"Thank you for making me look pretty."
Last summer, a client told me this with a bright smile after I showed her the portraits I just made of her by the sea at sunrise.
It was then I realised empowerment can be as simple as that - to show another woman that she is being seen as she is.
After the photoshoot, she told me about giving up her dream of becoming a dentist, moving to Hong Kong from her hometown for her ex-husband, raising three young boys as a housewife for a decade, regaining her agency by becoming a yoga instructor and recently coming out of a divorce.
There were stories I listened to before portrait sessions, which set the direction and tone of the shoot; and here this story was, surprised and touched me deeply.
There are several types of portrait experiences I offer, from yoga and lifestyle photography to “Tell Your Story” sessions that dramatise your life story. But it was that bright August morning that I realised —
A beautiful portrait of you says it all.
It's not vanity.
It’s that feeling of finally being recognised for who you truly are.
It's that visible proof of "look, this is me."
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So here I am,
ready to offer you that safe space to be yourself,
ready to see you.
