Already Are

Over the weekend I realized something.

It's not that I like making people look pretty.
I like helping them realize that they already are.

I love taking photos of people. 
For many reasons.
One of which is because I find confidence in it, but also because I love helping others find confidence in themselves too.
I love capturing moments.
Candid moments, posed moments, spontaneous moments.
All of them.
There's just something about the feeling you get when you capture something just the way you see it in your head or with your eyes. It's like you're freezing a perfect moment that will never happen again. 
It prevents the memory of that moment from potentially running away and being lost.

Dorothea Lange once said:
 "The Camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera."

And I think that's true too.
In the years that I've seriously pursued photography, I feel like I have become more observant.
I notice the unnoticeable.
I look at the overlooked.
I see the unseen.
And that has to do with people too.
Helping them see that they really are beautiful.
That their quirks and unique laughs and silly expressions are the things that make them them.
Sometimes those things aren't always noticed, and I like making them noticeable.
Of course I'm not an expert at this by any means, and I'm definitely still learning how to capture the essence of what makes each and every person beautiful, it's a process.
But it's one that I'm very much in love with.
....................

This photo is from a recent shoot I did with my friend Cheyenne. 

I think she's what they call a natural beauty.

Don't you think?

I'll be sharing more photos of her soon!