What it feels like.

I’m writing this post for you – my clients, my friends, and a little for myself – so I can tell you that I know, firsthand, what it feels like. To be photographed. To let go. I wrote about it before but that was me speaking from behind the lens, as the photographer. This is me speaking from the other side of the lens, as the subject. Last week, Steven and I had photographs taken. I wanted us to look all huggy and lovey and sweet and Pinterest-like. But in the midst of my wedding season and Steven’s 15 hour work days, we hadn’t planned anything to wear and we really only had time to take photos in our home. We remembered to wash all of our sheets but forgot to put them in the dryer leaving our bed nearly sheet-less and pillowcase-less. My nail polish was beyond chipped, my curling iron broke, Steven was covered in Zoe’s cat hair, plus a million other things…I mean, everything was out of my control. I had to take a deep breath and tell myself just let go.

You know what? I did. And it couldn’t  have gone better. I received the photos my sweet friend Megan took of us yesterday and I love them so much. I didn’t see the ugly nails, the pillowcase-less pillows or the cat hair. What I saw was us. The deep breaths, the laughs, the snuggles, the love, the light. It made me think of our days together, our messes, our busy lives. The days we rush to find something clean to wear, the life decisions we have made thus far, our mismatched socks and an unmade bed. I saw the real us. This is what it should feel like. This is what I want to remember of us. We aren’t perfect so why pretend to be in a photograph?

I’m so excited to be able to document people, at whatever stage of life they’re in, so they, too, can remember. What a beautiful thing.