In the summer of 2020, I began what I consider my first meaningful and long-term relationship. While quickly attaching the labels of boyfriend and girlfriend we worked through strains of the distance between our cities, COVID-19, and cultural differences.
As I struggled at times to understand my feelings and how a relationship works, my cameras became a cathartic release, both feeling and creating pictures with freedom, letting everything come and go as it chose.
This was a process of letting imperfections exist, and coming to peace with them.
These images were taken during the first five months of our time together from summer into fall building up from early dates, practicing Korean to meet her parents, to me telling her for the first time that I love her.
