This one right here….THIS ONE had me crying and goosebumping and rejoicing in this path of work I’ve chosen for myself. She was nothing but kind and sweet and trusting….but I could tell that she was going to be a hard sell on loving photos of herself. The woman standing in front of me was beautiful and funny and resilient and INCREDIBLE. However, my intuitive nature, along with all the words she wasn’t saying, told me that she perhaps was going to have a very difficult time seeing what I see. She’d been through SO much, and I could see the pain in her eyes as she tried not to get into it at the risk of not being able to stop crying during her session.
I’m not going to lie…my usual excitement and confidence going into a photo reveal appointment was replaced with nerves and jitters for hers. I knew how happy I was with the finished product, and I LOVEDDDD the images….but I wasn’t feeling assured that even these images that show her as the work of art she is would actually be as well received for her as they were for me.
We sat through her 3 minute theatrical slideshow in dead silence. Nobody made a peep, and I don’t think I took more than one breath the entire time…which would explain how lightheaded I got towards the end, waiting for any sort of reaction at all. The slideshow ended, she turned around, we locked eyes, and through tears and sobs she repeated “Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.”
She had seen what I saw, and she was art.
Her words:
““AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. Best photoshoot experience I've ever had in my entire life (and I've done A LOT). I felt completely comfortable, safe, at home, trusting, and valued every step of the way…”
“I've had a REALLY difficult year in every way imaginable, filled with so much trauma and loss, so I went into this shoot with hopes that I'd feel more comfortable in my skin and with who I've become.
I mean, I knew Kara was an incredibly gifted photographer, Ioved her work, and trusted her process, but I guess I wasn't expecting them to be so good because of my own lack of confidence. I'm my own worst critic, type-A personality, OCD to the max, and SUPER picky about photographs of myself. I told myself I'd be lucky to find a dozen that I was okay with.”
“Boy, was I WRONG. The slideshow at my reveal left me SPEECHLESS (which is also rare) and with tears uncontrollably streaming down my face. Sobbing was all I could do in awe. Seeing myself in a positive way was empowering, but caught me completely off guard. It was overwhelming…”
“Kara was able to catch the true essence of who I am and a vulnerability that doesn't usually come through in photographs….”
“With well over 100 shots to choose from, I LOVED EVERY SINGLE ONE. KARA: THANK YOU FOR FINDING & SEEING ME.” -C
And with that, I’m again covered with goosebumps. This is what it’s all about. It’s about opening eyes, gaining self love, shifting perspectives, and recognizing how incredible YOU are. Thank you SO much, C, for your kindness, your beautiful words, and most importantly for trusting me to give you this experience and these finished products, even when you were unsure you’d be able to cherish them. I’m over-the-moon that you have the most exquisite collection of images to treasure forever.