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Like so many women, this gal came to me feeling incredibly nervous — and not just a little nervous — but about-to-throw-up-please-hold-my-hair-back nervous.
You see, she was bringing with her every preconceived idea of what society tells us beauty is, and what it isn't.
All the messages of you're too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, too … whatever.
Like so many women, she had internalized these messages.
Like so many women, she felt that no matter what she did, she was always too something to actually be beautiful.
Now, as a photographer, it's my job to not only help pose and direct my clients, but also help them feel comfortable.
So, because of her nerves, I decided to start out with a more conservative look. She had brought a beautiful dress with her, so I decided we should start with the dress. And what happened next completely shocked me.
Even despite her nerves, despite her preconceived ideas of herself, and despite feeling like she was always too something to be beautiful — despite all of that, once she was in front of the camera she immediately transformed.
It was absolutely incredible.
Her beauty, intelligence, personality, and vibrancy just radiated outward.
Naturally, I knew what I had to do next: I had to show her. I had to show her what I was seeing on the other side of the camera. So, I walked over to her and showed her a few images from the back of my camera.
She instantly started bawling.
My first gut reaction was actually concern.
Maybe I screwed up? Maybe I did something wrong?
But no, that wasn't the case.
She couldn't believe that was her.
She couldn't believe how truly gorgeous she was.
Her first words once she composed herself were, “Oh my god, I'm beautiful!”
I told her, “Yes, yes you are!” as I fought back my own tears and tried to subdue the lump in my throat.
The rest of the session she grew more and more confident. When it was finally over and she walked out of the studio that day, she held her head a little bit higher, smiled a little bit wider, and loved herself just a little bit more.
This is what I'm here for.
This is why I do what I do.
It is my personal mission to break down all these preconceived ideas that women hold of what's beautiful and what's not and let them see themselves through someone else's eyes.