about to YET AGAIN explain why it is that I do what I do.

So there was a time when I had an amazing corporate job, but I wanted something MORE. I always said my ideal job would be one where I made my own schedule, traveled around the world meeting strangers and hearing their stories. I was determined to make it happen. Hmm…how the heck do I make money doing that though?! Seriously, I basically wanted to be a traveling story teller and professional hugger of strangers. Well, once I figured out I could operate a camera I decided what better way to do it than to be a photographer. So I quit my job in February of 2010 and said now is as good a time as any…time to go out & make myself into a photographer. No joke. Talk about scary. Talk about hearing “um Steph, do you have a plan? You didn’t even go to school for this. Do you even have clients? Didn’t your camera just get stolen? Wait, you’re moving away from everything you’ve known your whole life?! Being a gypsy story teller isn’t a real, adult job. You can’t do that.” To that I said: WATCH ME. I was fueled by excitement and overwhelmed by the possibilities of success and failure. I thought of the people I’d meet along the way and the places I’d see and it kept me going…heck it STILL keeps me going when I run into obstacles. Sure, sometimes (ahem…A LOT of times) I lived off of Top Ramen & Eggo waffles. Sometimes I got scared & thought of applying at Starbucks because I wasn’t going to be able to pay bills. 

 The important part to me is before the actual photographs are taken. I feel like those moments that I share with my couples leading up to the images being snapped are the ones closest to my heart. Each of those mental snapshots I take in my brain are confirmation that I am right where I’m supposed to be. With that couple that I JUST met. Running through the streets of Philly in the pouring rain, quoting Fantastic Mr. Fox and laughing hysterically on the way to an arcade. I am so freaking lucky to have met Jess & Brigid. They will be lifelong friends and I knew this from the moment we connected. Here are a few from their engagement adventure in Philly. Really looking forward to their wedding the end of this year! PS: A special thank you to Brigid’s mom for having my back & stopping traffic while I was shooting in the street multiple times.

“It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.” -Hugh Laurie