There’s a huge gulf between life transitions and personal transformations.

The first can be a new job, new town, marriage, divorce, engagement, motherhood, new friendships, aging. Transformations are how we change because of those transitions. Some transitions are easy to adjust to-others may seen to come upon us all at once and we don’t know where to turn. We need to find fortitude and will to see across the gulf to the other side, where we may be utterly transformed by out experiences. In fact there may be other times when we hardly recognize ourselves from last month or last year.

I’ve moved 11 times in my life with my husband to all 4 corners of the US. Each time I saw it as an adventure. New sights, new sounds, new people and an opportunity for personal growth. My transformation was a slow one though. I started out as a teacher, became a goldsmith and mom. Then I discovered my passion: Portrait Photography. There’s such a thrilling connection and trust when we open up to someone. Fears of bad results (what we’ve learned from past bad photographic experiences) are allayed and they are replaced with a sense of comfort and confidence. For me transformation is the blossoming of an individual in front of the camera, exploring emotions, expressions, body language and style. It’s an exciting experience both for the “viewer” and the “viewee”. (Is that a word?) It’s evident in the before and after images of clients that transformations have taken place not just in terms of their appearance, but that something inside has shifted too. They can forever look at their photographs and say “This is me. Here I am. I am beautiful.”