WITH THIS RING
With This Ring is an album of candid pictures from the daily weddings that take place at San Francisco’s City Hall. Inside this grand, Beaux Arts building designed in 1937 by Arthur Brown, Jr. are couples of all genders, ethnicities and socioeconomic levels. On any given day, over a hundred people fill this space with family and friends, curious tourists, city employees and politicians. People are changing outfits, styling hair, adjusting makeup and smiling for pictures. All of this - the hustle and bustle, positivity and inclusivity, love and joy - is simply contagious.
I was so moved by the day-to-day swirl of activity at City Hall that I became a California State Marriage Commissioner. Now, I have the honor of marrying these couples. I also have an opportunity to photograph them, which provides a different, more intimate, portrait than the candid pictures. Both styles of photos reveal a more complete story of the unions and celebrations that are a part of the wedding experience at City Hall.
I am grateful to everyone at City Hall whose kindness and generous spirit have allowed me to document and participate in these meaningful experiences. With This Ring is a labor of love and a gift to the city and people of San Francisco.
