One of the more joyful parts of my job is getting to be the photographer who gets it — who doesn’t push, who doesn’t rush, who has the accommodations and modifications ready so that capturing branding photos is a good experience for disabled and ill clients, not just something to be endured.
Hi friend, I have lots of updates for you this week! First, it’s such a cool opportunity and honor to be included in The Future is Fat issue of Womanly Mag! Pre-order your print issue here and support fat-positive media. Second, I’m working with a model next week to create new photographs for Body Liberation Stock. This time I’m…
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
You are worthy of rest. Up until a couple of years ago, I was forever getting sick, mostly colds and respiratory stuff. Once I got it, I’d be miserable for weeks, and if a cough settled in, well, it was staying for at least a month. So I was sick basically all the time. I…
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
I wish I could just talk about loving your body. I really do, y’all. I would be perfectly content to post pretty photos and talk about why you should paint your stretch marks with glitter. (Which is totally worth doing, by the way.) But I can’t reconcile myself to staying safe and dainty and quiet….
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
One of the things I consistently hear from folks in larger bodies is that they can make a certain amount of progress on their body acceptance journeys, but then get tripped up by infrastructure.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
Your worth is not dependent on your health. That meme about how “your weight is not your worth” goes around a lot, and it’s true! But your health is also not your worth. You don’t gain worthiness points for being closer to the pop culture vision of “health.” and you don’t lose worthiness points for…
What would your life look like if you just…didn’t worry about what other people’s bodies looked like or were doing? What could you focus on if you didn’t feel the need to judge the clothing or body size or expression of the people walking past you in public? What might it look like if the…
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
The words we use to talk about our bodies are so important, because how we describe our bodies dictates how we see our bodies.
Here’s something to think and write about in this coming week: Is it possible for me to consider my body as a partner, rather than an adversary? What might that look like? You’re welcome to share your answers here (as long as they meet the space boundaries in my pinned stories) or write them down…
Here’s something to think and write about in this coming week: If you were able to show up fully in the world, without body shame, what might that mean for other people in your world? You’re welcome to share your answers on the Instagram post (as long as they meet the space boundaries in my…
It was a pleasure to pair up with Bonny Chipman and her studio at Yoga NW to create a collection of inclusive yoga stock photos featuring folks with a wide variety of body sizes, ethnic backgrounds, skin colors, and mobility needs. Here’s a little bit about Yoga NW: “At Yoga NW, our mission is to…
One of the cooler aspects of my job is the privilege of not only capturing individual people’s bodies and lives, but their relationships. At this tea party-themed session, you can see the warm support of a circle of close friends shining through, accompanied by a gorgeous cake, lots of sweets and tea, and a beautiful…
Fat Face Feelings is made up of Eron Huenefeld and Amanda Underwood, two women on a journey toward fat liberation, and sharing that journey with the world via podcast. Their podcast is fun, funny and vulnerable, and they’re both a delight. For some sessions, my subjects come in with a firm idea of how they’d…
I prepared these two German pieces for an audition and they’re both so floating and lovely! “Die Lotosblume” (“The Lotus Flower”) is a poem written by Heinrich Heine, and published in his Buch der Lieder (The Book of Songs, 1827). Set to music by Robert Schumann in 1840, this Lied is part of Schumann’s Myrthen…
One vital skill I didn’t expect to develop so thoroughly as a photographer is the ability to read someone instantly upon meeting them and then tailor an entire session to not only their personal style, but their personality, the clothing they’ve brought, and any mobility needs or limitations they might have. It’s a process that…
One of the reasons my studio is located in my home: It gives me the ability to offer intimate, private spaces both indoors and outdoors. For Ms. J’s session, we took advantage of both kinds of spaces for lush, botanical photographs, starting with a sunny open space, then moving to leafy images that remind me…
This was one of my most memorable recital songs! Not only is the composer’s name (Engelbert Humperdinck) fun to say, but playing the Dew Fairy in this scene was a delight. I will happily wear fairy wings any time. The Dew Fairy Aria is from the opera Hansel & Gretel, first performed in 1893 in…
One of the factors of living in the Pacific Northwest is that the landscape tends to look like the Pacific Northwest — for better or worse. We tried three times (!) to have a sunny, summer beach photo shoot, and finally decided to roll with what Mother Nature gave us: low clouds, seaweed, chill, and…
