13th Annual Palo Alto Weekly Photo Contest
Third Place, Peninsula People

 

"Parents of the Groom"
By Laurie Aubuchon

About Laurie Aubuchon


Click on photo for larger image.

While photographing a wedding at Los Altos Hills' Hidden Villa, Laurie Aubuchon lingered nearby as Lisa Fry, the groom's mother, typed her speech to her son during the ceremony. Just then David, her husband, came over to kiss her. Since Aubuchon has a penchant for unposed pictures, she seized the moment.

What she particularly loves about the photo is Lisa's cane in the background. "I like the context of being so beautiful with a disability," Aubuchon said. She also remembers that even though she knew David and Lisa Fry for just a day, she loved them. "They were so kind and comfortable to be around and joyful about the day."

Aubuchon, who grew up in Palo Alto, first tried her hand at photography as a student at Cal Poly. "I was just horrible," she said. After graduating, she went to Foothill College, where a photography teacher named Maryanne Patterson taught her how to see. "She gave me encouragement right from the very first day," Aubuchon recalled.

Also a painter, a sculptor and writer, Aubuchon believes photography is easier than many of the other arts, since it can capture emotion so quickly and truly.

--Avital Binshtock

Stay informed.

Get the day's top headlines from Palo Alto Online sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.