The Peace Brain Show with Dr Gail Lash and special guest Karen Kelly

After graduating with a BFA, I went into the graphic design field and worked as a designer for 13 years. After an unexpected layoff, I had a LOT of time on my hands. One afternoon, my kids and I put together an impromptu styled shoot, just for fun. We pulled out every prom, party, and homecoming dress we owned, big fake flowers beaded purses, a BUNCH of safety pins, and all piled in the car on a whim.  Styled shoots were only just gaining popularity and I'd  only seen a few examples posted online and wasn't entirely sure what I'd gotten myself into. My daughter, Chelsea, was really the driving force behind the whole idea. Most of the photos were crap but I ended up with a few really striking images.  I was delighted with the result and promptly posted the images on facebook. Within 48 hours, friends were beginning to inquire about the possibility of me shooting them and/or their kids.  At first I balked....until one friend said the magic words, "I'll pay you." Mind. Blown . . . I couldn't believe my ears!  "Pay? Me? to take photos of your kids? Um, sure, I guess I can do that."  One thing led to another and within a month, I was booked solid. I never looked back.

This question always left me stumbling for words early on in my career. What's NOT to like about shooting portraits for a living? By the time I actually became a "photographer," I already had a thorough understanding of SLR's, darkroom practices, image composition, and Photoshop skills. Honestly, it felt like kids play from day one.

The real fun for me, the challenging part, was working out my personal style. 
As a fledgeling photographer, I took every job that was offered. If anyone wanted to book me, I let them! Family Sessions? Maternity? Newborn? Weddings? Senior Portraits? Boudoir? Second Shooting? "YES! I do that!" It was a great education. I learned to deal with cranky toddlers, distracted fathers, drunken bridesmaids, late clients, anxious wives, insulted wedding party members and more. So much more. Most importantly, I learned that I absolutely love individual portrait sessions. I love going one on one with a person, getting them to loosen up, making them laugh so I know exactly what it looks like when they are truly smiling. That's when the real magic happens. I tend to talk about all kinds of things with my subjects when I'm shooting. It's the easiest way to get my client to relax and allows me to get a wide variety of facial expressions. 

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I'VE LEARNED is that all of us, male, female, fat, tall, skinny, short, young, old, in-between - truly want to be seen in all our beauty, if only for a moment. We want another person to look at us and see the beauty that resides in our soul.

The issues that affect our ability to feel beautiful are close to my heart because I understand them. I've worked in advertising and marketing. I've done my part to make brands and products more attractive and alluring than they really are.  The world is body-conscious, image-conscious and is becoming ever more so. I see young girls and women who are, or are about to become, grandmothers (and men and boys too!) dealing with the same confidence-undermining, anxiety-inducing fears. We're too fat, too pimply, too wrinkled, too freckled, too skinny, too flat-chested, too buxom.....we're all too much and so not enough. Until, someone shows us, in glorious Kodak color that we ARE effing gorgeous. Then, then, we know. We are enough. 

While I prefer shooting individual portraits, I also family sessions. Family portraits are important because they capture us with our tribe; they serve to remind us of those we love the most and why we do all that we do.  Even in family portraits I try to work in individual portraits of each person as well as the group shots. I no longer take on weddings. There are wonderful wedding photographers out there who truly excel at recording that most special of days. I'm much more adept at capturing one or a few people at their very best. It took me several years to stop taking every client that came my way but now I work with those clients whose goals fall in line with my strengths as a photographer. I know where I excel as a photographer and I know what I want to accomplish. I want to make the world feel beautiful, one person at a time. 

So, the answer to that question, "what do I love most about photography?" It's the phone call or text I get after the image gallery is delivered that says, "Oh my Gosh! You made me look BEAUTIFUL!" That's when I know I succeeded, that I did my work and I did it well. Every single time I hear that, or some variation of it, my heart swells with gratitude and joy. Another beautiful soul has finally seen their own glory.