I Heart Faces | Emerge

I Heart Faces is having their monthly photo contest. This month's theme is "Best Face of 2013". Wow. Well. How does someone choose THAT? I have clients I adore. Mothers crying at weddings. Fathers crying at weddings. Grooms crying at weddings. Grooms whose faces are so wreathed with joy that goosebumps literally break out when I think about the shot. Brides who are nervous, giddy with happiness, overwhelmed by love and always, always beautiful. Girls on the dance floor who flat out crack. me. up.  I have high school seniors who have beaten all odds. And seniors who are just flat out gorgeous.

And then there are my children. I have three. How can you ask which is the best face?

But you did.

And so I chose the most recent shoot, from December, right before Christmas. Not so much because it is my only favorite, but because it is the one most recently on my hard drive. So, if you read this, Ben or Megan, YOU are my favorites, too. Maybe the next contest will fall right after one of your shoots. :) XOXO

There is a little bit of a story associated with this photograph. I promise not to bore you with it, but keeping it short and sweet, my daughter, Annie and I had one of those "moments". One of those "Holy Cow, you are growing up, and I don't think I am ready" moments. We realized, that at the ripe young age of fourteen, she is now the same size I was at my wedding. Then it was, "Can I try your dress on?" And, "It's sooooo beautiful. It feels amazing." She had the epiphany, girls. You know the one. The one that says you put on something amazing and suddenly feel different. I looked at her, and she was carrying herself differently...not my floppy, gangly, long arms and legs girl...but a princess...maybe a queen. Goose bumps popped out on my arms, and I said (and yes, it was 10:30 at night), "How about I take your pictures?"

The light in this photograph is one hundred percent ambient. She was sitting on my bedroom floor...my TRASHED bedroom floor, I might add...with the bathroom behind her. To her left was a stack of books. Behind her was a laundry hamper. I didn't use photoshop to clean up the background. I just underexposed it enough that you wouldn't know it was there. :)  I used the shade from the lamp to sculpt the shadows and grabbed some paper and a laundry hamper lid (not sure which for this shot....thinking the hamper lid) to act as a reflector. And that was it.

She loves these shots. I do, too, and this one in particular. She feels as beautiful as she is. And for one startling, stunning, electrifying moment...I am seeing her as the woman who is emerging from inside her. It is bittersweet for me. And more than a little empowering for her.

And, I've said too much after all...so I will just share the photograph. :)

My baby.

I Heart Faces



Smiles,
Angelina

Read more at http://www.iheartfaces.com/how-it-works/grab-a-button/#DP7jOpq17gCzKYxR.99

Read more at http://www.iheartfaces.com/how-it-works/grab-a-button/#DP7jOpq17gCzKYxR.99