Family

To Suzi

/ bperica / 2 Comments

 

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Suzi, just last Christmas, with my family.

A couple of weeks ago, the family gathered for a reunion, one that my Grandma Suzi played a role in planning, but one that she did not make it to. She passed away in June after an amazing 91 years on Earth. Naturally, part of the reunion weekend turned into a memorial for her, during which any family member was free to speak about Suzi. I chose to write something that day based on a conversation I had with Suzi the month before she died. This is what I said:

In May, after I went for a run in Fort Collins, I was sitting with Suzi in her kitchen. She asked me how far I ran. I told her. Then she said something that struck me as profound, but to her it was a simple recollection. She said, “I remember running. I loved that feeling.”

In that moment after she said that I tried to picture a time when I could no longer run. It made me sad, reflecting on the fragility of our bodies, and on the days that have already passed by, specifically the days I chose not to run. 

Upon further reflection, I started to think of other blessings in my life that have an expiration date, like being able to pick up my son and hold him with one arm. Or being at home with my kids. Or being able to outsmart my kids or being able to outrun them. At some point, if I live long enough, I will speak about many of the things I love now in the past tense. So I must do them now. We must do them now while we still can. 

That’s what Suzi taught me in her last weeks of life. Suzi did everything she could do until the very last moments she could do them. And she even did some things well past the point that she could actually do them…like driving. 

Stubborn to the very end, but Suzi just wanted to live life. She spoke about running in the past tense, but more often than not when speaking about the things she loved she spoke in the present tense. May we all be that lucky, that wise, and this loved. 

Just the Two of Us

/ bperica / 1 Comment

London and I sat in the sun on a warm February day. We took chalk and colored our_BKP8247 respective patches of concrete and bricks. There was no breeze, a few clouds, and a welcoming burst of warm Colorado air in the waning winter.

I colored stripes. London seemed more interested in collecting all the chalk and moving it from one location to another and then she would peel off to grab another rock to drop down the drain cover.

There wasn’t anything particularly extraordinary about our activity that morning, at least, that is what I thought at the time. But later that day I found out Kate was pregnant. A blessing, indeed, but I almost immediately recalled the simple morning I had with London, the hundreds of simple mornings. The two of us drawing with chalk, taking a break with her, and sitting on the brick wall at the end of the alley. Just the two of us. The  two of us.

I at once felt overjoyed at the thought of my family growing and mourned the days of London and I coming to an end. She is my life’s greatest work. My family is my greatest joy. If I don’t write about them, then why write about anything else? More to come…

I Shot A Wedding, Here Are Some Of My Favorites

/ bperica / 1 Comment

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Last week I had the pleasure of shooting my sister-in-law’s wedding. The first time she told me I was going to shoot her wedding, she was not even engaged, so I knew whenever the big day arrived I would have some sort of responsibility. Of course I took the photos for free. In fact, this being the first wedding I shot, I think that helped. I felt like there was barely any pressure and maybe that actually helped with having confidence. Today I wanted to share a few of my favorites from the beautiful backyard wedding. The above photo is of a sign my wife painted for the entrance to my in-laws’ backyard.

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Before things got underway last Saturday I took pictures of the beautiful venue. My in-laws had a beer garden in their backyard. Can you believe it? And great beer on tap.

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Found this girl cruising through the yard. Cute as ever.

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Once it was time for the wedding to begin I took up a great position where I was able to see Kendra come out of the house. Only her parents and I could see her because she had not yet walked around the corner of the house. I took so many shots of this moment.

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It is a weird thing to be given permission to photograph a private conversation, to get as many great photos as you can from a deeply personal moment. This was the first time I have ever been tasked with shooting such a moment. From the look on Kendra’s face, I know Tim was saying something touching to his daughter, something for her ears only, yet I have twenty pictures of the moment. The words I will never know, but the pictures will be seen by many. I find the difference intriguing.

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Not quite confident enough on her feet to be a flower girl, London makes her grand entrance with assistance from Kate. My beauties.

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In this series of photos, Kendra’s parents walk her down the aisle. I probably took fifteen to twenty shots during this. Tim’s expression does not change one iota from shot to shot, it is frozen in this fatherly, stoic, and proud gaze.

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Of all the photos I took, this is my favorite. The groom, Jake, has an expression of joy on his face that I have never seen before so I was so happy to see that I had caught it.

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The newlyweds. The purple wedding. The perfect backyard for a wedding with a two-week notice.

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The happy couple with their Max, also sporting purple.

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The groom serenades his bride. Good sock game.

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By candlelight and the flashlights of four to five cellphones.

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Under the big top for a little more music and drink.