Joy

To say that I’ve found a new niche that I love…would be an understatement. I still adore photographing newborns as my website still reflects! But children, especially girls between the ages of 6-12, is becoming my new specialty. (I’ve added a new section to my website under Little Models. There’s something empowering about working with girls who believe in themselves, know they are beautiful, have that youthful confidence…before hitting the age where other pressures begin. I love how strong, resilient, and funny they are. They make me laugh, I love making them laugh. And it makes my job effortless.

 

When planning my first few model sessions, I wanted to capture girls in a very vogue style. Ya know, non-smiling, serious faced, perfectly dramatic lighting with wind blowing. Ha ha! But what I discovered is that I want to show their souls. I want to capture their laughter and energy along with those vogue-esque type images. Why? Because at this age, they still believe they can beat boys. Few of them take themselves seriously. And they know they are beautiful because mom and dad tell them everyday. They have pockets of innocence that keep them quirky and impatient, yet they are aware that they want to be more mature. At times they laugh uncontrollably, yet try to be serious…and fail miserably. But most importantly, they want to be great at what you are asking them to do. They try and don’t quit!

 

As I venture into this “model world” of capturing children for acting, modeling, etc., my job is to make sure that everyone that comes to me knows that they are beautiful. To re-confirm to them that they are funny, special, and amazing. That no matter what size they are, too skinny or too big, that they are beautiful. So maybe the real reason why I love this new area of photography is because it makes me love myself so much more.

 

What I took away from each session is, life should be enjoyed and we are all beautiful. Things we all know, but sometimes it takes a child to remind us. To work with girls who believe in themselves is refreshing, it’s so gratifying, it’s an immediate healing process for me. And as I pour my soul into seeking theirs, both client and photographer become filled with joy.