This one right here….THIS ONE had me crying and goosebumping and rejoicing in this path of work I’ve chosen for myself. She was nothing but kind and sweet and trusting….but I could tell that she was going to be a hard sell on loving photos of herself. The woman standing in front of me was beautiful and funny and resilient and INCREDIBLE. However, my intuitive nature, along with all the words she wasn’t saying, told me that she perhaps was going to have a very difficult time seeing what I see. She’d been through SO much, and I could see the pain in her eyes as she tried not to get into it at the risk of not being able to stop crying during her session.

I’m not going to lie…my usual excitement and confidence going into a photo reveal appointment was replaced with nerves and jitters for hers. I knew how happy I was with the finished product, and I LOVEDDDD the images….but I wasn’t feeling assured that even these images that show her as the work of art she is would actually be as well received for her as they were for me.

We sat through her 3 minute theatrical slideshow in dead silence. Nobody made a peep, and I don’t think I took more than one breath the entire time…which would explain how lightheaded I got towards the end, waiting for any sort of reaction at all. The slideshow ended, she turned around, we locked eyes, and through tears and sobs she repeated “Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.”

She had seen what I saw, and she was art.

Her words:

““AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. Best photoshoot experience I've ever had in my entire life (and I've done A LOT). I felt completely comfortable, safe, at home, trusting, and valued every step of the way…”

“I've had a REALLY difficult year in every way imaginable, filled with so much trauma and loss, so I went into this shoot with hopes that I'd feel more comfortable in my skin and with who I've become.

I mean, I knew Kara was an incredibly gifted photographer, Ioved her work, and trusted her process, but I guess I wasn't expecting them to be so good because of my own lack of confidence. I'm my own worst critic, type-A personality, OCD to the max, and SUPER picky about photographs of myself. I told myself I'd be lucky to find a dozen that I was okay with.”

“Boy, was I WRONG. The slideshow at my reveal left me SPEECHLESS (which is also rare) and with tears uncontrollably streaming down my face. Sobbing was all I could do in awe. Seeing myself in a positive way was empowering, but caught me completely off guard. It was overwhelming…”

“Kara was able to catch the true essence of who I am and a vulnerability that doesn't usually come through in photographs….”

“With well over 100 shots to choose from, I LOVED EVERY SINGLE ONE. KARA: THANK YOU FOR FINDING & SEEING ME.” -C

And with that, I’m again covered with goosebumps. This is what it’s all about. It’s about opening eyes, gaining self love, shifting perspectives, and recognizing how incredible YOU are. Thank you SO much, C, for your kindness, your beautiful words, and most importantly for trusting me to give you this experience and these finished products, even when you were unsure you’d be able to cherish them. I’m over-the-moon that you have the most exquisite collection of images to treasure forever.

Our photo shoot experiences are amazing and fun as we create and break down barriers, and I watch as women work on their confidence right in front of me. But the photo reveals....the reveals are where it’s at. That’s where alllll of my job satisfaction lies and I will always selfishly want to be present when women see their images for the first time and experience their jaws hitting the floor and their eyes tearing up as they gawk in disbelief that they could look so fierce and powerful and confident and Goddess-y.

Some women are completely silent, even after their slideshow plays...they just sit there, stunned, with their hand over their mouth. Some women are SCREAMING “OHHHH. MYYYY. GODDDDDD” as each image flashes on the screen. Some women are sobbing messes. Some women spill their guts about why they needed this so badly at this stage in their lives. Some women play it cool and casual as they order their full collection but then send me a lengthy e-mail as soon as they get home about what it all meant to them. Regardless of how differently they may process it, they all move me tremendously and marry me to my work.

When they ultimately say “Obviously I can’t choose. I want them all.”, I know that I’ve done my job. Women are notoriously hard on themselves, especially when it comes to their appearance....which is why I maintain that, while obviously all of my experiences will have them looking their best, my primary goal isn’t to make them look smoother or slimmer or more voluptuous than in real life....it’s to make them look strong and capable and cool and CONFIDENT. Because what’s inside matters more, and THAT is the vibe that I want my work to have. Not one of being for someone else’s enjoyment, not one of being overly retouched to the point where it could literally be ANYONE in those photos....but CONFIDENCE.

I am on a mission, one woman at a time, to build CONFIDENCE in all of the women that I come in contact with, because I know the power of confidence as well as I know how crippling insecurity is. And the world NEEDS MORE CONFIDENT WOMEN. Your appearance is the least interesting thing about you, I promise. Let’s work on the inside. Together.