On a lost bet this brave woman hired me to shoot some portraits taken to submit a comp card for a modeling agency. I think she was a little nervous at first, but as we got shooting around Deep Ellum, she became like an old pro! We had the best time, and I applaud her bravery. I think she is stunning, and was so honored to be able to shoot some portraits for her next adventure!
Where do I start with my mom? She is a Hawaiian girl, born and raised. She is a badass. I really do bow down to her badassness (yes, mom I know that is not a real word). She gave birth to 5 10+ pound babies and lived to tell about it. She raised 3 step sons as well. She is strong and capable and the most accomplished multi tasker you'll ever meet. She can make an amazing dinner for 10 with about an hour's notice. She loves like nobody's business and takes nurturing to the level of art form. She is generous (sometimes to a fault). She makes everyone feel comfortable and loved. She is wicked smart and reads about a book every other day it seems like (Oh and she WILL correct the sh*t out of your grammar). The only thing she was ever super strict about was manners. She insisted that we needed to be just as comfortable at a 5 star restaurant as at a back country barbecue . She easily glides between these 2 worlds with grace and humility, and we learned by watching her. She taught us acceptance and compassion by living those things every moment of her life (still does). She taught us that worry is futile and is probably the calmest person I know in a crisis. She is an amazing artist and her creativity has been woven into ourlives. From hand painted lunch boxes to decorated love notes within them to elaborate hand made costumes. These days she paints and makes the most gorgeous hand-bound books you have ever seen. OK now,back to her badassness....I remember going to a feed store (did I mention she is an accomplished horsewoman??) with her when I was little, and watching all the dudes in the store watch her in awe as she slung a 50lb horse feed bag over her shoulder and walked out. Need a dress, she can sew you one. Need to fix some plumbing, shes your gal.Need to build some stuff? She can do it. Oh yeah, do you need anyone to run your cattle ranch for you? She can do it all from round ups to delivering calves for a distressed heifer in the rain. She has the patience of Job and has singlehandedly made more people than I can even count feel like they matter when no one else did. She SEES people, and makes sure they know that. She glows. She radiates love. She remembers EVERYones birthdays. I am so blessed to have this mother, and I am eternally grateful . She is in me every day. I can feel her gentle guidance in all that I do from helping raise my step-daughter to speaking to people I don't know, to doing about 50 million things in a day and doing it with ease. I mainly feel her in the way I love and express love. I catch her words coming out of my mouth and her lessons flowing through me out into the world almost everyday. She is a true example of teaching by living. She is a stellar human. I hope you all get to meet her. Those of you who know her, know exactly what I am talking about. Here she is in all of her 65 year old glory....I love you Mom!!!!!!!!
This lovely girl just stole my heart. She is just so full of enthusiasm and grace. She had the most adorable outfits and the best attitude to go along with it all! I had such a great time with she and her mom. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to meet them and to shoot these fun senior portraits. I have chosen a few of my favorites, but man was that hard!
Ah how I love Harmony! We have been friends for over 20 years. I have watched her build her business from the very beginning. I am so incredibly proud of and inspired by her! She hired me to do a shoot with a gorgeous model from Brazil to showcase some of her latest designs. It was a great afternoon in the mountains!!
I got another amazing sister the day my brother married Annie! She is awe inspiring in all departments, but my particular favorite is that she is a pilot and flight instructor. She has been flying since she was a kid, and is very accomplished in aviation! She is also a talented writer. She needed some new portraits to commemorate the writing of her latest book and I was so happy to do a session with her when I was visiting San Francisco!
Haley is one of my favorite models! She volunteered to model for some demo shots I needed to do for my Senior Portrait Class at Spot Studio. It was a joy, as always to work with her!
Akasha was so much fun to work with. As you can see she has her own style and wears it well. She wanted and urban vibe for her senior portraits, so we wandered around Deep Ellum for a couple of hours finding cool backgrounds and textures to shoot against. She is a lovely young woman and I look forward to shooting her parents' wedding next June!
Harmony is a long time friend, and I have had the pleasure of watching her grow her business from her first handmade piece to the thriving business it is now. I am so proud of her and was so honored when she asked me to do some portraits for her for her business cards and promotional materials. Please check out her website, it is a feast for the eyes! She designs every piece herself, and each one is a treasure!
