The people I’ve met have shaped how I see the world and what opportunities come my way; the places I’ve been have shown me new opportunity and perspective; and the things I’ve invested in have helped to push me into a career I love.

Within the confines of these three categories I can easily see the path I’ve carved for myself, and I want to share which decisions have been most helpful.

PEOPLE

Are the people in your life good for you?

Just like food and exercise, you need the people you surround yourself with to lift you up and support you. Those who do not, might not be worth having around. It is easy to assume that we are victims in this situation (please note sometimes we certainly are), when in fact we often have the power to change our circumstance. The moment we realize that, it becomes our task to make the change.

I have struggled with being used and letting people take advantage of me, and that is only my fault – for not saying no, for not surrounding myself with better people. We must all learn what kind of people we are first, and then find others who will support that.

PLACES

Where are you located? What types of places do you like to be? These things have a huge impact on happiness. I lived in LA for a long time yet I am not a city girl. I wanted so badly to move yet never did anything about it. I always felt like I was supposed to be there, until I realized I could go anywhere and make that my home. I was afraid to leave my friends and afraid that the opportunities in LA would not follow me elsewhere. But wherever you build your life is where your heart is, and opportunities will follow.

When you travel somewhere, remember to be genuinely grateful to be there. I travel a lot, and one thing that I avoid like the plague is to become complacent. Anytime you see a new location, be it exotic or an hour from your home, remember the beauty of this amazing planet.

Everything is amazing, even the things that don’t seem very amazing. I was recently in Kolkata, India and I went to visit Garbage Mountain…literally all of the city’s trash piled up into a monstrous mound. Some of the things I witnessed there were smoking piles of feces, a graveyard of dead dogs, and every other manner of trash you can imagine. It saddened me above all else, but I did not let the experience escape without finding inspiration in it. The world can produce change.

Everything is an adventure. Anytime I travel anywhere, even if I walk around the block, I remember that anything could happen. I try to make everything that I do into an adventure. I narrate stories in my mind as I walk, drive to places I’ve never been on a whim, and treasure every little thing I see. I try to store it all in my mind as inspiration. The way you see the world is the only thing separating one person from another.

THINGS

We must be careful of THINGS, as too many of them can cloud our judgement of what we need vs. what we want. Never make the mistake of thinking you need the latest equipment. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that MORE will make you BETTER.

I am happiest when I give to others, and I create my best art when I am happy. So I try to give as much as I can.

When I find myself focusing on things I give myself a slap on the wrist since I never want to become materialistic. However, there are certain things that I’ve invested in that have made business possible as well as living a more passionate lifestyle.

Be honest about what you want. Five years ago I moved to Los Angeles knowing that I didn’t want to be there. I was up for adventure and wanted to make films, but knew that I was not a city girl in any way. When that move happened I was honest with myself about where I saw myself living for the long haul. When I realized that I didn’t need to be in LA for business, I moved my family to a very small town with beautiful nature all around. My goal was to buy a house, and even though the house itself was not necessary for success, it was a great goal to work toward and huge investment in happiness.

Be honest about what you need. As a photographer, I hear constantly from other people that they absolutely need something to be successful. This lens, that camera, a new computer, etc…I have been guilty of this, too. But the truth is that we so often need very little. Yes, to be a photographer we need cameras. That is a necessary investment. But never mistake wants for needs. That kind of mistake will only bring disappointment when the equipment refuses to be creative for you.

How do you place value on PEOPLE, PLACES, and THINGS?
What might you need to work on?

For these reasons, I am starting a project entitled “I AM ME” which makes the very clear statement that we should be proud of who we are no matter our differences. The most powerful message of self-acceptance must come from within, and if at all possible, that message should be spread far and wide.

What I ask of you is this: Create a self-portrait. It does not have to be personal, or it can be the most personal thing you have ever photographed. It does not have to be traditional, but must feature you (or part of you) in some way. Along with your self-portrait, I want you to finish this sentence with one word: “I am ________”. 

In the comments of this blog post I want you to share your self portrait by pasting a link and writing the sentence “I am _________”. The deadline is March 15.

It can be incredibly scary. It might be less scary than you think. It might be very difficult to push past how you see yourself to see the truth: your physical beauty is irrelevant. By not seeing yourself for the person you are (a beautiful and unique individual), you buy into the idea that there is a universal standard of beauty.

Let’s not. Let’s do something to change it. Let’s decide, all together, right now, that we can be the main character in our stories. I sincerely hope you’ll join me on this.

In the few times that I have photographed industry models, I have had a much harder time getting what I want. Most people aren’t used to modeling, and that is what I count on when it comes to taking a picture. I don’t want the model to run through 100 poses based on practicing in front of a mirror. That has it’s time and place, but that time and place is never when and where I’m working. I need someone who can become a character. I need someone who has no preconceived notions about what a model does or does not do.

When I shoot, I shoot quickly and decisively. I tell the subject how to pose, often times demonstrating what I mean, and if that doesn’t work, I pose them myself. The great thing about friends is twofold. Usually they are very open to the weird ideas I have and strange poses I pull sometimes. The other good thing is that you have less pressure when trying to get a shot. They are will to go above and beyond for you because they care about you.

In this video you’ll see two different photo shoots. One is with Olivia Clemens, who has been modeling “unofficially” for the last 4 years or so. The other is with KD Stapleton who has had next to no modeling experience. Even though one is very experienced while the other is not, I believe the images, as far as final intent goes, turned out quite equal and I adore photographing them both equally.

I hope that you’ll feel encouraged to create no matter who it’s with. Every person has the potential to be a model, or a character in your story.

Every story is worth being told.

So create…no matter what. Challenge yourself and others to be something more than what meets the eye.