Celebrating 50 Years in Love

When my grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, the whole Gelineau family went on vacation together to celebrate the milestone. That was the same summer that I first took a photography class. When Linda contacted me about taking portraits of her and Ralph in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary, I immediately thought of my grandparents, that trip we all took back in 2005, and how far I’ve come since those early days of learning how to work a camera.

We considered many location options for this session, starting with the University of South Alabama. Linda and Ralph first met there when they were in college. We also considered going to their church to take photos since their church community is so special to them. A week before their session, Linda asked if we could go to the Japanese Gardens for pictures. It had been quite a while since I’d last shot at this location, but Linda and Ralph had visited just a few days prior and loved the scenery. We settled on the garden for our shoot and it turned out to be the most amazing choice for their session!

Linda told me that these portraits were her anniversary present. They hadn’t had formal portraits taken of just the two of them since their wedding – except for portraits that were taken on cruises. I loved that Linda and Ralph were so easy-going in front of the camera. I would have never known they didn’t have portraits taken regularly if they hadn’t told me!

Linda and Ralph will celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary later this summer! I’m so delighted that I was able to take these portraits for them in celebration of this wonderful milestone!