I first met Sandy in a scrapbooking store when our oldest children were in preschool (more than ten years ago.) I overheard her conversation with someone else and I wondered if her son might be my daughter’s preschool friend. We ended up talking and confirming that our children were in the same class. And then we bonded over scrapbooking (one way of leaving a legacy) and our preschool-aged kiddos.

Scrapbooking was big at the time, which was right before I really started to learn photography. I was all in. I had the paper, some punches, stickers, stamps, buttons, Silhouette . . . you name it. At some point, I attended a scrapbooking weekend retreat when a question came up about the most important factor in making a good scrapbook page. Someone answered that it was the layers on a page or some other design element. And I remember thinking, no, the most important component of a great scrapbook is the photographs! The photos are the emotions and memories. They are what the scrapbook is all about–the reason for the scrapbook in the first place! The papers and embellishments can make the pages pretty and give them dimension, but ultimately, they frame the stories told by the photographs. The people in the scrapbooks make the scrapbooks what they are.

And while we’re talking photographs, I wonder how many mothers include themselves in their children’s scrapbooks. They have pictures of all the other family members, but oftentimes the moms are the ones behind the camera taking the pictures. So when their children go through their photo albums, reliving their younger years, a huge chunk of their lives is missing from those books.

Personal experience has taught me that after we leave this world, (and even while we’re still in it) our loved ones look for photos of us. They smile and laugh and cry as they remember all the times–regardless of the quality of the pictures. And they also look for “a good picture,” one where your face isn’t dark or blurry or your expression awkward. They try to find an image that characterizes you in the best way possible. They want to show your features and personality to the world and they want it to be clear, flattering, and emblematic of you.

I hope these images of Sandy are a part of her legacy. She is a gorgeous woman with the most welcoming smile. She is also a brilliant and caring physician and an independent thinker. Perhaps most importantly, she is a mother setting the example for her children. I hope that someday, her children look back at these and recognize themselves in her. Imagine these photographs (and more) in an album or framed on the wall. I envision her children smiling to themselves as they think of their mom and talk about her–maybe to their own children.

Pink on pink was the theme of this shoot. And I swear it was planned before I’d heard anything of the Barbie movie that was due to be released in the summer of 2023.

And although Ella is certainly pretty in pink, I find that it does her no justice to compare her to Andie, the protagonist of the classic flick, anymore than comparing her to Barbie. She dazzled in her pink prom dress. The mood was lighthearted and fun and she was game to let me experiment.

Ella is a girl who follows her heart. She’s an athlete whose soccer skills could have taken her to the next level had she chosen to go down that road. But she didn’t–because she had other interests she wanted to pursue. She’s a young woman who embraces new experiences and new possibilities. I don’t think she’s fearless, but she seizes opportunities and makes the most of them. Nobody can predict the future, but it seems impossible that hers won’t be a bright one.

I have only seen trailers for Barbie and it has been ages since I watched Pretty in Pink, so I can’t tell you much about either of the main characters of those movies. I can tell you that Ella does look pretty gorgeous in her pink prom dress. And since this shoot she has moved on to college, gradually working her way toward the “Real World.” If the past is any indication of the future, she will find her way around it just fine.

If you’d like a themed photo session, or maybe a shoot in your prom dress, please contact me! I have all kinds of ideas and am always open to more.

Artist or architect?

Both.

Becca does not currently work as an architect, but many of the same creative instincts that drove her to that career earlier in her life still play a role as she shifts the use of her talents to painting still lifes. Architects are artists. She just happens to be one whose expertise in designing structures translates well to painting canvases.

Becca, the artist and architect, mother and teacher, creates. She brings ideas that live in the imagination to life in the material world. Sometimes her art is practical and functional. Sometimes it pleases the senses. Oftentimes it achieves both.

Incorporating elements of design to make a functional and aesthetically gratifying structure is not completely different from applying the same principles to paint a canvas. Whether painting, designing buildings, writing, composing music, sculpting, cooking, or otherwise creating, the artist starts with a plan. The plan takes shape as she outlines her subject and then gradually fills in details. She uses line, shape, dimension, detail, texture, and color to give her work substance and meaning–and to make it her own.

Becca sees the extraordinary in the ordinary and appreciates the beauty which accompanies her in everyday life. Inspiration flows from a need to express the feelings generated by something–some sight, sound, action, or memory. When it strikes, a barrage of ideas compels the artist to make something. A blank canvas (whether literal or figurative) can be intimidating, but it can also be a welcome opening to convey a message or story. Ultimately, every piece is inspired by meaning and in turn means something to Becca.

Becca is an artist who can apply her skills, ingenuity, and imagination in multiple disciplines. Though many people are familiar with her paintings and her background as an architect, conversations with her reveal knowledge and an artistic bent in other aspects of her life as well. She is the quintessential artist, with appreciation for subtleties, the finer points of beauty and design, and the talent to eloquently translate that to a work on canvas.

You can learn more about Becca and her work on social media or see some of her pieces in person at Circa Arts Gallery.

Among the masses of people in this world, some humans catch my eye, tickle my funny bone, or otherwise make me feel that I must photograph them. They are individuals who own a special something that defies words. They remind me that people are miracles–and that the uniqueness of each of the billions of people on Earth is itself a miracle. There are infinite combinations of looks, temperaments, talents, and quirks. And each of those can take on a different appearance when seen in different light. Sometimes features are hidden in the shadows, only appreciated when we shine a light on them.

This young lady is one of those people that inspires me. When I met her, she seemed a bit unsure about being photographed. But she has an air about her and a style that is all her own. She doesn’t pretend to feel something she doesn’t feel or to want something she doesn’t want. She showed a lot of energy at the beginning of the shoot, hamming it up for the camera and striking amazing poses. As time went on, she took on a more subdued frame of mind, which fit her personality just as well. When she held her violin, she went into a violin-playing world. This girl brought it all, making no attempts to hide any aspect of her personality. She needed only allow the light to hit her to show it off.

In his book, The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis talked about glimpses of Heaven seen on Earth and how an artist could find success on Earth because he was able to paint those glimpses. His talents highlighted these little bits of Heaven so that others could appreciate them as well. (Full disclosure: That was not the point of the conversation in the book. But the thought resonated deeply with me.)

Photography is the medium that gives me opportunities to capture everyday moments and people– everyday miracles. On this day, I felt enamored, delighted, moved, and even surprised at times. And I wanted to create images that tangibly bundle those feelings for her parents. These photos are a way for them to stop time and appreciate their daughter and the way she makes them feel. They can turn to them later on–as she changes and they change. In ten years, they will see the special qualities she held at age 12 and find them still there at age 22–though they may take on different appearances in different light.