Beautiful Women

Yesterday was not a good day. I felt fat and therefore ugly. I know I have put on weight and with the my wedding being about a month away I suddenly panicked. For once I want to be a beautiful bride. I want to look drop dead gorgeous in my pictures. I want to be remembered as beautiful... Truth be told though, my children will never think of me as "fat". What they will remember is the love I gave them, the smiles and all the fun we have together. They will laugh at all the times I teased them or made their favorite foods just because I love them. Nothing else matters to them. Then why can't I see myself through their eyes?

I know I am not alone here. Every woman struggles with something about her image. It could be weight, hair, breasts, butts... Doesn't matter. You ask a woman to point out a part of her body she does not like and she will give you 10 without blinking an eye. Unfortunately, it's true. I have been watching "Inside the Glamour Studio" with Sue Bryce that was taped at CreativeLive in September. Sue photographs women. And they are drop dead gorgeous. But more than that, I love her philosophy. Women are beautiful. They should be photographed regardless of their size. Losing weight (or gaining it) is nothing. Your children and husband won't love you more for it. You need to live now, with who you are right now. That person you were 20 years ago or who you want to be 2 years from now does not exist. You are you now. And you are definitely beautiful for it.

This has struck a chord with me. Especially this morning. I was thinking of all the beautiful women I have photographed. Women who have their own insecurities. Who claim to not be photogenic. And yet every time I see their pictures all I can think of is how gorgeous they are (and how I wish I could be more like them). I am not Sue Bryce. I don't take pictures like her (although the more I think about it, the more I want to incorporate it into what I already do). However, I do love these pictures. So while I am still struggling with my self image and dreaming of a trip to Australia to be photographed by Sue, I am going to try to relax a little. I am getting married whether I am skinny or not. I will be photographed. And I will have a great time. I am now.

Thank you, my beautiful clients for allowing me to capture your "nows".

The "D's"

I love kids. I mean, when you live with 6 of them (3 of my own) you have to love them... But it couldn't be more true. I love interacting with them. I love how their minds work. I even love talking about video games with them (yes, I have absorbed quite a bit about the gaming world from my boys). The latest family I shot brought me so much joy. I felt like a kid myself. So here are some pictures of this wondrful family. With an awesome, minecraft-loving boy (who does NOT have a girlfriend, by the way). LOL I hope you enjoy!!!

Pure Joy

This is why I love pictures. I know her smile looks a little weird. Yes, she has a gap in her teeth. The top ones were very loose and being pushed out of her mouth. She called it her bunny teeth. But she is pure joy. And that is a memory I will cherish forever.

Location, Location, Location

I have a photo shoot coming up this week. So as part of my preperation process I like visiting the location I am going to take my clients to. I set up my model (usually my other half) and take a few pictures. Last week I was off on one of those scouting trips. But this time I decided to do something a little different. I placed my camera on my handy, dandy tripod, hit the timer button and ran into James's arms. It was fun, silly and definitely a different experience. So I figured I would share. Hope you enjoy...

Summer Blues

And now that the summer craziness is over I am back trying to update my blog. The house has been so quiet I can actually hear the crickets chirping here. I am not quite sure I will be able to get any kind of work done now that I don't have my kids constantly singing mom-mom-mom-mom. So since I am sitting here missing them like crazy, I figured I would go ahead and post some of the sessions that took place over the summer. I will try to keep adding some more pictures throughout the week.

I had such a wonderful time with both these featured families. There was so much laughter. It is just one of the many things I love about photography: getting to know people. It is amazing to see someone a little hesitant about the big black box you are holding in your hand suddenly open up and start warming up to the experience. The end result is not only fun but it yields some pretty incredible images. So without further ado, here are some pictures...

The "E" Family

The "G" Family