She was told she wouldn’t survive the storm. She replied that she was the storm.
Miss J and I go back a bit. A lot has changed for both of us over the years. I’m not going into details here but she had a major life upheaval recently that radically changed everything for her. After a long, dark, rough time, she’s slowly making it back to the light.
So it made sense that we reconnect with a session during my recent visit home. We went with a rebirth/reemergence train of thought as we got reacquainted with working with each other and her exploring her new found freedom.
I’m not going to lie, I was a bit nervous. This was my first sunset session in a long time so I was going to be rusty with the lights, the gear, giving direction when/if needed, et cetera.
To add to the fun, thanks to seasonal flooding, my usual haunts were under three feet of lake water. This meant I had to find a new location that would provide a sunset over water, some privacy, space to shoot, easy-ish access to the site and such.
On top of that, and most importantly, I didn’t want to disappoint or hurt Miss J. One of the most vital lessons I try to instill into my photo students is the fact that we carry a huge responsibility. Any portrait session can go one of two ways. They can either build up someone’s self image and confidence or they can dash it all. Do real damage. Bad light, bad poses, faulty gear, et cetera would do just that.
Oh, and she was going to drive three hours to the location, do the 3 hour sunset session, and then drive three hours back home when it was done. Back to work the next day, even. Nope, no pressure.
I wanted her to feel like she was the superstar that she really was. To show that she has faced the storm, the storm did its worst, and she came through stronger than ever.
Confident. Fearless. Zero f*cks to give for what you think of her.
That was my only goal.
Mission accomplished.
Photography by Mark K 