Portrait shoot// Houston, Texas// October 13, 2021
AVAILABILITY UPDATE
I am now booking Fresh 48 and Birth sessions through July! Email inquiries.
Enjoy this sweetness from newborn session with Dorothy, Moses and their beautiful new baby Iris!
Leslie
Portrait shoot// Houston Texas// August 21, 2021
Bring On The Tears!
I'm thinking about which part of a birth story I am most excited about capturing, and am finding it REALLY difficult to type these words for some reason. I think it is because, in concept, it is the journey that I'm excited about... the whole thing. The "hero's journey" is vaguely outlined with this progression: introduction/ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal of/resistance to the call, supernatural aid/meeting a mentor, crossing the first threshold, tests, innermost cave, ordeal, reward, the road back home, resurrection/redemption, return with gift. The reason that most/many movies and books follow this outline is because THIS IS LIFE. Our lives are OUR hero's journeys, and we have smaller versions of them all along the way- from breakups to the death of a loved one to mid-life crises, etc. Heck- even some of my days follow this outline! In the grand scheme of things, it seems like we are almost always (if not DEFINITELY always) in one of these phases. That's why it's so easy to relate to and gratifying to watch, because we know it, we're experiencing it, we FEEL it!
That said, maybe because of the phase in which I am now (or maybe just because of who I am), the part that I flippin feeeeel, even just thinking about it, is the reward. The moment that ALL that pain and effort turns into laughter and happy tears... thats what lights me up. Thats what makes my heart feel all glowy. I am ALL about the beauty in the strength and fear and rawness of labor, as well as the peace, relief and joy of postpartum, really! But if I'm compleeeeeetly honest with myself (and you guys), it's those few moments of intensity for me- when mom and dad look like they're having a breakdown and a breakthrough all at the same time- and everyone’s in a state of RELEASE and crying (there's tears welling up in my eyes right now just righting about it- I know, I'm super corny). That's what I really REALLY love.
Of course, I know that these moments look different for everyone. And some people may not cry at all, which is perfect and right for them and I will be honored and excited to capture the beauty in WHATEVER it looks like. But selfishly, I soooooooo look forward to seeing that tear streaming down dads face as he smiles at his new little buddy with a twinkle in his eyes. And that upside down open mouth smile that I can only describe as sobs of joy from mom. Mannnn, such yummy goodness- SUCH feels!
Drawing With Light - Why I'm Into Birth Photography
in Featured
When I was in college, studying photography, I heard a definition of the word ”photograph” that stuck with me. The word photograph was coined in 1839 by Sir John Herschel and is based on the Greek word 'phos', meaning 'light', and 'graphê', meaning 'drawing'. So, a photographer is… one who draws with light. Drawing was my minor and I have always loved doing it, AND STILL, for me, there is nothing like capturing the real thing. Not a rendering or a likeness but the actual light that is there, that exists.
As far as a subject, I have never wanted to take photos of anything but people. I lovvvvvve people- in all our complexities and layers, our waves of emotion and not-so-linear growth. I am fascinated by our pain, and joy, and doubt and hope- and underneath it all, I really believe that we are love. It feels to me like we come into this world as pure consciousness and love. Then, after we learn how to be humans in today’s culture, we spend the rest of our lives journeying back to that place within ourselves- of wholeness, oneness, compassion and unconditional love. My passion for birth photography stems from wanting to “draw with light”, in an atmosphere that is SO FULL of it. The light of a woman transcending what she thinks she is capable of, the light of a new little being starting their own EPIC journey, and the light of community coming together, in whatever raw emotion or energy shows up, to support their fellow humans, on one of the most important and challenging days of their lives.
For much of my life, I fought my body and suppressed my intuition. For many reasons, societal and individual, my natural human instincts got warped into addictions, eating disorders and dysfunctional patterns of thought and coping. Through much therapy, recovery work, spiritual practice and progressively supportive relationships, I am getting better and better at not just listening to my body and intuition but honoring them and acting on their behalf! It has been a long and winding path, and I am grateful to be where I am on it. I would not be here without MANY loving (and some unloving) guides and cheerleaders that were absolutely critical to my growth and healing. I am sure there are still many to come… and I want to be that for others. I want to be in the room with birthing people- believing in them when they doubt their strength or intuition, rooting for them (however quietly), and capturing the primal and essential beauty in their faces, bodies, relationships and experiences!
I have not given birth yet, but I have been through many quite painful transitions/transformations. I have a calming, grounded, totally gleeful energy that I think will be supportive and welcome in the birthing space, but mostly- I see the best in people and I care, a lot! I cannot pay those back who have cared enough to support me through my pain, but I can pay it forward by supporting others through theirs… and can’t WAIT to get started.
Lauren and Miggs
Engagement shoot// Wimberley, Texas// August 12, 2021
Artwork by Mothabug (Click image to see more from this beautiful soul flower star seed)
Why Yoga?
