The Session

I was in the studio with another parent from school taking headshots for her nutritional counseling business. The shoot was fantastic. She was listening to direction and we were having a lot of fun. After the shoot, we were relaxing and picking which images she’d like to purchase. She stated that she had a budget for four pictures and we had it narrowed them down to five. In my mind, one of the images doesn’t belong. The collar is messed up, etc. But she keeps saying how much she likes it and that it’s speaking to her.

At this point, she turns to me and says, “I don’t know if you know or not, but I was abused. I have always been a person who was timid, almost like a mouse. I never saw myself as a strong person, but when I look at this image, I look like a badass. This is more the person I see myself as and the person I am becoming. I look beautiful in these pictures.”

Later that night she texted me saying, “I have been on such a high since that session. I am shocked at what a boost this gave me. It sort of changed the view I had of myself. Incredibly empowering.”

To think that we can help change the way a person views themselves is profound.

I have a different thought process going into sessions now. It’s not just to get a good shot, it is to show people a side of themselves that they don’t normally see or that they don’t think is a part of who they are. My goal is to connect with them during the session in such a way that creates the atmosphere to be able to accomplish this.

When this happens, it definitely makes my day!