It Takes Us is a long-term documentary about the impact of gun violence on survivors, family members of victims, and witnesses to these horrific acts.

It began in the middle of 2014 - right after the University of California at Santa Barbara shooting - when I noticed the current issue of PEOPLE Magazine. The cover story was about a celebrity wedding and there was a small mention in the upper right corner about the incident... with a subhead saying, 'Another school shooting: How could this happen - again?'. I was struck by both the naivety and irresponsibility of that language. 'How could it NOT happen again?' was my reaction - why should we be surprised when - despite gains made in recent years by the gun violence prevention movement, there had yet to be enough of a shift in our national consciousness?

So I set out to travel the country - to hear, photograph, and share diverse stories of grief, sadness, and lasting trauma. By shining a light on these brave people and by allowing viewers to feel emotionally connected to them (and to have them see their own family in the story of other families), I intend to create action that will lead to meaningful change.

To see a larger collection of photographs, hear audio recordings from the participants, and learn about action steps you can take to end gun violence, please visit www.ittakesus.org