Making pictures has been a part of my life since I was a kid. I even went to a fancy private art school and got my BFA, partly to prove to myself that I was a professional. That education gave me space to grow—and taught me that I already held many of the answers I was searching for.

Throughout my career, I’ve photographed celebrities, worked with major brands, and had my work published in some of my favorite magazines. But none of that taught me how to slow down, or how to listen to and care for my body. Over time, I realized that pretending I had it all together only pulled me further from the kind of pictures I actually wanted to make—and the way I wanted to make them.

So I found a new way.

The kind of space I needed in photography didn’t exist, so I made it. A place with room to try things. To mess up. To tell the truth.

I care about this work more than anything I’ve ever done. Which means I’m afraid of getting it wrong. But I keep showing up. I’m learning, still, how to let myself be seen. How to stay soft. How to remain!

The Embodied Portrait Session—and this little world I call Truly Spectacular—helps me remember what matters. It’s a practice. A letting go. For me, and for the people I photograph.

These days, I try to approach my work like a dance, with a light heart and a mind open to surprise. I’m constantly putting into practice what The Embodied Portrait Session has taught me: that I can be myself, wherever I am—and that’s the most freeing feeling in the world.