More Bonnie here. More Lauren here.

I have fancy notions of being able to truthfully start my story as a young girl, given a polaroid for her birthday or finding an old 35mm in her grandparent's dusty attic. But my story does not start that way, and that's okay.

I found photography in New York, in the dark. My forever love affair started as a fascination with photojournalism — The Lens Blog kept me up at night. I took a lot of photos, many that I've never shared. I was experimenting. I wanted to tell stories, but I was on a longer journey.

Before New York and photography, I went to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. I love the South; my whole family is from below the Mason-Dixon line. Nonetheless, I told everyone I met that after graduation, I would move to New York. It was a power statement. I also thought that if I told enough people, I would actually do it.

It worked. A year after graduation, I moved to Brooklyn with a degree in journalism and wide eyes. I landed a string of jobs as a writer (and a baker, a waitress, an event planner, and a marketing coordinator). The stories I told at work didn't feel meaningful. I was writing proposals and marketing material for various architecture and design firms in the City. I wanted to tell real stories of people and their experiences. So I made pictures, and I quickly found that photography was what I wanted to do with my life.

It took a while for me to pursue photography full time. I was scared. I came to realize that I fear success far more than I fear failure. But when I finally mustered the courage to leave my cushy job to pursue my passion, I never looked back. And now, with many beautiful weddings and portraits and moments with friends under my belt, I am here. Sometimes I can't believe it. But I know that I am where I am because I stood on the shoulders of giants, and made great friends along the way.

I'll name three giants in particular.

Before my big move to New York, I worked at a small market research company in North Carolina. There, I met an artist working as a graphic designer who changed my persepective on. . . me. He told me that my vision — the way I interpreted the things I saw — was worth sharing. He said it was beautiful. He said I could be anything I wanted to be, and that my creative spark was capable of setting fires. He is a Kindred spirit.

Shortly after meeting him, I moved to Brooklyn. I found Daniel Krieger, the ever-talented food and wedding photographer, and he took me under his wing. He taught me the foundations of photography, and eventually I was shooting elegant, high-end weddings for him as an associate. He trusted me to represent his brand without him there. And I did it. I did it well. I fell for wedding photography, and Daniel had a hand in that. He is a Kindred spirit.

Daniel introduced me to Lauren Slusher, my sparkling soul sister. We shot a wedding together, and it was different. We worked as a team. We made pictures that shone. We effortlessly covered angles and moments that meant the very most to our couples and to us. Our photos complimented the other — light and dark, near and far, momentous and playful. We took a polaroid from the first wedding we shot together. It was a watershed moment. It took us a while to realize, but it was.

She. She is a Kindred spirit.

So now, the long and incredible path I am on is shared with a dear friend. I feel so blessed, and I have butterflies over what is to come. I hope to share it with you.