It's Me | Chihuahua Portrait Photographer

*Updated that my then boyfriend is now my husband :)* 

I have a crooked nose.  Big hips.  Short legs.  Really skinny hands.  One eye is bigger than the other.  Both eyes are pretty big as it is.  I have a crooked tooth.  Big gums and a big mouth.  Small ears.  Jiggly upper arms.  

As a photographer, I have been in front of the camera a few times.  Very few times.  Because I know how it feels to be on the other side.  Being nervous.  Feeling insecure.  Feeling awkward.  Will the angles favor my huge child bearing hips?  Is my smile too big and show my gums?  And the list goes on.  So I know how it must feel for you.

This past week, I asked my boyfriend to take my photo.  I needed new head shots for my website, blog, and Facebook and I thought the practice would be good for him.  I had never before been excited to have someone photograph me.  And this made me think, it's not the insecurities that keep you from having a professional session, it's the photographer.  

The photographer makes all the difference.

 I am comfortable being myself in front of my boyfriend.  I'm not afraid to make silly faces or laugh really hard.  I'm not afraid that he'll make me look awkward or weird.  And the occasional, "you are beautiful" definitely helps boost the confidence, ya know!

We all have insecurities That one particular thing that is the bane of our existence.  That thing that keeps us from having our photo taken.  We fear the camera for showing us our worst.  But sometimes, the camera shows you that all of your insecurities were solely in your mind.  In your warped mind that you need to look like someone else.  That you are not enough.

You are beautiful.  You are interesting.  

Finding that photographer that you can trust to make you see the best version of you is key.  When I photograph my clients I know they're nervous.  I know that they're thinking of their insecurities.  Their flaws.  I talk and get to know them.  Before the session and during the session and usually we end up becoming friends.  After 20 minutes, those flaws fade away and what comes out is pure and honest. It's their personality.  Who they really are: beautiful inside and out.

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