The New Art of Capturing Love: The Essential Guide to Lesbian and Gay Wedding Photography

Foreword Imagine my surprise when I received a message on Twitter not long ago from my childhood pal Kathryn Hamm, asking me if I would be willing to write a foreword for the book she was writing with photographer Thea Dodds. My response was a flattered “yes,” only because I knew that anything Kathryn was a part of had to be amazing. Even so, as I considered the book’s title and flipped past the cover page, I began to experience some writer’s remorse. Quite honestly, I was thinking to myself: Yes, I’ve been married (twice), but I’m a musician. What the hell do I know about photography? And more importantly, what do I know about same-sex weddings? Absolutely nothing. So, I went into this feeling very insecure, like maybe I was the wrong woman for this job. Seriously, did Kathryn not remember that back in school, I was the queen of CliffsNotes and skipping class? But as I turned the pages, it all started to become clear. I had an emotional revelation. This book is about capturing and celebrating LOVE. And I DO know a little about love, as it is one of my favorite emotions! I write songs and sing about it all the time. It is all encompassing, knows no limits, and is the most universal and equalizing virtue of our humanity. Like love, I can’t imagine our world without artistic expressions like music or photography. They offer powerful truths about ourselves and our pasts; where we were, what was important to us, and how we felt. And in the case of this book, how far we have come!  The New Art of Capturing Love moves me. It sings to me. The images are beautiful, and filled with an urgency for expression. Ever so important because, as on any wedding day, the moment is now, and then it is gone in a flash. When the wedding is over and the guests go home, the photos and the memories are all that remain of the day. But this book not only offers an amazing collection of images of love between two people, their families, and friends, it also offers a practical and insightful step-by-step instruction for photographers on how to capture these unique wedding moments. It breaks down a million and one reasons why approaching a nontraditional wedding may require a different set of skills and considerations, and in this book lie many ideas and solutions.  The photographs in this book are not snapshots. They are poetic statements, curated by Kathryn and Thea, and crafted by photographers who know precisely how to combine the essential elements to bring forth an image that stirs a deep emotion in us. Just like a songwriter, this is a photographer’s gift, and when accomplished so finely, the viewer’s experience is like hearing a great song that instantly becomes an important emotional thread, woven through your life forever. Having spent some time with The New Art of Capturing Love, I realize now that I do know something about photography and same-sex weddings. And that is this: there is no better time than the present to celebrate and demonstrate love in its many beautiful expressions, and this book offers an engaging path toward that end. I hope you’ll be as inspired by it as I am. —Martie Maguire