Yes, that is me with a totally goofy face and curls, lots and lots of curls.  Some things haven’t changed since I was four.  I still LOVE cake, still have really curly hair, and I have totally perfected the goof-ball face, just ask my kids.  The biggest thing that did change . . I don’t hate who I am.  I used to do everything I could to hide my massive mop like head of hair and would often slouch so as to not tower over others.  Slowly over time I realized these traits were special to who I was.   I don’t hate my curls or my crazy height anymore . . and now I look at my little people and pray they embrace their uniqueness much earlier than I did, curls, height, and awkward goofiness.  What we sometimes hate most about ourselves is often the key to our uniqueness, a gift that no one else has been blessed with in quite the same way.  I see these amazing gifts and talents in each person I photograph, a unique and beautiful story just waiting to be told in the tiny and beautiful moments of their lives.

How sad it makes me when a young woman says to me “please don’t photograph this side of me” or “can you just make me look better”.  Every fiber of my being in that moment wants to wrap you in a hug and show you a mirror into who you really are, the beautiful you, whose flaws make you that much more stunning and lovely.  That is my prayer for you every time I pick up my camera, that the end result will be one that reflects your true and beautiful nature.