I live in a world surrounded by photographers.

My husband is an artist who takes beautiful photos. My sister-in-law is a photographer who runs her own business (Smit’n Photography). Not to mention the friends and bloggers I get to see capture their lives on a daily basis. As for me, I’m a struggling wannabe who takes a good picture every now and then. But their eye for beauty makes me want to be better.

After all, a photographer’s eye is an amazing thing.

They can see beauty on a whole other level. With a pointed lense, they can capture life in what appears to be dead, glimpses of joy in a life filled with hurt, and the pretty inside a girl who feels anything but.

A few weeks ago, I was that girl. After a year of feeling unpretty, I was thrust in front of a camera for a photo shoot with a friend. I wanted to do it to mark one year since I chopped off my hair, went natural and decided to embrace the follicles that grow out of my scalp. And my friend with the amazing eye obliged.

I was completely open to his vision for the session because, after all, I’d been struggling to find my beauty and I wanted beautiful pictures.

The scenario was nothing I could’ve imagined: me dressed in silver pants, black shirt, a silk patterned jacket, futuristic shades and combat boots. Not to mention black theatre makeup on my lips.

Again, NOTHING I would’ve imagined.

Still…I was open.

We ended up driving to an empty lot on the side of the road. It was a place where an old brick foundation sat in the midst of tall weeds and a sparce selection of trees.

He said it was perfect. And I believed him because he was my photographer friend with the amazing eye.

I posed, feeling slightly awkward since my brain was focused on the features I thought made me less than photogenic.

Suck in the stomach.

Make sure the gap doesn’t look so big.

Stand up straight so things don’t droop.

I’m sure that if I didn’t have on the shades I would’ve had frame after frame showing dead eyes with no life behind them. Just focus.

I was able to hide behind them until I felt comfortable.

And with his amazing eye, my friend caught those comfortable moments. The moments where slight changes in expression paired with the right lighting told a story. The story he knew I wanted to tell. The story of a woman who lives in a modern world where altering your true self can be expected…returning to her natural roots.

Photo by James Pittman
Photo by James Pittman

He found beauty in that, and showed it in a way I didn’t think was possible. And he made me see it as well…as I saw the beauty in myself for the first time in a while.

Photo by James Pittman

 

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  1. How wonderful. You look amazing!
    I am really in awe of good photographers… I wish I had that gift, or a lovely friend like your who does! I don’t like how I often only take photos on special occasions or nights out, when it’s day to day simple photos which tend to be loveliest…

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