DJ
I would never have done this shoot alone. By myself, I would have been too self-critical to ever step behind the camera, but my interactions with Colton and Wade during the shoot made me feel sexy and beautiful Don’t get me wrong, I was still critical of how I looked, but for the most part, instead of seeing my stretch marks, belly, and yes, the fuzz, I saw myself as part of a whole, one-third of something that I still can’t describe but couldn’t be happier with. Rather than standing in front of the camera and focusing on everything that was “wrong”, I just relaxed and enjoyed spending time with both of my partners. The result was fantastic! I think our shoot captures perfectly my feelings about Colton and Wade, and I love that our shoot enables us to share with others the idea that happiness can be found outside the lines of what society deems “normal”. Our relationship isn’t always easy, but for the most part we are always at ease, able to be ourselves around each other without fear of being judged or criticized.
Wade
It is interesting to look back on my past and speculate which experiences urged me forward in a direction, and which experiences caused me to make a conscience effort to act differently. Growing up with a twin sister brought about my appreciation for companionship but also taught me to value a sense independence, hearing hateful comments about people due to race or sexuality has made me strive to be more accepting, and being told specifically how to live has made me try to be more open-minded towards opportunities that present themselves. Polyamory is not something I had ever considered before meeting Colton and DJ. Like every relationship, we began as friends and it turned into something more; something that seemed foolish to pass up just because it is out of the 'norm'. When explaining our relationship to other people, I always get questions about jealousy but I believe that our relationship models an idea that love is something that should be shared among everybody, and if everybody is loved and knows it, jealousy cannot exist in the same way.
Colton
The photos that came from our shoot truly captured the diversity of our interacting personalities and emotions that occur in our relationship. Although we all had various levels of nervousness, they quickly eroded and the shoot became very natural. It was an exhilarating experience with a hell of a lot of laughter! Oftentimes, when others hear about the relationship I have with Wade and DJ, they remark “I could never do that”. I can’t imagine it any other way. I’ve never believed love was, or is, something that can be limited, and I was lucky enough to find two men who became open to such a relationship. Although we exist as a triad with three loving partners, we also function as three amazing couples with our own unique interactions and independent connections. Our relationship is the sum of its parts; the stronger we are as individual couples, the stronger our relationship is as a whole.
