Also over Memorial Day weekend, I took the time to take a few portraits of my dear friends Nathan and Liana. The weather was wonderful, and the shade beneath a tree afforded lovely, even lighting for their portrait.

You may remember Liana from her portrait in the Women with Icons series, of course. She and I have been friends since middle school, and it's uncanny the rapport that we still hold together. I met her husband Nathan when they were dating in college, and was honored to be a part of their wedding, and then a part of their chrismation into the Orthodox church.

The two of them are very natural, unassuming, and affectionate together, making them excellent subjects. Liana, of course, is very comfortable in front of the camera, in contrast to Nathan.

It could be that she is so comfortable, perhaps, because we were taking pictures together since we first knew each other. I spent afternoons in high school doodling with her, drawing her portrait while she held still. She (among others) is one of those people I feel artistically drawn to. I find it endlessly fascinating to work with her as a model, and could never get tired of photographing her.