I absolutely love it when a project I pitch to an editor ends up on the pages of a magazine. Such was the case with this project I recently pitched and shot for Atlanta Magazine. The idea was simple: show up at a local courthouse, photograph couples getting hitched and ask them a few questions. Myself, an assistant, and reporter Camille Pendley (also an Atlanta freelancer) did exactly that on Dec. 14 at the Dekalb County (Ga.) Courthouse. It was so much fun!!!
Above, Max Poznyak and Dominque Dixon laugh while reading the pamphlet given to couples who get married at the Dekalb County Courthouse. It includes, among other things, how to properly put a condom on :-). Below are portraits I took just outside the front door of the Courthouse, as well as the quotes Camille gathered. Pick up a copy of the February issue of Atlanta Magazine to see it in print!
Max Poznyak, 20, and Dominque Dixon, 19
Max: “We’ve been together for two years, so it kind of felt like time.”
Dominique: “We were basically a married couple. We live together, bought a car together, had a joint bank account. So we’re like, ‘why not?'”
Max: “We’ll be together forever.”
Stella Martinez, 28, and Felipe Arevalo, 35, and their son, Matias Arevalo, 2
Stella: “Our families are not in this country, so we decided to get married (at the courthouse), and then we’ll get married at church when we go to Colombia.”
Felipe: We’ve been living together and we have a kid. So it’s time to settle down and start thinking about our future.”
Joseph Sanni, 26, and Queené Bryant, 22
Joseph: “From the first week we were dating, we knew.”
Queené: “We’re very down-to-earth and very spiritual, so we wanted it to mean something more to us first, and then to celebrate with everyone else in a more elaborate way.”
Joseph: “I don’t see any time for really waiting, especially if you know you’re going to be together.”
Queené: “It was a proud moment. I’m very happy and fulfilled.”
Joseph: “I’ll remember her tears when I put the ring on her finger.”
Nick Groebner, 25, and Abbey Smith, 29
Abbey: “He’s the one I want to spend my life with.”
Nick: “It feels good (to be married). Kind of like a monkey off the shoulder, so to speak.”
Abbey: “I will remember that he was looking at me very intently. He was very much in the moment, and I appreciated that.”
Teniqua Clark, 26, and Olagide Ajani, 32
Teniqua: “We met at Pappadeaux’s. He commented on my gown, so it just went from there.”
Olagide: “Saying ‘I do’ is a big responsibility. As a man, you have to take care of the family.”
Teniqua: “What will I remember about this day? The time I waited!”
Dawit McDonald, 32, and Bonnie Johnson, 27
Dawit: “Why today? The time and the chemistry lined up perfectly. We kind of had one of those momentsÑthis was our next destination.”
Bonnie: “I started crying.”
Dawit: “I thought, ‘It’s real! It’s real!’ I feel breathless. Quote me!”
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