beauty is not your responsibility

Beauty is not your responsibility during a shoot.

You do not have to labor to “give” beauty in order to deserve being photographed. You do not have to perform for the camera. Some part of you is already beautiful simply because you are you, whether you fully believe that about yourself yet or not.

I think we also need to get more comfortable decentering beauty during portraiture altogether. It does not need to be the goal. It already exists.

What matters more to me is presence.

effortless

shoutout to the spectrum of Raven

creating with Raven gave me space to explore portraiture without centering beauty as the goal.

most folks love to look hot and i love to see it but i’ve been craving to see people express themselves in other ways because in my opinion looking hot feels inevitable.

i’m excited to keep making work where people feel safe to explore their expession, try something new, and simply have fun.

grateful for this body of work we’ve made and for the ongoing self-exploration that comes with portraiture.

12 yr old work.

When I took this set, I had been photographing weddings full-time for about 7 years. A wedding every weekend, sometimes two, while also doing engagement photos and other lifestyle sessions during the week.

I was having a lot of traction and making photos for a living, but I was stretching myself to the max. I was exhausted, anxious all the time, and had completely lost myself. Eventually, I wasn’t having much fun anymore and my health was taking a toll, especially while doing all of that and raising my son.

My son was two around the time we shot these, and these images sparked something in me and affirmed that something had to give.

I see a beautiful set and great lighting, but I also see my story.

charles

sipping my little coffee, and i noticed this man slow his pace to look at a wild-looking insect. he even turned around, almost checking to see if anyone else was seeing what he saw and before i knew it, i made myself known as a witness. he told me what kind of insect it was, then kept walking.

next thing i know, he comes back, asking how long i’ve lived in Georgia and if i visit the state parks. 30 minutes later, he’s sharing bits of his life story, our story, and the ways our lives are all deeply connected. he spoke from personal experience—stories that affirmed that belief.

one thing he shared: he found out after his father’s passing that his Father had been one of the Tuskegee Airmen. “Tuskegee Airmen weren’t just pilots,” he said. the realization shook him. it inspired him to dig deeper, to connect the dots of his lineage, and now he spends much of his free time researching and uncovering our stories.

i took a few notes and couldn’t stop thinking about him afterward. i searched for him online and found him. interacting with him was one of those seemingly random moments that feel sacred and loaded with meaning. i cried after he left. so moved. and the best part? my family was there and they got to witness one of those mystical interactions i often find myself in.

i love that he felt safe enough to approach me.

sharing this to honor him, to echo his words, and so that i will also remember.

give thanks to the messengers and living ancestors.

s/o to Charles of Simpson & Holly Rd.