About this project
Love Ever After will share the love stories of couples who have been married for at least 50 years. Inspired by a letter my grandfather wrote to my grandmother during World War II (and rediscovered after he passed away in 2007), I began photographing and interviewing couples in the New York area as a way to preserve their stories and to illuminate our universal experience of love.
"April 14th will be our 68th wedding anniversary. That's right, you heard it! Friends ask me how I managed to get someone like Jean. So I have one expression. I prayed well."
Abe Small, March 2, 2011.
I've spent the past three years learning about love from the people who know it best - couples whose relationships have met the test of time. Although images from this project have been published in magazines around the world, up until now this has been a self-funded labor of love. With your contribution and your help, I will be able to:
(1) photograph an additional 15-20 couples
(2) hire a designer to format an inspiring art book which will include these portraits, together with the story of each couple
(3) process and color-correct high resolution scans of the portraits, and
(4) produce a limited edition photo book
This has been much more than a photography assignment for me, and Love Ever After will be much more than a photography book. Please help me to give a voice to these couples and preserve their love stories for generations to come.
"We met when we lived in China. I was on vacation in another town and we only saw each other for three days. We lived very far apart and so, when I returned home, we sent letters. At that time we didn't even have a telephone! We wrote letters each week but it took about 20 days for our letters to reach each other. We did this for five years."
Jin Lin Chen, March 15, 2011.
"You have to remember the times were different. We met in the 1939 and we didn't have money. So our group of friends always met at our friend Betty's basement. There weren't things like dates and going out to dinner. We didn't know from those things because we didn't have money. So we enjoyed each others' company. "
Fran Futterman, April 25, 2011.
"Everyday my wife expresses her love for me. She says, did I tell you how much I love you today? Everyday. Everyday she says that."
Moe Rubenstein, August 24, 2008.
Thank you for your time, and for helping to spread the word about this project.
To see more of this work, please click on the links below:
http://lightbox.time.com/2012/02/14/valentines-day-special-love-ever-after/#1
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/giving-ideas-a-kick-in-the-wallet/
http://www.laurenfleishman.com/personal/loveeverafter/loveeverafter2.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-fleishman/love-ever-after_b_1273493.html
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
522
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on March 8.
Pledge $10 or more Pledge $10 or more
You will be added to my personal e-mail list and will receive a handwritten postcard print featuring one of the couples from this project.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
You will receive all of the above, plus a limited edition 5x7 signed print from the project.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
You will receive a 12-month calendar with photographs from this project. Love will smile upon you all year!
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
You will receive a copy of the book documenting this project, and the satisfaction of knowing that our shared dreams can and do come true.
Pledge $150 or more Pledge $150 or more
You will receive a signed copy of the book from the project and, when you open it, you will find your name inside. You will be written into the book of love.
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
You will receive a signed and inscribed copy of the book, with your name inside, and a limited edition signed print suitable for framing.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
You will receive a signed and inscribed copy of the book, with your name inside, and an invitation to visit me in Brooklyn (with a loved one) for a portrait session.
Project By
Connected as Lauren Fleishman (1240 friends)
Lauren Fleishman was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and attended the School of Visual Arts with an academic scholarship. In 2000, she was awarded a full scholarship to study in Paris at the prestigious Ecole Superieure des Beaux-Arts. In 2003, Lauren was named one of Photo District News’ 30 young photographers to watch. She has been included in American Photography for four consecutive years, and has won PDN awards for her 2007 photographs of couples at prom, and 2011 multimedia work on photography and memory loss. In 2010, Lauren was awarded a residency at the Camera Club of New York and exhibited the earliest images in this collection at the main branch of the Brooklyn Library. Her clients include Esquire, the Fader, The New York Times and Time Magazine.
