Some girls are just born with glitter in their veins!

I saw that statement the other day & it helps me understand the emotion I feel behind the camera when I’m taking a portrait. So often, I need to pull away from the camera and take my gaze away for a few seconds because I feel almost overpowered by the connection I see as I look through my lens.

I feel like I can see into their eyes, usually as they sparkle–yes, like glitter. It tells me that the person who is quickly coming into focus is alive. I feel their energy almost glistening, their happiness about to explode, their beauty just waiting to be discovered, maybe for the first time.

When I pull back from my camera, I usually utter something to the effect of “wow, you are so beautiful”. What surprises me most is that they often are in disbelief, or its the first time they’ve heard it said (or, sadly, its been a very long time since hearing it).

I am so in love with taking beauty portraits. I give women the opportunity to take home tangible evidence that, yes, they are beautiful. Yes, because I said so…and yes, because they can see it for themselves each time they look at the artwork that we created together.

I always see beauty- in the mountain ranges & flowers in nature, in reflections in a puddle & in a lingering summer sunset (ok, I’ve reached my limit with winter & snow) and in a child’s fascination with a slippery frog.

And, yes, I can see natural beauty in that girl who definitely, was born with glitter in her veins.