Let me take a selfie…

There are a million pictures of Addie. I don’t think this is hyperbole. I think this is actually an underestimate of the amount of time she spends in front of my camera. She loves to play and laugh, and when she hears, “Look up!” She responds with a “cheeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaasssssssssseeeeeeee,” although most of the time she’s not looking right at me, she does love to flash those pearly whites.

Then there is the gap of photos of just me. No matter what the thought is on having pictures of oneself, I think it is very important. Professionally, of course… but also for our families. I love having pictures of my Dad even though he’s not with us anymore- seeing his face as it got older, wiser and pointing out all the little things that I got from him brings me much inner peace.

I am great at taking pics with my sweet girl… she’s so photogenic and happy (and willing to take pictures- thanks to being a blogger’s kid), that we have hundreds of pictures lining the walls of my cloud server.

But me? The mom that used to be anything but? Not so much. So when I was asked for a head shot for #ListenToYourMother (!) in just a few weeks, I was thrown for a loop.

Well here we go. I’ll be performing something I wrote about motherhood- one aspect that has defined it all for me, and I simply could have titled it, What the Hell is a Selfie?

In college? I was a professional selfie taker…

Now… It’s all baby, belly, dog, food, landscape:

Let’s be real: I barely shower. Why would I photograph that?

But I needed to, right? I mean just having an avatar wasn’t an option… this isn’t the web, this is an IRL show with strong, powerful women, sharing their stories of triumph regardless of tragedy, of strength even during the weakest of times. I needed to put a face to my story.

… and thankfully a friend introduced me to Brianna Smith last year, and she took some great studio shots of me and Addie. When I emailed her asking for help, she made time right away AND changed her schedule to help me! I was ready for my early Sunday shoot, remembering to wake up a bit early to be sure I would have my hair styled (sort-of). I went over a checklist I’d made for myself based off the “prep sheet” Brianna sent me, and I was out the door.

Making me feel welcomed in her home, with a professional area all set up and ready- we got quite a few photos that I really liked (hello Self Confidence)! I am so excited to finally have a professional head shot (took me almost 30 years!), and to have such a wonderful friend and photographer to help me out in a pinch! Making sure to show me what was happening “on film” as we went, meant that I could see what I liked and we could tweak what wasn’t working (like too much belly showing, or my arm not looking quite right).

Brianna is so willing to work with the lighting, backgrounds (of which she has MANY!) and style that you’re looking for. I loved having different colors to choose from- some of which lit up my hair, some my eyes, and some just neutral and perfect for any occasion. Check out Brianna on FACEBOOK and book your session soon- for yourself, your family, on set or outdoors! She can do it all- from family to professional!

 

Brianna did these photos for me in exchange for a blog post. As usual, all thoughts are uniquely my own and not influenced by outside sources.