Growing up, I never realized how lucky I was.

To see my parents love each other unconditionally every day.

To watch them resolve conflict, instead of hiding it from my siblings and me.

To hear them joke and laugh with each other, tease each other, compliment each other, and love each other.

I’ve photographed so many weddings and couples in my career, and have always wondered…

how do you know when someone is ‘the one?’

how do you make love last?

So what better way to find the answers, then to ask those that have done it?

How did you know they were ‘the one?’

Mom: When we dated and as time went on he cared what I thought, what I wanted, he showed respect for my opinions & concerns.

He showed he loved me too and we wanted to build a life together. A life we both wanted, not just one’s dream.

Dad: Mom was willing to go on adventures which were scary at the time (like knowing I was interested in law school and being willing to move across the country to do that). That willingness to go on adventures continued as life has gone on but early on Mom expressed her willingness to try new and different things.

What advice do you have for marriage that you’ve learned in your 50+ years together?

Mom: Talking honestly to each other is very important. Listening to each other is just as important. Being willing to work things out when you don’t agree, not “my way or else.” To do this, you genuinely have to care about and love the other person.

Dad: Communication and compromise. Make sure to have enough time for each other!

Some stories deserve to be told slowly - with warmth, reverence, and the kind of wisdom that only comes with time.

In this ongoing project, I photograph couples who have been married for 40 years or more. These sessions are free, because the real exchange isn’t money - it’s wisdom. In return for documenting their love, I ask for a piece of advice: What have you learned about love that lasts?

Each portrait is both a celebration of devotion and a reminder that love is not just a spark, but a steady flame nurtured over decades. These images, paired with the words of the couples themselves, weave together a living archive of what it means to build and sustain a life together.

This is my way of honoring the beauty of commitment, and offering future generations a glimpse into the truths of enduring love.

Love that lasts a lifetime is rare, and it deserves to be remembered. This project is about honoring the couples who have built lives, families, and legacies together for forty years or more.

By nominating your parents, grandparents, or another couple who has inspired you, you’re giving them a gift: photos that commemorate their love story, and a chance to share the wisdom they’ve gathered along the way.

It’s more than a photoshoot - it’s a way to preserve their story for future generations. Their laughter, their bond, their advice… all captured and passed forward as part of an archive of enduring love.