FIGURING OUT WHY I BECAME A PHOTOGRAPHER

I had a photoshoot this week with a friend of mine. When we first chatted about the session, it was going to be her and her boyf…a couples session. But, it turned out he had to work so we decided to have a “just her” session, which is a thing that I just made up. I kind of joked to myself that it would be a new take on the glamour shots of old. She is a cocktail maven, so we had a bit of a theme to play with.

Around this exact time, I started contemplating my “why” in regards to starting this photography business of mine. Sure, I want to be in business for myself, and yes, I want to make a bazillion dollars – but why photography? I began to feel like answering the why was essential to my future success. The why would be my anchor and my lighthouse.

What began to emerge for me was this pull towards serving women, an awareness that I want to be in a position where I am creating something that empowers, builds, and not to be dramatic, but glorifies women, and those that identify as women, and delivers a product that they love on a deep level. Something cherished. Something that makes them stir. Something that will stand the test of time. It’s subtle. But, at least according to me and my heart, it’s powerful.

When a mom books me for a family session, or a friend books me for a “just her” session, I want to wow her. I want her to SEE herself the way her family sees her, the way her children see her, the way her partner sees her. I want to capture the truth, the beauty, the mess … all of it. I don’t want my images to be perfect, because that isn’t real. I don’t want something that testifies to how well she cleans up, I want her to see herself, and like what she sees.

Lofty why … maybe. But I think it’s a worthy pursuit. I think we all deserve photographs of ourselves that we don’t cringe at the sight of. Images that call to mind the story of who we are and remind us of our journey, or just simply tell us we are beautiful just as we are.