London-based photographer Sujata Setia – owner of But Natural Photography – takes gorgeous natural light photos. She also travels the world for photography workshops – and when she does, she tries to track down long-married elderly couples to serve as volunteers for romantic couples shoots.
While her subjects may be older, she insists they are young at heart – and her photos certainly prove that.
The artist told Bored Panda:
“Whichever country I visit, I make sure I photograph elderly couples there together and I cannot express how fulfilling this has been for me. The stories I hear of their lives together… and the pure and honest love that I witness in the course of these shoots is just beyond amazing.”
While most photographers are skilled in taking engagement shots – and, let’s face it, it’s not hard to coax PDA out of young couples – getting older couples to kiss on camera is a bit more challenging.
When they’re first approached, Setia says they’re typically pretty shy.
“I tell them to hold hands, kiss. The couples always laugh first, the husbands mostly,” she told Huff Post. “And then the shoots are always so full of laughter because both husband and wife are endlessly giggling.”
The result of her efforts is a gorgeous photo series titled “Elderlies” that shows that the flame still flickers in couples that have been together for decades, even if they don’t always show it off.
In fact, Setia has had to tell some couples she’s coaxed into a romantic moment to take it easy. On one trip to Ireland, a couple couldn’t stop kissing as a storm rolled in:
“I had to literally shout, ‘Mary, will you stop kissing your husband. I need to take different shots!’”
20 years ago, this couple sold their home and began traveling around Europe together in their camper.
Today, they’re more in love than ever and never stopped holding each other throughout the shoot.
While the series also includes beautiful photos of grandparents with their grandchildren, it’s the couples photos that are drawing people’s attention.
As you might imagine, the couples are thrilled with the images which capture moments that always seemed to slip away in the hustle and bustle of everyday life in their younger days.
“One of the elderlies said to me, ‘When we were young, we had so much around us to distract us. Our love always seemed to be so rushed… so incomplete. But now that we have only each other, this love, this companionship is all that matters.'”
It’s hard not to smile while looking at this photo series and the looks of love, admiration, and familiarity that Setia brings out.
Now that she’s trained her students to take these kinds of photos whenever possible, there are photographers all over the world on the lookout for the perfect shot of everlasting love.
“I am seeing so many of my students photographing elderly couples across the world now,” she said. “It’s incredibly heartwarming.”
To see more beautiful shots from Setia, you can visit her website, Facebook page, or Instagram account.
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