I've photographed Marianne more times than any other person. She and my sister Emma were my first models.
They saw all the awkwardness of shoots, had fabric pinned and sewn on, saw my frustrated when things didn't turn out (which was often for years).
As Marianne has grown, so has my work.
I can measure my skills as a creator and artist as clearly as I can measure her growth into womanhood.
As my work has matured so has she . . . although, her beauty and her goodness far surpass my own skills as a photographer.
Marianne came to visit and as is tradition, I photographed her.
The main goal was headshots . . . because somewhere along the line my little sister got old enough and professional enough to need headshots!
But me being me, I couldn't let the opportunity to create something dramatic go.
I messed around with lights, turned on my fan, and posed her as best as my 5 month pregnant body would allow.
It's no surprise that in these pictures I see a remarkable woman full of determination and grit. I see beauty and cunning.
I see ambition.
I see this really amazing woman that was once my kid sister who followed me around the woods behind our house.
I see a woman who maybe had to grow up too fast and take on more than a child and teenager should. Yet those difficulties did not tarnish her beauty and goodness.
I'm truly proud of these portraits. I'm proud of all the work I create. But there is something special when it's of someone you love, someone who shares a history with you.
Or maybe I'm just proud of these images because I'm truly proud of the woman in them.
Love, Melinda
Photography Studio in Athens PA. Serving Athens, Sayre Pennsylvania, Towanda Pennsylvania, Corning New York, and Twin Tiers area.
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