A “LOVING” PHOTO SHOOT
On a warm October day in Leesburg, Virginia, Shariffa and Kevin arrived at their charming wedding venue, 'The Harvest House at Lost Creek Winery', for a particularly touching Engagement Session. In celebration of Love and Equality, they sought to acknowledge another Virginia couple, Mildred and Richard Loving, Plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which overturned the ban on interracial marriage on June 12, 1967, and paved the way for thousands of couples in America for years to come. Shariffa and Kevin wanted to give a nod to this steadfast couple by thoughtfully recreating a selection of poignant images taken in 1965 for a Life Magazine editorial spread by photojournalist Grey Villet. In effort to pay homage to the historically significant couple and photo shoot, the vision was to accurately represent some of these images via styling and composition, while telling a comprehensive visual story unique to Shariffa and Kevin.
One of the most notable images of The Lovings is of the couple on their porch, candidly conversing on either side of a pillar. Luckily, the Couple's venue features strikingly similar white pillars that mimic the farmhouse porch, and provided the perfect elements for bringing this vision to life! While being casual, comfortable and coordinated, Shariffa and Kevin recreated The Loving's mid-century style with a modern twist. Shariffa wore a 1950s vintage inspired short sleeved, A-line midi dress, with yellow, blue, orange and white plaid, with white canvas sneakers and cat eye glasses. Kevin wore a relaxed collared blue and orange plaid shirt, medium wash jeans and cognac brown leather dress shoes. Accompanied by their adorable dog Delilah, (who provided us all with many laughs along the way), there were plenty of playful and joyful moments between the family members. However, there were also earnest, quiet and peaceful moments that not only illustrated the genuine love Shariffa and Kevin share, but captured the reverence and appreciation they have for the original photo shoot. These moments include when they beamed affectionately at each other while standing on either side of the porch pillar, or quietly chatted while gently rocking on some of the venue's wooden rocking chairs. You could tell that they are truly in love.
Following the photo shoot at The Harvest House, we traveled to a few nearby locations to complete the visual narrative. We captured outdoor images at 'Old Lucketts Store' amongst gorgeous 20th century antiques to create a mock shopping excursion, as well as visiting 'Loudounberry' Farmer's Market, which sells locally sourced fresh baked goods and produce. Their lovely storefront of white brick provided an additional authentic vintage backdrop.
The next day, we recreated another significant image from The Loving's editorial shoot, which is a picture of a natural, candid moment of Richard resting his head on Mildred's lap on their couch. Shariffa and Kevin graciously invited us into their home in order to capture this sweet scene. Shariffa wore a black henley v-neck, black capris, heather grey knit duster, and cat eye glasses, and Kevin wore a blue plaid collared shirt with jeans. Though the couple were technically posing for this recreation, the energy of the images are exceedingly sincere and natural. It was so very meaningful to capture this phenomenal couple, while they lovingly honored another.
Thank you so very much, Shariffa and Kevin, for letting us be part of your memorable photo shoot! Happy Loving Day!
Warmest Wishes,
Bobby & Isolda
P.S. Stay tuned for Shariffa & Kevin's Autumn Wedding at The Harvest House!