I first heard the song Caledonia when it was covered by the group Celtic Woman (as it has been by many other performers), but Dougie MacLean’s original version (he wrote it in 1977) is enchanting, too, in a different way. MacLean says it only took him ten minutes to write this song, which sounds unbelievable,…
Lyn at Century Massage and I partnered to produce a collection of stock photos focused on massage by and for people of color. It was a privilege to help represent women and men of color while also working with a massage therapist who’s helped me and my body personally. Century Massage is located in Renton,…
Anni Jyn is here to create art that might make you feel good about yourself, be kind to others or hopefully make you do a little laugh if the situation calls for it! Tell me about you! What’s your name? What pronouns do you use? Where do you live? What do you like to eat…
Thekla Richter’s small business branding photography session was so much fun! The weather cooperated perfectly, which is rare for Seattle in November: a beautiful sunny day with air crisp enough to keep us from getting sweaty. Thekla (pronounced Tech-luh — I was dying to know, too) writes middle-grade fantasy books (ask her about the space…
Content note: Contains artistic nudity I’ve started calling this kind of session a series of intimate portraits: not necessarily the intentional sexiness of boudoir, more vulnerable than a regular portrait session. An exploration of the body in a relaxed setting, guided but free to move in ways that feel good. This is such a good…
Recently, I talked a little bit about the risks of movement in a larger body. In Ms. H’s hula dance portraits, you can see that the reward for her taking that risk is a beautiful, skilled, graceful performance. Through her Instagram, Danielle Bex (@danielle.bex) also demonstrates daily how joyful movement can be. She often posts…
It was such a delight to work with Mia Stephenson of OHME shop for a recent small business branding session! I first encountered Mia’s at Curves in Bloom back in February, and I — and everyone else at the event — fell in love with the clean lines of her feminist, fat-positive jewelry. Mia, makeup…
Content note: Contains artistic nudity Major life changes can cause us to lose sight of who we are: our own needs and priorities, our values and goals, even our sense of self or self-worth. When you feel at sea, it can be hard to know what makes you, you. Ms. R was in the midst…
Lindley Ashline and Ann Duweke singing Patrick Hawes’ “Quanta Qualia” at the Hope for Japan Concert, November 19, 2011. I fell in love with Hayley Westenra’s rendition of this piece, and from there discovered all of Hawes’ mesmerizing music. It was such a joy to be able to perform Quantia Qualia. This isn’t a recent…
Some events are just events. Some events are transformative for everyone involved, and Camp Heal was one of the latter. Around a hundred people gathered in Angeles National Forest for three days to explore, laugh, cry, improve their body image, be vulnerable, move forward in recovery from eating disorders, and enjoy a body-safe camp experience….
As people who inhabit larger bodies, when we move those bodies, we take risks. We risk being stared at, made fun of or catcalled. Since often, no one has ever taught us to appreciate those bodies and the way they move, we risk trying to move them in ways that are unwise or not a…
Body Home Fat Dance, created by artist and performer KT Kusmaul, creates performance and offers dance classes centering our fat community. Their goal is to inspire joyful movement, connection with their bodies, and creative expression, while honoring their unique abilities and challenges with self-compassion. They’re co-creating a resilient community, building an empowering and nuanced dialogue…
I stopped briefly in Salt Lake City while traveling, and this session shows how much we can accomplish even during a very limited session. Forty-five minutes, one hotel room, and two generations of one family willing to be vulnerable and explore the stories of their bodies. Most photographers would have done things like “brought out…
Some events are just events. Some events are transformative for everyone involved, and Camp Heal was one of the latter. Around a hundred people gathered in Angeles National Forest for three days to explore, laugh, cry, improve their body image, be vulnerable, move forward in recovery from eating disorders, and enjoy a body-safe camp experience….
Everywhere we go, we’re surrounded by diet culture, the cultural forces that cause us to feel bad about our bodies and want to shrink them into acceptability. Diet culture causes poor body image, encourages eating disorders and makes $71 billion in profit for the diet industry every year. More and more often, people are pushing…
In this peaceful outdoor body-positive portrait session, Ms. E and I spent some exploring what it means to reclaim the right for our bodies to move in and enjoy public spaces. I’ve found that one of the best ways to support people in this is to give them lots of things to do where their…
Bevin is a study in contrasts. Bevin is best known for her work as the mind behind Fat Kid Dance Party, the nationwide (and now online) body-positive dance and fitness classes for all ability levels. For this session, though, she chose to explore the softer side of her nature. In addition to her work with…
