Senior Session: Cait H.- Grafton Class of 2014 | Hampton Roads Senior Photographer

Hi!

Remember a couple of months ago I blogged about an in-person consultation and mentioned that you would seriously want to stay tuned because the client's session was going to ROCK? Well this is THAT SESSION!

Working with Cait was sincerely a BLAST. She was filled with smiles, had tons of energy, was willing to get all up in the sand just to get the shot (and because I asked her pretty please), and was AS EXCITED, if not more excited than I was about the shoot! 

Plus, she CRAB-WALKED across the sand for me. Yes, I said "crab-walked." I had gotten up out of the sand to show Cait where I needed her to move for me and all of a sudden she's crab-walking over! I was SO BUMMED I wasn't ready at the shutter!

Ok enough chatter, here are some images of this beautiful Grafton High School Senior!

LOVE her pink pants!

So right between THIS shot ^^^ and the one below, there was some crab-walk action happening.

 

So this is where I have to stop and take a minute to tell you something about Cait. Cait is a Colorado girl at heart- she even went back home there to get her driver's license (does she have the coolest mom, or what?!). Because of living in multiple states and attending multiple schools Cait had to be on multiple swim teams (oh, by the way, Cait is one kick-butt swimmer- she is the only female on this year's SEVA National Swim Team and is choosing colleges based on their swim team options)- Cait lettered at BOTH High Schools she has attended- both here and in Colorado.

So of course we had to capture it. :) Cait's kind of a rockstar.

Thank you, Cait, for a great session and for making my job super easy and SUPER enjoyable!

Best of luck picking schools and I can't wait to see you swim in the Olympics one day!

Best,
Sarah

*Hair and makeup by Fatal Beauty Hair and Makeup Artistry

Preferences | Hampton Roads Woman

Hi.

This post is not going to be my usual post. 

Something was brought to my attention this morning by a fellow 'tog and it's something I found that I couldn't just acknowledge, respond to, and then simply return to my daily grind. This something was a discussion of the hurtful and incredible things that can and, unfortunately, ARE said to us women. 

More specifically about the female body and the "right" way to look.

I'm a woman. I'm damned proud of it. I have my insecurities; as I truly believe EVERY. SINGLE. HUMAN. BEING. DOES. I worry about my skills as a photographer. I worry about if people like me. I worry whether or not when I wear yoga pants people look at me and think "she should NOT be wearing those." I'm not afraid to admit that I DO WORRY about my body. 

I do, to some extent, think it's natural to want what we do not have; and for many that is a certain feature about their physical appearance.

But I've had ENOUGH.

It is NOT OK to point out to someone something that YOU deem to be a "flaw." Who are we to determine what is beautiful in someone else? Sure, we all have "things" or "features" we are attracted to in others and that's fabulous; to know what you admire or appreciate in the human body is great! But to have the audacity to FORCE those preferences on to someone else- especially that someone who does not possess our preferred features is NOT our place. And that's exactly what is happening every time we judge someone: we're forcing our preference on to them.

On that same note why don't we all stop being that very person who forces the preferences on ourselves. Why do we  I continuously compare ourselves myself to those we I believe "have it all?" Why do we I BULLY OURSELVES MYSELF in to thinking we're I'm not beautiful, or "good enough?"

Why can't we I focus on the things we I find beautiful?

I've decided, after this morning, that I need to remind myself that others cannot determine my beauty or self-worth. Who cares if people think I "shouldn't be wearing those pants?" You know what? I think I should be wearing those pants! And gosh darn it I'm gonna!

My beauty, my body, is my own to make of it. Only I get to choose which parts are rockin' and which I want to change. And hell, if I decide it's all rockin' than I guess I'm just that awesome!

Please, my beautiful and wonderful sisters out there, don't let anyone else decide how you should be or look. Don't even LET PEOPLE influence your preferences about yourself. It's a preference only we can determine; and our own preference is the only one that matters.

With love,
Sarah