Title: Boston in July
Edition Size: 40
Artist: Jason O'Rourke
License: Extended Editorial

I often describe my images as singular moments in time, that split-second when the shutter closes preserving a memory for future generations. Not all moments are created equal, though, and some images are special for reasons beyond the pixels captured in the frame.

Boston in July, along the Charles River for the Independence Day celebrations, meeting friends from across my life. Chad and Michelle from high school with the two kids I’d been watching grow up, Manny from Taos with his young family recently moved to the city, Julie from the Boston Herald and Red Sox games, but most importantly, her. Annie, in my city, meeting my friends.

We got engaged in July, in her city. A ring purchased in the diamond district together, and trying to find a quiet corner to ask formally, but without any people around. Walking in Times Square, Washington Square Park, lower Manhattan… with no people around? In the end, I slipped the ring box into my hat, and held it under the counter in Eataly, a plate of fresh mozzarella on the bar in front of us. A moment we shared together in a crowded place with no one else aware of the significance it held for us both.

We got married in July, in our island home, on a beach in Kauai where she didn’t want to be the center of attention, even standing out in the bright Hawaii sun. The toast to thank our guests for coming, when my wife had disappeared from the room. Out on the dance floor together with family and friends celebrating the beginning of so many moments together.

It may not have started with Boston in July, but maybe that was the moment I knew. With the fireworks exploding above the river, a flash in the corner of my eye got me to turn my head to see the show was reflected in the dark glass of the nearby skyscrapers. I leaned in to whisper in her ear, and shared the moment with her.

For me, this image always brings back that moment, wrapping my arms around her, our heads turning together to watch the fireworks, packed into the crowd with our friends, but sharing a different perspective that made that singular moment our own.

Jason O'Rourke is an award-winning wildlife and landscape photographer living in Hawaii, recognized by National Geographic YourShot, Outdoor Photographer, Hawaii Magazine, Digital Photo, American Photo, the Los Angeles Times, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, PhotoCon Hawaii, and Turtle Bay Resort.

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