:: celebrating women :: (continued)

My next amazing woman is Megan. She's a fellow photographer, business owner and mama. One of the things I love about her, is how she uses her business to empower women...to show them their beauty and worth. Whether you're a size 2 or 22, she will make you feel beautiful and make you believe in your beauty. There's so much power in that. As photographers, we tend to be MUCH more comfortable behind the camera. We have our own insecurities and as much as we can tell others (and truly believe it) how beautiful and worthy they are, it's difficult to be that kind to ourselves. I wanted to give Megan what she gives to so many others. I asked her a few questions about her business philosophy (and a bunch of other things 🙂) “I am a portrait photographer and what I really love doing is empowering women and self-love through photography. I really wanted to start shooting boudoir sessions after hearing so many women (myself included) speak about themselves in such a negative light. We start hating our bodies at such a young age. I wanted to be able to showcase a woman’s beauty and individuality through these intimate sessions. I want them to see their beauty, BELIEVE in it, and fall in love with it. I do very minimal retouching because I want every woman that comes to me to see their true self in this moment of their life. I think it’s hard for women to feel beautiful because we are constantly comparing ourselves to someone else or even to ourselves from years ago. In every stage of our lives, we may lose or gain weight and we can’t ever appreciate our bodies for how far they’ve come and all they’ve been through. I feel so lucky that my clients trust me enough to help them embrace and love their bodies. That’s one of the reasons I have preached over the summer to “wear the damn shorts”. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers share this movement and I loved it right away. I spent years growing up and in early motherhood not wanting to wear shorts because I thought my thighs were too big. But why? No matter how small or big we think our legs are, why do we need to hide them away?! Life is too short to worry about this. Wear the damn shorts and appreciate where your legs have taken you.” When do you feel like your true self? “100% behind the camera, hyping up my clients. I could shoot these sessions all day. There’s just something about seeing these women loosen up and just start appreciating themselves. The whole vibe is contagious.” As a small business owner and mom of two school age kiddos, how has this pandemic affected you? “Virtual learning has been a little bit of a struggle in our house. My 8th grader doesn’t mind it as much, even though she does miss her friends. It’s tough with my elementary school aged daughter, though. We’re trying our best but Mama isn’t a teacher. They really miss being in a classroom. Not to complain, because I do love having them safely at home and it’s given me lots of time with them. As far as the business side goes, there were a few months there that I was unable to work because I was considered a non-essential. Fortunately, I’ve been very busy since I was able to reopen. As a boudoir photographer, I have had clients come to me saying that they have gained weight during the pandemic, so they are a little nervous to book. Ha, I’ve even gained a good amount of weight myself. But being able to capture this time of their life and still showing them how worthy they are at any shape and size is everything to me.” MUA extraordinaire: K Artistry

Amazing Jewelry: Julie Ellyn Designs

Megan's beautiful photography page: Lay in the Breeze Photography 

:: celebrating women ::

What does it mean to be a woman? What is beauty? What is femininity? What makes someone feel authentic? I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently as I scroll through my various social media feeds, amazed by the incredible women who touch my life. Women have always been able to do whatever they set their minds to - the main obstacle being societal limitations and what’s “appropriate”. Is someone who stays home to raise a family MORE of a woman than someone who chooses a career path? Of course not. Each is noble in its own right. Just like a stay at home mom is no less fierce than a corporate boss. Each woman possesses her own set of strengths, and however she chooses to use them should be revered. It got me thinking - I want to celebrate and spotlight women and hear their stories while also collaborating with other women in various industries. What really pushed me was seeing posts from one of my former brides. She is a prime example of the idea that women can do whatever they set their sights on. She comes from a family committed to service, so it’s no surprise that she would end up where she is now. But when you look at her, this beautiful, tiny little woman, your first thought would not be firefighter. I think we have this misconception that women who are firefighters have to have a certain look or body type. That couldn’t be further from the truth. This woman is fierce. She is strong. She is determined. She is a BOSS! I asked her some questions to really get a sense of what she does and what her shapes her ideas of beauty and strength.

 “I currently am a Volunteer firefighter with Aberdeen Fire Dept., and I am a career firefighter with a county fire department. I’ve been volunteering for about 7 years and I’ve been paid for almost two. I knew that I wanted to have a job where I helped people. I just didn’t know how. I started volunteering and quickly fell in love with meeting and helping people. It was more than just a hobby to me and I knew I wanted to make a livelihood out of it. I feel most confident when I make a connection on calls. When I have a patient that trusts me and I can tell that they know I’m here to help them. It’s euphoric. There truly isn’t a better feeling. I obviously feel pretty when I have a polished outward appearance but I feel like there is an entirely different meaning to pretty when I am in my work uniform. You wear less makeup and it’s lower maintenance, but there’s a feeling of pride and confidence for your profession and who you represent that inherently makes me feel beautiful.”

When do you feel most like your true self? 

“I feel like my true self when I’m with my shift and my volunteer house. We spend so much time together that it’s like extended family. We pick on each other and give each other a hard time, but I never feel like I’m forced to be anything but myself. I feel accepted and I know that they will support me and have my back through anything. You learn to trust them like they were family.” 

