Brandy Somers | Friendly City Lens

I’ve known Todd since middle school. Back when we were both skinny little twerps sitting silently on the school bus, staring out the window watching the cows go by. He’s been a great friend through the years and he’s just a darn good person. One evening I was in day three of self-imposed isolation…not because I’m a total freak, but because I had an insane amount of to-dos on my project list. Todd, probably feeling sorry for me, brought his work-his painting-to my house and set up camp in my kitchen. We both worked, in separate rooms, shouting the occasional obscenity and laughing. It was nice to have another living, breathing, adult in my presence for a bit. Not to mention he’s creative and extremely talented.

It was just a summery Wednesday evening. Danielle stopped by-I walked out carrying three wedding dresses. I greeted: “Wanna wear these and take photos?!” Danielle (unamused), being the type of friend who is always up for anything, replies, “Sure.” These types of questions are not too uncommon in my presence, I suppose. Besides, she’s a fellow photographer so she gets it. I acquired these dresses from a group of girl friends who once wore them on their wedding day. One evening we were all swapping stories of matrimony and the conversation led to the dress. Most of the stories associated with this garment were stories of sadness and pain and loss. I asked the gals if I could borrow their dresses for a week. I wanted to give the dresses a new meaning, to shine a softer light on their dim past…even if only for a moment. The photos below are the photos Danielle and I took that warm Wednesday evening.