Session number 2 of my You are Beautiful Sessions! This time, I was fortunate enough to photograph this wonderful woman. We met at the Arboretum on a chilly Winter's Day, where she works.
Debbie and I met thanks to her amazing daughter, Katie-Sarah. My son and Katie-Sarah crossed paths when she was his child wrangler for 3 of the Chicago theater shows he performed in. Debbie and her husband have also been wonderful supporters of my kiddo in his other endeavors over the years. So, when she submitted her name for a You Are Beautiful session, I was thrilled!
As the daughter of a professional portrait photographer, Debbie is no stranger to the camera. She did a perfect job of ignoring my camera while we chatted and walked through the beautiful grounds at the Arboretum. I had a few places picked out and she took me to a spot I have never been before. The colors were perfect and she was clearly so at home in this environment.
We walked around and enjoyed the fleeting sun and chatted about the paths that got us both to where we are now. This is so obviously Debbie's happy place and I was thrilled to photograph her here.
As we drove to our last location, I stopped a bit shy of where I was planning to go. The light was simply magical and could not be ignored.
Once we were finished and finally had to warm up, we came inside to have a coffee and chat some more. I (belatedly) realized Debbie's hair was no longer brown, but silver. And a beautiful silver at that. I asked what made her finally decide to stop coloring her hair (which I hadn't realized was colored, prior to this day). I found her answer fascinating. Debbie told me that she's no longer in the job market, looking for a new job. This is where she plans to stay until it's time to retire. And so, it wasn't important any longer to keep the silver at bay. That kind of stopped me in my tracks. It's a detail that I don't know would ever cross a man's mind. But for women, it's a whole different ballgame. Being older isn't seen as an advantage, which is just crazy, given the wisdom we all gain as we travel through life. These ideas are so ingrained in all of us, it's not until you stop and look at it through a different lens that you realize just how much needs to change and how much we need to reprogram our thinking. Something as simple as the color of your hair should never be a hindrance, yet it can be and still is. I hope my hair is as beautiful of a color as hers when I get to that point in my life.
0 Comments