Everyone loves a good love story, but for those in interfaith relationships, partnership can come with some barriers.
In a new photo series by Toronto-based documentary photographer Colin Boyd Shafer, the INTERLOVE Project, capture portraits that reflect the true reality of the city's diversity and how love true comes in all faiths and races.
"Interfaith relationships are not as common, and provide a whole new set of issues and stories to be told," he tells the Huffington Post Canada. "I also am aware that interfaith is not an overtly visual topic, and that in itself makes it challenging and interesting to try and use photography to share these stories."
While interracial couples may be accepted in modern day Canada, some communities find them and interfaith relationships to be cultural taboos. Statistics Canada reports mixed-race marriages grew 33 per cent between 2001 and 2006, according to The Province. However, it is important to keep in mind, Canada's multicultural population also grew in those years.
Couples who come from two different backgrounds may deal with family pressures and organize double wedding ceremonies. And sometimes, as Shafer's project points out, worries can surface as to how children are brought up.
The project, which is a bit of an offshoot of Shafer's last project called Cosmopolis Toronto (where he captured photos of Toronto's diverse citizens), is currently looking to raise $15,000 to continue the INTERLOVE Project outside of Ontario.
Currently, Shafer is looking for couples of all faiths and no faiths in Ontario who are willing to share their personal stories.
"For each couple I am photographing them in a place where they both feel comfortable, and are expressing their affection for each other in a way that feels natural," he says. "Then I am taking a portrait of each of them looking into the eyes of their lover."
Below are some of Shafer's current entries:
In a new photo series by Toronto-based documentary photographer Colin Boyd Shafer, the INTERLOVE Project, capture portraits that reflect the true reality of the city's diversity and how love true comes in all faiths and races.
"Interfaith relationships are not as common, and provide a whole new set of issues and stories to be told," he tells the Huffington Post Canada. "I also am aware that interfaith is not an overtly visual topic, and that in itself makes it challenging and interesting to try and use photography to share these stories."
While interracial couples may be accepted in modern day Canada, some communities find them and interfaith relationships to be cultural taboos. Statistics Canada reports mixed-race marriages grew 33 per cent between 2001 and 2006, according to The Province. However, it is important to keep in mind, Canada's multicultural population also grew in those years.
Couples who come from two different backgrounds may deal with family pressures and organize double wedding ceremonies. And sometimes, as Shafer's project points out, worries can surface as to how children are brought up.
The project, which is a bit of an offshoot of Shafer's last project called Cosmopolis Toronto (where he captured photos of Toronto's diverse citizens), is currently looking to raise $15,000 to continue the INTERLOVE Project outside of Ontario.
Currently, Shafer is looking for couples of all faiths and no faiths in Ontario who are willing to share their personal stories.
"For each couple I am photographing them in a place where they both feel comfortable, and are expressing their affection for each other in a way that feels natural," he says. "Then I am taking a portrait of each of them looking into the eyes of their lover."
Below are some of Shafer's current entries: