A bouquet of happy! Portrait session for Anna in Portland Maine
Anna is a truly remarkable woman. When she called and we chatted I had no idea what her whole story would be. We ended up having a long conversation which was great as I really love getting to know my clients before the session. She mentioned that she read a few of my personal blog posts and she really appreciated the work I was doing with woman. She loved the idea of a session to celebrate 'her'. She had some tough history and she wanted this to be something fun, something she had never done for herself.
When she came into the studio for the consult before the session she brought several dresses and we made plans for the session. We started to get to know each other a bit. I told her about my Gardenia Project. The project will share stories of strength from women in all walks of life. ( I have been working on this idea for sometime now. It has taken a few turns and it looks like now in addition to portraits the interview portion will be a podcast!) Anna told me her story and my respect for her grew. I am always amazed by people who are so positive even after having really awful experiences. It would be so easy to take something that was so bad, for so long, and really let it turn you into a negative person. Always expecting the worst from life and people. Anna has clearly decided that will never be the case for her. She was immediately on board to be part of the Gardenia Project too.
Anna is stunning and was a joy to capture. She was just so full of life! We laughed a whole lot throughout the session. When I showed her the portraits in the back of the camera she was surprised and excited. It was so lovely to show her how beautiful she is on the outside to match her spirit on the inside.
As the Gardenia Project starts rolling out she will be one of the first interviews and blog entries I share. And I can't wait to do so! In the meantime here are a few portraits from her session. I love her flair - for purple hair, peacock feathers, the sunflower bouquet and bright colors! She brought all the things that make her most happy to share and keep in her images as reminders. After all that is what life is all about. (:
PS - The images for the project aren't being shared in this post. I am saving them for The Gardenia Project blog post. You can come back and see them soon.
In dreams
- Jen