Yoga is a combination of poses and balanced physical movement, breath and meditation techniques, and spiritual and ethical concepts that, when practiced on a daily basis and eventually embodied in all our affairs, can guide us into living in alignment with health, harmony, and the natural flow of conscious evolution.
We live in a world focussed primarily on image, consuming, the superficial, and convenience. The technological advancement in the last couple centuries is amazing and has provided a type of instantaneous connection around the globe that earth has never seen before. But as a result of the excitement and instant gratification derived from external capabilities we now have, we have become imbalanced and lost much of the connection our ancestors once had to each other, to mother earth and within. These days, there is so much value placed on science, thought, the mind and our divine masculine traits that many of us have forgotten what is possible when we embrace our emotions, intuition, the wisdom of our hearts and all that comes with the power of the divine feminine. Yoga is not only the union of body, mind and soul but also the union of polarities. Masculine and feminine, yin and yang, the manifested and the un-manifested (prakriti and purusha)... I think it is only natural for the pendulum to swing back and forth, favoring one side and then the other throughout evolution of life on earth. But as we grow, the goal is to move ever towards balance, like the fibonacci spiral- getting closer and closer to source, to perfection, and to embodying divine infinite consciousness. I love yoga because this is what its all about- meeting and accepting ourselves (and the universe) where we’re at and putting in the time, attention and effort- to allow for growth to happen. This is what I believe our purpose is here on earth (at least mine is)- to develop inner connection, to transcend personal karma, to let source flow through us and to do our part in serving the whole. When I have a strong personal practice and surround myself with others who have the same (whether it be yoga, meditation or some personal concoction of awareness building techniques), it takes exponentially less effort for me to stay grounded, strong, excited, inspired and connected to this purpose, rather than getting fooled, caught up in and dragged down by ego and my addictive mind.
Find people that support your growth. And if you are ready, commit to a 40 or 90 day sadhana (personal practice). Start small! Dedicate a reasonable amount of time per day, that you think you can/will stick to, and see what happens. Let’s see what we’re truly capable of… I think, for most of us, it’s WAY MORE than we currently believe.
An Idol of Mine
I wrote a little something about my uncle (dad’s bigbrother). I’d like to share it with you...
When I think of Bob, many, many things come to mind. Adventures on Duck Lake, imaginative stories he made up at bed time for all of us kids, working with him on block activities and brain training games when there was concern about my learning progress, massages and cranial-sacral, goofy nicknames, rocks and numerous other things that seemed super out-there or just plain boring to me as a child, but that I am increasingly interested in and treasure the gift of early exposure to. As an adult, I continue to receive the blessings of Bob's presence in my life. He is a trusted advisor, confidant, and source of guidance, unconditional love, accountability and big laughs! He is not afraid to bring up the difficult or uncomfortable topics either, and is someone that it is safe to have those conversations with. Most times, I feel like he can see right through me - through my social masks and protective shields - right to the core. I love this, and sometimes I need this - especially at those times in my life when I have tried to hide certain facets of my life or personality from the world, or even from myself.
There was this one time, when I was a little girl (younger than five) and after a LONG drive from Texas to Michigan to spend the summer with our aunts, uncles and cousins, we arrived at the cabins in Interlochen. My mom parked the car and all four of us kids tumbled out. Uncle Bob, giant in stature and presence, stepped out of the cabin onto the porch and greeted my mom and then my brother and sisters. I waited for the last hug. I don't know why exactly but I think maybe because I wanted his full attention, and to have time for a good long hug without everyone else waiting for theirs. He kneeled down and gave me just that, a really substantial hug. Everyone else had gone inside or was running around by this time. He pulled back to look at me and asked "How's my special girl?"... I don't think I can convey with words what that moment meant to me, or why it has stayed so clear in my memory for over twenty-five years. All I can say is that it was the way he looked at me - not with, but through his eyes. It was in his tone of voice, his smile and the time he took - to check in, with a 4 year old. I, of course, didn't know it at the time - but much self-examination and reflection over the years has revealed a deep seeded need to be AND to be seen as "special". This need is not unique to me - as it turns out, we are all special and have a very fundamental human need for community, appreciation and acceptance - but this impression, of needing "specialness" has been a focal point and common theme throughout my growth and ability to understand my self as an individual. Now, I don't know if Bob sensed this need in me, but I do know that he has a way of tuning in to what is needed in a situation or individual and making those around him feel seen, loved and absolutely special - like he did for me on that day, and has ever since. I am continually inspired by his dedicated presence and spirit of generosity and service to his family, his community and to humanity.
I hope you all have an “Uncle Bob” in your life- I am incredibly grateful for mine!
Mental Redirect
What do you do when you feel like you’re in a funk or when your ego tells you you’re not good enough? Do you ever find that you’re comparing your life and your self to every dreamy feed you see on Instagram? I do.
