Capturing Confidence

I think we all remember our first photograph.  Although we likely stared in the mirror for a long time after we dressed or wore makeup in the early days, seeing a photograph is an entirely different experience.  Sometimes the photos make your jaw drop as they capture a side of us we always wanted to see…but sometimes the photos are humbling and can trigger a downward spiral as we realize we don’t look quite as how we imagined, or hoped.

But what we do takes time.  It takes patience.  It takes practice.  We often need a mentor.  Creating ourselves and being comfortable with who we are can take a lot of effort.  The picture of me in the white dress was taken about six years ago.  I remember how happy it made me when it was taken, but as time passed, I realized how far I had come whenever I looked at the early photos.

If you’ve spent even just ten seconds on this blog, you’ll see that I obviously love having my photograph taken.  I was fortunate enough to partner with an amazing photographer, Shannonlee, a few years ago and she is so much fun to work with.  In addition to working with such a fun and talented artist, the photos are a reminder of how far I’ve come…as a result of hard work, patience, exercise and building confidence and how it can pay off.  To me, the photos are less about how I look, but more of a reminder of how I feel about myself.  I feel happy, confident and assured.  I have come a long way from needing validation in the early days.  The girl in white dress looks insecure, guarded and although she’s smiling, she’s unsure of herself.  She has the heels, but missing confidence.

Confidence is everything.  Whether you are a t-girl or not, it’s confidence that gets us through the day, helps keeps our head held high as we strut through the mall or make eye contact with those who stare at us.  Confidence helps us ask the makeup artist to recommend a foundation for our skin tone, confidence helps us ask the sales clerk if they have that cute red pump in a size 12 in the backroom.

I recently had a photoshoot with Shannonlee and I am thrilled to post the first of the pictures.  These photos are of me in a dress I purchased earlier this summer from Long Tall Sally.  It’s a little short and the slit makes it even more risque, but I don’t spend two hours a week on the Stairmaster to cover up my legs.  😉

I hope you like these photos!  I’ll post more throughout the week.

Love, Hannah