I’m pretty sure there’s a rule in medicine where you aren’t allowed to operate on a family member. I’m not arguing that my work is quite as intense or life-changing as surgery, but I think the sentiment of being really close to the situation applies here. These photos are of my little sister and her fiance, Jeff. And I have discovered that it is actually incredibly difficult to photograph your own sister.

With every photograph, you feel like you need to communicate so many things — what she was like when she was a kid, the laugh that you only see if you really coax it out of her and the happiness that she’s found since she found the guy. It was a tougher job than I realized until I had the camera in my hands, and then suddenly I felt nervous. Luckily, Emily is pretty hilarious and has always been able to disarm me pretty well, and before you know it the three of us were laughing and smiling, and I felt like maybe that Emily that I’ve known and loved for 25 years would show through.

Jeff and Emily are getting married this summer in Maui, and our whole family is going. It’s going to be a great trip, and a great celebration of these two.

Em and Jeff, I’m so happy for you both. You’ve found your match, and the journey is just getting started.