If I could get one message out to the world, spread one concept on earth in this life- it would be the same one I need to hear, often. I would tell anyone who feels alone, less than, not good enough or broken that they are beautiful and unique. I would tell them to embrace the perfectly imperfect, weird, awesome, compassionate, wise, beautiful being they are- with all their light and all their shadow. I would tell them that there is something out there that only they can do, or somebody out there that only they can help. That we are all one. That we are here to heal and evolve. And that they are an integral part of that.
I KNOW these are cliches and that you’ve heard it all before. But I’m saying it again because it’s easy to slip into resistance, fear, doubt and the small-self/limited stories we let run in our heads about who and what we are. All most of us need to be so much happier is the courage to be true to ourselves, focus on what we can do to make this world a better place and stop wishing or trying to be someone else. Like Oscar Wilde said, those roles are already taken.
Ive made a commitment to myself lately that, any time I notice I’m caught up in fear, comparison or other people’s perception of me, I will practice a mental and energetic “redirect”. I made a list of 5 actions I can choose from to shift my mood and highly recommend this, as it almost never fails to make me feel better. Your actions don’t have to be the same as mine. You can make up your own options... but here are 3 of mine to get the ideas flowing.
- 3 minutes of “ego eradicator” (A simple but powerful yogic breath practice that can help elevate our mood and break up energetic blocks. If you’re interested in this just type it in your search bar and COUNTLESS instructions and tutorials will pop up.)
- Have a solo dance party! (1 song minimum)
- Read something inspiring (For me this depends where I’m at emotionally but ranges from Eckhart Tolle to Paulo Coehlo to Brene Brown to Swami Rama, Rumi, Don Miguel Ruiz, etc. etc. I could go on forever here)
The other “redirects” I choose from have to do with meditation, mantra and affirmations (said enthusiastically into a mirror, haha), which are all GREAT options. But they can be anything you want them to be, whatever works for you... Below is a video of me practicing my favorite option. If you got nothing else from this post, at least maybe you’ll get a laugh outa watching me dance like a total dork! *Song dedicated to my ego- because it’s a liar.*
NO SHAME 😉 Love Love Love to you all!
The All-Too-Easily Forgettable Truth
YOU are a sweet, unique and POWERFUL manifestation of the intelligent source of life. You are EXACTLY where you are meant to be. Everything you have gone through and are going through is preparing you for what you are here to do. Have faith in the divine timing of our intricately designed and interweaving paths. Be grateful for the joys and challenges in your life, there is great medicine in both. You are strong and whole and peeling away layers of trauma and conditioning to uncover your beautiful and radiant soul! There is no need to seek your purpose. Be still, look inward, and your intuition will guide you- in alignment with it- moment by moment.
Just putting this out there in case anyone else tends to let their mind/ego beat them up, shame them and obscure their view of the miracle they are (I read it to remind myself often, sometimes daily)!
Because life is hard and WILD and awesome. Sweet! Full of pleasure, pain, fear, love, trauma, healing, loneliness, connection and an INFINITY of polarities that come with this physical existence. It’s a flippin’ TRIP And guess what...
“The process of self-healing is the privilege of every being. Self-healing is not a miracle, nor is self-healing a dramatization of the personality as though you could do something superior. Self-healing is a genuine process of the relationship between the physical and the infinite power of the soul.” -Yogi Bhajan
Love Love Love to you all!
Familiar Faces
I've been thinking a lot about reflections lately - family, friends, relationship dynamics, co-creation as well as the simultaneous beauties and dangers of interdependence. It's fascinating to me how easy it can be to slip into taking people, things or one's own existence in general for granted, over and over and over again! Sometimes we can access states of bliss or harmony and for periods of time (however brief or extended) we are able to remain in complete awe, gratitude and reverence of the vast wonders in this LIFE... but then a single blow to the ego, whether it resulted from a new desire, some unmet expectation or just the fluctuation of subtle but ever-flowing energy waves that can leave us feeling temporarily bored or dispassionate, and BOOM, we forget it all! The more we can remind ourselves of the truly precious nature of our reality, in which each and every person we meet is an opportunity to evolve and grow; bringing with them a whole new set of lessons- unique to that individual and your shared connection, the more we will experience it as such...
This is a series I did in a portfolio class at SCAD, for which I dressed up and posed as stereotypical characters inspired by my closest family members and friends at the time. Using myself as the canvas, with exaggerated personality traits and over animated facial expressions in my portrayals, the photographs became caricatures rather than portraits, mocking our tendency to unintentionally (or intentionally) label those around us. The playful nature of these pieces is intended to dispute the value and accuracy of these silly boxes we try to place people in... especially since we are essentially just reflections of each other - manifestations of the same nature.
"The beauty you see in me, is a reflection of you."
~ Rumi ♥