A random day in 1997. I spent it much like I spent most days – in a darkroom with low ceilings and the unmistakable smell of fixer (burned in my memory, for sure), clumsily loading film into canisters in the pitch black, standing in line with 30 other students to develop my work. My photography teacher, ruthless with everything I had ever done with my camera, looked over my shoulder at the images I was comparing side by side in the red light. He gave me a sideways look and before he walked away, he simply said: “You’ve got a spark there.” I knew that moment – standing there with wrinkled film and underexposed images – that I wanted to do this, no matter what.

So here I am, another year, and a bigger backlog of personal projects than I’ve ever had to edit because so much of my year has been devoted to shooting weddings – I can’t believe this is my life, and I’m so thankful that it is. Thank you, thank you, thank you for allowing me into your lives, to create the physical memories of your wedding day. I’ve loved every minute of it.

And here, officially, are some of my favorite images and moments from weddings in 2011.