When I was a senior in high school (a hundred years ago), senior portraits at a private studio weren't a thing. This exciting rite of passage lay in the hands of the school photographer contracted to take the cap and gown pictures that would immortalize us forever in our yearbook.

It was a big deal.

My friends and I tanned all summer, strategically timed our haircuts, and commandeered our moms' pearls for the occasion. We waited in the hallway for our turn, nervous bundles of excitement, sure that our entire future depended on this headshot. It was over in moments and then the waiting began. (This was before digital.)

And then the proofs arrived. And I instantly burst into tears.

Amidst the assembly-line chaos of that day, the photographer didn't take the time to fix a piece of my hair that was sticking straight out. I was horrified and embarrassed and relatively sure my life was ruined. (This was before PhotoShop)

Fast forward thirty years and, in fact, my life was not ruined. I actually learned a few important lessons that stay with me to this day which have helped fundamentally shaped our studio:

No-one likes to be a number.

It only takes a moment to change the way someone feels.

All of us, no matter what age, want to be seen.

Several months ago, we asked Clayton Singleton, an incredible spoken word artist, to record a very short video that might sum up what clients could expect when they come to our studio.  We didn't script it for him. We had no idea what he was going to say. In fact, the first time we heard what he prepared was when he recorded this, on his first take.

This time, the tears that instantly appeared were happy ones.

❤️

Monica