Portraits | Joan & Paul’s 60th Anniversary

A couple of weeks ago I was very honoured to be hired to photograph a special party. It was a celebration not of just two people but of an entire family (soon-to-be four generations!). Joan + Paul were celebrating their sixtieth anniversary. Married since they were just twenty years old, this couple has seen it all. Embraced by their children, grandchildren and friends, they had a party at The Glenerin Inn. The celebration was not just for them but was for all of the milestone anniversaries in the family. It also just seemed to be a great excuse to get the family – who now lives coast-to-coast – together in one room.

We all know how important family is. Who would we be without our parents, grandparents and siblings? In this wild world that is 2011, I find this importance is often forgotten or neglected. When I watched Joan + Paul as I photographed them that afternoon, I was amazed. They have been walking hand-in-hand for sixty years. I am half the age that they have been doing that. Together they have been through a lot but no matter what, they have always done it side-by-side. I asked Joan what her secret was. She laughed and told me the key to everything is to love life no matter what is thrown at you.