About "B"
"You've never had Portraits like this before!"
An Origin Story:
Let me tell you a little story… of just exactly how I came to fall in looove with Photography!
“Picture it!” Christmas 1996: a young, 13 yr old Braska, gets her first camera from an Auntie…it’s a Mickey Mouse 35mm Film Camera! Annnd I Proceeded to BLOW THROUGH rolls of film like they were water.
Every holiday and birthday a big piece of my gifts were getting those rolls developed. EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE was on those rolls, especially beautiful cloudy skies and flowers…somethings just won’t EVER change
The spark was forever lit to freeze this magical World, that God has given us, and alllll His beautiful creations, in time. A photographic “journal”, if you will, for future generations to be able to see our stunning world as breathtakingly wonderful as we do now.
Today is the only day like itself, tomorrow will be different, and I feel it in my bones it’s my God-breathed purpose to document it, and the people He crosses my paths with, in as true to life color and skin tones as possible!
Our memories won’t tell the stories after we’re gone, and we’ve seen just how FAST life changes this world here below; so here I am, camera in hand, ready to freeze it in time for as long as I can!! Follow along for the journey, and join me for it if you dare!
A bit about "B":
I'm "Punny", and guaranteed to make you laugh, snort laughs are an extra charge though! Wear a "pee pad" if you're prone to "I peed a little" after laugh fits...cause hunny we's about to "have us a fit" Bahahaha!
I'm tall, physically strong "built like a "brick house"", and more single than a Pringle (pringles aren't single, or am I missing something with that saying???), but praying someone out there knows my Future Hubs and is just slacking on setting us up.
I loooove the color PURPLE, and all of it's many hues. Honey bees and Bumble Bees buzzing around flowers make me giddy, as do Racoons ("Trash Pandas"), possums, dolphins, Manatees, as well as all kinds of cats and dogs. My highest level of "Happy" is SNOW HAPPY! Seriously...NOTHING makes me happier than Snow! Well, mayyybe the Cold! #icouldliveinanIgloo
Little bit Wordsmith, little bit "What'd I walk in here for?" I chase Lightning, and love my prize Lightning Bolt Images. Cheese, Bacon & Steak are too delicious for me to believe that God wanted us to be Vegan.
If I die uttering "here kitty kitty" just know it was probably via Snow Leopard cuddle, and was 100% WORTH IT!
Blue Raspberry Cotton Candy is my favorite "candy", while "Mallo Cups" are my favorite Chocolate treat. I DO accept Bribes! ;)
I live for laughter, hugs, and chapstick. I can bake better than most people's Mommas, and playing "What can I make with these random ingredients?" is probably one of my favorite Kitchen activities. Dinner Party anyone?
I live for Sundays of Church, Lunch, a NAP, and ending it somewhere with my feet in the water as the sunset "talks" to my soul.
I fell in love with the Mountains of Utah, especially Sundance, but still hold my beloved Smokies near and dear.
Always up for a Roadtrip (in particular to The Emerald Waters and White Sand of The Gulf), a round of CARaoke, and a dance, when my car-accident damaged hips will allow it.
Capturing the loves and lives of God's beloved Sons & Daughters, in particular the love stories of Him + Her, around the world are the beat of my heart. Let's create some CHAOS, make some memories, laugh until our cheeks hurt , and freeze today in Timeless | Classic | VIBRANT Portraits for tomorrow while we're at it.
I don't care about your Politics, and you shouldn't care about mine. Just please be A KIND Human.
Lastly, PLEASE remember you can always dial "988" 24/7/365 if you're in a Mental Health Crisis! No matter the voices in your head YOU ARE NEEDED, WANTED, AND LOVED! Please KEEP BREATHING, it WILL get better!!
XOXO, "B"
B's "WHY?":
For too many DECADES I was made to believe the LIE that I simply wasn't "photogenic". As a "large" child literally from toddlerhood, I've always been taller and broader, often much stronger, than most Males.
"Viking Built", as it were, but over the decades "fluff" has hidden a lot of the muscle, thaaaanks Genetics.... and people *wrecking* my body via Car Accidents. Thusly I can't be as sporty or active as I once was. So, you can say I'm used to being in a "big" body, but I couldn't wrap my mind around the MASSIVE DISPARITY in Professional Portraits of myself and THE MIRROR.
Every image of me, most notably my HORRIBLE Senior Portraits 24 years ago, somehow made me appear LARGER than the beautiful, confident soul I saw staring back at me in my own mirrors.
I couldn't understand it....and I wouldn't... until God called me to step behind the camera to preserve the precious people, and their Legacies, that He would place in front of me, 15 years ago.
I thought *I* was the problem. *I* must just be"too fat to photograph." Ohhhhh how wrong I was, and it was five years into my own Photography Business when I finally realized exactly WHY *I* was "different" as a Photographer....
God- has gifted me with a "different" way of seeing people. I naturally see every beautiful body as it uniquely needs to be seen, and photographed; something that most others in my field simply don't know to do, refuse to do, or just want to keep perpetuating the lie of People being "Not Photogenic". When really "CURVYPOSING" is FOR EVERY Body!!!
Whether they're a size 2 or a 22, 6'6 or 4'8", you just CANNOT photograph any two bodies the same! Different bodies require different lighting, different angles, different Clothing, even different LENSES!
You see it's not "the camera" that "adds 10 pounds" (often more!), but rather uneducated, or lazy just flat lazy, Photographers using a mix of all the above. HARSH? You betcha!
HARSH BUT TRUE.
Harsh because Ya'll, I am T I R E D of my own Industry not only doing a disservice to the people who entrust us with capturing their likeness for after they're gone, but also further DAMAGING the already fragile Self-Esteem of those very people.
I am REALLY furious at the SIZE BIAS that still dominates in the Photography Industry all together...Go ahead, look around at Photographer's Social Medias and Online Portfolios. Even Wedding Blogs/Publications.
NOTICE that the majority of the clients shown are THIN/"model-esque" physiques.
This is done ON PURPOSE. Photographers are underserving and under-representing the 70% + IN America alone, MAJORITY, that is the "Plus Size" /over a size 14/16, community.
Once you start noticing there are barely any bodies that look like yours online, it further digs at your self-esteem and SELF-CONFIDENCE...the people who want your money, don't feel the need to show you that you TOO, are worthy of being shown/marketed to.
Thus, why the majority of my Photography Business focuses on righting so many of the wrongs still being perpetuated by my Industry...from educating my Peers on The ART of "Curvy Posing", to my Client's own Portraits, and making sure I represent every beautiful body in my Portfolio; there's a deeply personal reason why my Ethos is:
EVERY body is a beautiful body! Let me show you how BEAUTIFUL you truly are!!
Now, am I a Magician? NO! A Therapist? NO! Can one Portrait Session immediately fix a broken self-image problem? ALSO, NO! BUT I am going to give it my absolute BEST try to get you at least a few images to set you on the way!