Crystal

"Hi! Come in!" Crystal's contagious smile and warm charm greeted me at the door like a long lost friend pleasantly awaiting your arrival. I was used to seeing her in a ponytail and workout clothes at the gym, but she was now flaunting a cute, shoulder-length hairstyle and a sleek, black dress. It was her birthday, in which I was honored to be asked to photograph her portraits to mark the occasion. Crystal was my first client, and although I was very nervous, her presence lifted that nervousness and replaced it with a calmness and steadiness. As the session went on, we chatted and laughed and caught up on what we'd been missing in each others lives over the last couple years. We talked about family and our mothers. The mood shifted as she became more confident in her posture and delivery, as she seamlessly took the wheel in directing her own shoot. We experimented with cooler toned lights and moody aura. She was waiting for this part. "My 40th didn’t go as I planned it would. Both trips I’d plan were cancelled due to potential hand surgery and hurricane. All part of getting older, which is not granted to many.  Some may say my photos are dark (like my boys did) however if you truly know me, you know I have a dark sense of humor and bright colors and faking a smile is far from who I am." I loved this side of Crystal! It was this moment when I remembered exactly what I wanted to capture in these sessions: authenticity. You being unapologetically you. As I left the session that day, I felt a fire inside of me that I hadn't felt before. A new journey was upon me. And I had just exited my first stop.