Mid-summer, I got a request from a wedding client to photograph the place where he had asked his fiancée to marry him. It’s a little orchard outside of Charlottesville called Carter Mountain Orchard, and apparently this is a place where they like to go every year to wander through the hillside picking apples while just getting to spend time together. It’s the perfect setting for a sunny fall afternoon and of course it is a special place to them.

As I walked through the orchard it wasn’t hard understanding why they love this little corner of their Earth. I thought about those places that become a part of us and how simple and charming some of them can be. It really doesn’t have to be some exotic location or paradise as long as we are with the people that mean the most to us. I’ve got lots of them.

Yesterday, I spent the early afternoon with the bride in her home as she prepared for their evening wedding. There over the fireplace mantle was the large canvas print he had given her as a wedding gift. She was eager to show it to me and I could tell she loves it. Of course I was much pleased and very relieved that she did! I asked her if she minded me sharing this image.

Hopefully, this portrait will serve as a daily inspiration and reminder  of a special place at a special time in their lives. I expect it will be a place that they can visit for many years to come and still get a very special feeling. Perhaps a visit there will become a family tradition, or maybe they will just keep this little place to themselves.

It’s just so nice to have those places that become a part of us.