I heard we have a senior in our midst! I put this collection together of some of my favorite images of one of my favorite people. I was fortunate enough to travel for a few days and capture these moments in time several years ago with this young lady. Even then I knew she was an amazing soul destined for great things. I picked these images showing some of the more “real” moments of our time together, not just the smiles.

We crossed paths again last year, 5 years after this first set of images ….those are below. A beautiful, powerful soul inside and out. Thank you to her mom, Lisa for letting me bond with Ani through the lens. A true inspiration.

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Here we are 5 years later….

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This project has been an ongoing series in my work for awhile now.  It has been part of my life work before I even knew it.  When I started doing this as a young, naive, adult woman…long before any client knew who I was….back when I asked the busboy at the restaurant I bartended at for his girlfriend’s number to ask her to model for me for my first photo session….not even sure why I was shooting what I was ….I didn’t know what I wanted…I just kept looking for that thing that made me feel inspired when I shot it.  Over time, seeing the pattern in my choices and subjects, the patterns in their movement, and locations I picked, I realized I had been creating this documentation of the stages of becoming a woman.  The common denominator was to show their strength and beauty from whatever stage of life they were standing in.  It was formalized into a gallery show over the last year for the invitational group photography exhibit at the Cannon Beach Arts Association, and then most recently submitted into the LensCulture Exposure competition.  Although in those instances, there was a limit to the number of pieces in a series that could be selected, there are in fact many more pieces to this project.  I will try to keep showing them from time to time here.

 

These images focus on the powerful and mysterious journey from girl-hood all the way to wise old woman.  The rites of passage as we move from a tiny beautiful child through the confusing changes of our adolescence, the vulnerable twists and turns of owning our sexuality, our role in relationships, the challenges and strength found in adulthood, and the arrival of wisdom in our later years.  Different cultures, different backgrounds, but we all share a common understanding of moving through these phases of our lives. I feel there are defining identities that emerge to shape our feminine journey, and we move in and out of them as gracefully and confidently as we know how.  

Featured in this show are Spanish, American, Italian, African, Native American, Portuguese, and Greek girls and women.  They are different, and they are the same. All are beautifully fully present in their journey of becoming a woman. 

 

I’ve been making photographs for awhile now, travelling to different areas of the world, finding inspirations. In the beginning of my photography journey, I started in black and white film, falling in love with the work of my heros in photography; Henri-Cartier- Bresson, Walker Evans, Richard Avedon, Mary Ellen Mark, Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, Peter Lindbergh, Helmut Newton to name a few. No matter what part of the world I go, it seems there is a thread of amazing soulful humanity in the people I have met and photographed, from all walks of life.  Pin itPin itPin itPin itPin itPin itPin itPin itPin itPin itPin it

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meet Jamie Savva…. I first met Jamie in a yoga class i was teaching…we immediately clicked.  Jamie is a yoga teacher herself with a powerful way, an infectious smile, and electric energy.  5 minutes in the room with her and you just feel better…she’s got it goin on in the inspiration department, which is one reason why her yoga students love her.  This yogina is real, down to earth, an amazing listener, and a force of nature when she sets her mind to doing something.  She’s also a good sport….I made her climb all over these crazy rocks for this photo session…which if you’ve ever tried to do yoga on hard, rocky surfaces, you might know what I mean…not too comfy….but just look at how smooth and effortless she makes it look.   I like the way her body shapes echo the shapes of nature.  Thanks Jamie, for letting me photograph your amazingness….my powerful, beautiful friend.

 

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It felt good to help someone this week.   My clients from 10 years ago were robbed.  I got the call from Alana a few days ago.  Her voice was shaking in the voicemail she left me, and I could feel her sadness and loss.   I photographed their wedding 10 years ago, she was calling to tell me someone had broken into their home and taken everything while they were away, including her only copy on disc of her wedding images.  She wanted to know if there was a chance I still had the images. Gulp…10 years is a long time….I was worried I may not still have them.  When we spoke, she mentioned that her personal belongings were stolen including her special jewelry handed down from her grandmother that she wore on her wedding day, her wedding ring and other intimate items, and the only images she had of those items were in her wedding photos.  As a professional photographer, sometimes its easy to get caught up in running a business… making deadlines, juggling the artistic, the technical, scheduling, social media…whatever the task du jour is….but this is different.  When she called me, I remembered why I got into this in the first place…that I’m creating very personal captures of moments in time.  Sometimes I see photographers advertise slogans like “memories that last a lifetime” …and not to sound cliche….but I guess its really true.. and when your memories are corrupted by someone who breaks into your home and takes them from you, that’s got to be very painful.  I’ve experienced something similar.   I don’t always hold onto client work after this many years, and it would’ve been easier to dismiss and say that I don’t….but we are all humans going through life together, and for me I have to try and do the right thing and help,  so I began the search….and after days of digging through hard drives, and boxes of discs from back ups I had made over the years.  I found their wedding images, and they are back home where they belong.   She wrote me today to say she cried when she saw them.   All I can say is in this stressed out crazy world, its good to take a moment, make the extra effort and help someone by bringing joy to a dark time.  In my mind, true human nature is good and it can be clouded  by all the layers of things we put on top of it.  Its great for me to be reminded why I do what I do.  Thank you Alana and Eric, and glad your photos found their way back home!

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  • PaulaMay 6, 2019 - 2:15 pm

    What a beautiful story. There are more kind people than cruel people. Thanks for showing the beauty and kindness!ReplyCancel

What do you get when you have two fire-fighters madly in love?  Hot wedding photos!  Seriously digging the energy and vibe of these two.   What we have here are two incredibly strong, fearless, and passionate, cool, caring, and giving individuals joining forces into one powerful union.   Needless to say photographing them was ah-maz-ing for me.  It rained a little during their searing nuptuals, but it might’ve been for the best….something had to keep their blaze under control….and yes we finished the session with a “fireman’s carry”.   Someone get a fire extinguisher! okay….enough of the cheesy fire lingo….Here are some highlights from the Katia Hadj-Hamou and Josh Minor wedding.

 

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