I asked her what her personal definition/idea of femininity:

“My own definition would be embracing what make you female. What traits make you who you are. We aren’t molded the same and we should embrace individuality and the strengths we possess. Every woman has their own story for why they chose their hobbies and profession. I have been blessed to have a strong female leader on my shift at work who reminds me that we can do whatever we want if we work our asses off to get there. But I can do it with being kind and caring, nurturing those around me.”

She is a true hero. A woman who’s dedicated her life to helping others. Every woman has a story. A unique, complicated, beautiful story. I want to help tell those stories. The nurse working overtime during a pandemic. The mom struggling to get her kids through virtual learning. The small business owner who has had to restructure her business model to try to stay afloat. Whatever her story, it’s hers and it’s important. If you know anyone who you’d like to highlight, please shoot me a message! 

I’m so thankful to have partnered with Kera from K Artistry Studios for her amazing makeup skills, Julie from Julie Ellyn Designs for supplying the beautiful baubles, and Tammy Jones from Spa at the Boulevard for hair to die for. Please check out their work and USE THEM!!! Let’s support each other, not only in this time of great uncertainty, but always. 

:: a+b = engaged ::

I'm on a roll!!! One might actually get fooled into thinking I've got it together these days (one would be wrong!). Well, I may not have it all, or anything really, together, but I'm certainly trying.

This past weekend I met this beautiful couple. It's pretty rare that I don't meet a couple, or at least the bride, before their engagement pictures, but this time it's just how it worked out. I generally get along with most people, but you never know...so I was thrilled when I met them and knew right away we'd work great together.

These two were best friends before they dated, and you can tell. There's an ease between them that you don't always see. They're so excited to get married and start that part of their lives together (with their furbaby, Tucker). How lucky that I get to go along for the ride!! I can't wait for their wedding later this year. We're going to have so much fun and get some AMAZING pics.

So, here's our adventure in Ellicott City. It was pretty crowded and kind of chilly, but I think we did pretty well!!

This corner of the city is where his family used to have a gas station...how cool is that?!?!

Yep...Tucker is pretty dang happy that his people are getting married!!! Just look at that smile!

I couldn't decide which picture to share (this one or the next one)...so why not just share both!

:: brandi - warrior princess ::

I truly believe that people come into your life for a reason. Sometimes it's not apparent at the time, and sometimes it just smacks you upside the head. I met this fierce woman through a program which matches up photographers with families going through a cancer battle. I got paired with Brandi and I couldn't be more thankful. She is truly amazing, as is her adoring, supportive husband and their Miss Independence three year old daughter. Brandi exudes positivity and strength. If I didn't know she was sick, I wouldn't know. She is sweet and loving and happy and in the past year has been in a battle for her life. I asked her if she would mind sharing her story...an increasingly common one...so that others can be inspired and know they're not alone. Here's her story, in her words...

"On October 22 2018 I received the call that all my tests came back positive for breast cancer.  I was 37 years old and my daughter was 2.5, no family history and all genetic testing was clear.  I was 1 out of 8 women who will receive this diagnosis due to environmental conditions. It was a whirlwind of calls and appointments scheduled and on November 22 2018, I had a double mastectomy surgery to remove the cancer as well as a lymph node dissection to be sure for clear margins. On January 3rd 2019 I started my first chemotherapy treatment along with 5 more after that every 3 weeks.  I completed my treatments in May but would then go on to 28 days of radiation and finishing out 2019 with two targeted infusions. I will receive my last infusion on Jan 9th 2020!  

Your life and experience and expectations of how things are supposed to be really does change and it alters every aspect of your life.  Your health is something that should never be taken for granted and even though I am what I think to be one of the "lucky ones", the rest of my life will be filled with appointments, a hopefully manageable level of anxiety and fear and an overwhelming amount of faith and grace to be able to live my days I was given to their fullest."

One of the things I've learned over my many years is that you never know what someone else is going through. Most people don't live their lives with full transparency. It's not our business to know everyone else's, but it is our responsibility to be kind and giving and loving to those who cross our paths. Everyone is dealing with something in their life. Everyone. 

Thank you, Brandi, for sharing your story. I am beyond grateful to now count you as a friend and, even though I've not known you long, I'm so proud of your courage and strength. 

Here we are again...a new year, an apology for being so out of touch, and a new post. So...Happy New Year, sorry for being out of touch, and here are new pics for you :)

I felt as though this was an important one to share. We tend to take for granted those families that are constantly being pushed to their limits for our wellbeing. Families that are so much stronger than we can ever imagine. Children that have to say goodbye to Daddy or Mommy for sometimes a year at a time. This was the case last Monday. A family saying goodbye to Daddy for at least a year. Can you even imagine?? During this deployment, there were 20 men who left. That may not seem like many, but to those families and friends, it's the whole world. 

The day before, we went to the airfield and took some family pics. Sadly, this is not the first time I've taken pics for this family before a deployment. They are WONDERFUL and I'm so lucky to know them. 

and then...Deployment Day

this is Daddy's 3rd deployment, and little man's first

really look at this picture...these children are much stronger and more resilient than most adults

he didn't want to let Daddy go, even when it was time to prep his ride

the big helper

the bravest of the brave

one last selfie before it's time to take off

those last hugs are the hardest

military parents are parents to everyone, not just their own

Daddy's ride

she is the BEST big sister

they are sisters of circumstance...brought together by a shared experience

Daddy waving goodbye to his loving family. Please keep them all in your thoughts as they are about to embark on one of the hardest years of their lives.