Rodney Lamkey - I am a photojournalist with over 20 years of experience. In October of 2000 I moved from San Francisco to the nation's capital, covering major stories both around our country and
abroad. I had a front row seat to history, spending time within the marbled halls of Capitol Hill, in
Lebanon during the height of war, or the Gulf Coast in the face of approaching hurricanes.
I have won acclaim for my work including The Pulitzer Prizes (2003 Staff Finalist for Breaking
News) the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi (2009 Team Award for Public Service)
The White House News Photographers Association, National Press Photographers Association Best of
Photojournalism, Pictures of the Year International, and the California Press Photographers
Association.
But not all assignments are heavy and serious, like the sweet little stories around our country in
places such as Des Moines, Iowa, or Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where Natalie and Jason got married
at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church, amongst the rubble of Hurricane Katrina just over a month
after the storm had obliterated their town. I made friends with people in remote towns like Des
Allemands, Louisiana, sharing stories and cajun recipes, as well as in a refugee camp in Beirut during
war time, sharing dinner under a tree with a displaced family.
Weddings have many elements in common with the environments I have found myself in over the
last two decades. People, making a connection with others and bringing families together.
Grandfathers and children share stories at the dinner table. Mothers dance with their sons, and
fathers watch as their daughters make that milestone in their lives. Weddings have a positive effect
on the community. They celebrate life, further humanity, and are a confirmation of unconditional
love and trust that transcends the actual moment at hand. Weddings bring about the best in
everyone, and everyone is all the more better when the day is done
