I believe there is a significant section of the population that is grossly ignored by photographers. Everyone highlights their skinny, model-esque clients on their homepage forgetting that there are thousands of women out there waiting to be captured as they’ve always dreamed.
I know what it’s like to look in the mirror and see only the extra baggage. I was one of the statistics, and berrated myself into an eating disorder. I know what it’s like to loathe photos, the kind that stabs you to the quick, and want to bury. I know self-loathing and self-attack mode. Why do we allow ourselves to tolerate such depressing views of ourselves? It’s time to examine it, and let it go.
Coming out of Bulimia, I want to give women a new perspective on their bodies. I want them to enjoy themselves as they are NOW. To see themselves as they are on the inside, to find glamor they didn’t know they had. I want to give them that experience, and I believe, after much practice, I can.
I want to tell every woman that has come to me with the words “I should have lost 15 pounds” that NOW is the time to tell your story.
I want to capture the real beauty of normal, next-door, women. To show them a finished product that makes them feel that finally, someone has connected with them, finally, they love what they see.
This is my anthem as a photographer.
