Two weeks after I first started my job at the Gallery, I celebrated my birthday.  I remember it being a Thursday!  That afternoon I had been called down to HR to sign some papers and after waiting about ten minutes for my meeting to start, I was told that they would have to reschedule due to some unforeseen circumstances.  So I took the elevator back up to the fourth floor and as I walked through the double doors leading into our office space, there were all of my new colleagues; with balloons…a cake…and the biggest smiles I had ever seen.

There’s something immensely amazing about working with wonderful people.  They become an extended family…and whether you like it or not…they begin to share in your day-to-day life.  Sometimes in the most subtle of ways.  In my six years working at the Gallery, we had experienced three weddings, seven babies, and three deaths.  And we joined forces through it all.  We celebrated the good times, we grieved the hard times, and together, we carried on.

Leaving my colleagues was one of the hardest parts about deciding to have a career in photography.  So when something happens to one of our industry colleagues, it sometimes becomes an even bigger deal…because while we tend to lead somewhat more isolated lives, we are still joined by common threads.  Still tied to each other through our work and our efforts.

On this particular day…we watched one of our own get married.

We celebrated!

And luckily for me…I got to take the pictures to prove it!