Stephanie Lewis is a friend of mine who has a little jewelry workshop in her basement where she works with fine metals and gemstones. She recently invited me to photograph a little bit of her metalworking play.

She has amassed quite a collection of tools!

Metalworking requires a great deal of patience, it seems, and meticulousness; she saves even the tiniest bit of shavings to eventually be melted down into new sheets and re-used.

By far one of the most interesting things about her workshop is that she often works in near-darkness. This photo was taken with the barest sliver of daylight coming in through heavy curtains. The darkness helps her to see the temperature of the metal and remain sensitive to her materials.

You can see and purchase her lovely work at her Etsy store!

On September 8th, I was invited to attend a ceremony for Jim Berros and Rachel Thorpe in Rocky Gap State Park, MD. It was hot hot hot, and very humid, but friends and family were happy to attend.

Rachel wore her grandmother's wedding gown, and her engagement ring was a vintage pearl piece that oozed time-worn affection.

And even though the park was hot, Jim wore a full tuxedo. I took the two of them down by the lakeside for the views and the shade, and caught some lovely moments between them.

The low-key reception was accented by beautiful gourmet food, provided by Laura's Sweet Gourmet, a catering service specializing in vegetarian and vegan foods. The cake was a magnificent rich chocolate.

Of course, good things must always come to an end...

...but for Jim and Rachel, the adventure had just begun. After the reception, the two of them embarked on a kayaking trip straightaway, on their way up to their new home in Alaska.