I strongly believe that every woman and girl in their life at some point looks at their body and thinks they are not enough. Whether it be their complexion, their weight, curves, hair colour or anything in between. We all strive for perfection in our own eyes and it hurts to realize that sometimes it isn’t possible. But the most powerful realization is when you finally understand that you are enough and no one can tell you otherwise.
I have been raised by incredibly strong women as well as a close and supportive family. No matter what happened at school or work, I always knew I could come home and be loved. High School was fairly standard in the way that I was never the “popular pretty” type but I enjoyed learning and took pride in my work. I knew from early on that I wanted to be in the Health Sciences field and help the community and people around me but wasn’t sure which direction to take career wise. Completely by accident, I stumbled across the Funeral Directing path, started my High School COOP and moved to big city Toronto to attend College. I loved my goals and I wouldn’t change my job for the world.
I met Jennifer for the first real time when she was assigned to take my work head shots. While there, I immediately felt comfortable and empowered, especially since this is something I had never done before. I mentioned that I had seen her work before and admired her and every person that came through her door for photos, but that I wasn’t sure I could do something like that.
Long story short, her “why wait?” Comment hit home and I booked my session that same day.
Choosing my photo shoot themes was difficult but my two themes, Girl Guides and The 80’s meant a lot to me and I am very glad I choose them!
The Girl guides have always been a huge part of my life, this year I am celebrating 15 years with the organization and I am now a leader for some wonderful young ladies!
My Mom, Grandma and Aunt were all involved as well and with always being interested in a more vintage style, the theme turned out amazingly! The scarf from the photos turned out to be one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had to obtain something like that. When I was a Brownie (7-8 years old) I had a friend whom I attended meetings with. She sadly passed away a few years back but when I moved back to the original church I was a part of as a girl ,to be a leader, we needed to do some spring cleaning.
During the cleaning, I found a time capsule that my friend, among others, had signed and decorated. The box had been worn with age and moisture so upon opening it, I found the scarf. The same scarf that I wore in the photos.
The 80’s in general has always meant a lot to me. The first 80’s song I remember downloading was “Strange Animal” by Gowan, after hearing my Dad play it from our old laptop. From there, 90% of my playlist is 80’s music oriented. We have now made it a family affair to play records on our player, sing to 80’s on 8 and go to various concerts together and just rock out!
In the end, this experience has been incredible. I have always struggled with my weight and it’s been difficult to see myself as beautiful.
Seeing these photos and having as amazing of an experience as I did, it’s really brought my beauty to light for me.
I pride myself on being a loyal, kind hearted person but to see the outside match my internal beauty was eye opening. It took some getting used to to realize that this was me but I am fully embracing it now.
Thank you Jennifer and her team for making me understand my full self and to feel loved in my own skin.
Love,
Hannah
RSS Feed