I haven't finished editing my lovely cousin's maternity pictures, but I couldn't resist posting the one I finished! All of my favorites will soon go to the photography section of my blog (aka Flickr) so that she and the little one can have their splendor showcased... 

Its been such an inspiring experience editing these, and within it I've become motivated to dive further into the world of maternity, infant, and kid photography. I love little people along with the joy and magic of new life, they fill me with such hope and warmth. Being able to capture the light and love of mamas and tiny ones alike would be an incredible photographic endeavor. Now all I need is more friends and family with babies on the way! 

My beautiful cousin is expecting a beautiful baby boy, so for this queen I made a crown. Since my last adventure with wire, I haven't had much practice, but I think her floral headpiece turned out quite lovely. I hope she feels as exquisite as she looks in it. Maternity photos are soon to come! 

I've been in Detroit for three days and it feels like I've already spent more hours behind a camera than I did the whole year I spent in California. Granted my China and I began shooting at 6am and ended around 6pm, but man, it was absolutely lovely. Donned with some giraffe spots and amazing pants, she proved (yet again) to be an amazing subject matter. Not only is she amazing to look at but she's also a phenomenal photographer-  and in our twelve hours of adventuring, eating coney, and catching up on a year's worth of missed memories I also got a chance to play dress up and get in front of her lens. 

Miss China's work can be checked out on her instagram and tumblr... but for now, here are a couple of shots I took of her. 

As an art major I always struggled with finding my creative identity, and in that I began to lose my entire sense of self and individuality, my art was my life but with lack of purpose in all that I created, I felt useless to myself and my community... Last year when I traded portfolio reviews, darkroom chemicals and paintbrushes for- data, observations, session planning and well, more paintbrushes, I figured I'd lose myself even further in the realm of identity crisis, but the complete opposite happened. Though, it was not between the lines of my SSMs that I discovered who I really was- it was within my circle. The same circle I stood in every Monday through Friday (and occasionally Saturday). It was within this circle of friends- or more like family that I truly began to understand who I was and my purpose in this big world. Through these 16 amazing individuals, I was empowered to be myself wholly. In learning to love all of their beautiful and unique minds- I learned to love my own, and now I can go confidently back into the community that I felt so lost in, and make a positive impact. 

Special Ops, Thank you for inspiring me to be me, I love you all.