Portrait Artist Blog

This senior has been able to compete at the highest level! She has done Junior Olympics and came in 14th place out of 52 competitors for discus. WOW!!! Taylor's parents are SO proud of this young lady and so am I! After graduation, she wants to pursue media science by becoming a TV producer and screenwriter. Her favorite movie that blew her away was "Just Mercy".

When we got together to plan her shoot, Taylor wanted people to see her shine BRIGHT! She wanted to be portrayed as a "ball of sunshine" - bright, carefree, and ethereal. I just loved how she held herself in so much confidence and joy. Taylor was a wonderful person to get to know and I appreciated her extreme maturity and kindness.

I asked Taylor what inspires her, and she said her love for Jesus. I ask her for her favorite bible verse and she mentioned Romans 12:20: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Taylor interprets that to mean that if your enemy is an enemy, feed him, and give him to drink. In other words, "kill them with kindness". Taylor's view allows her to maintain her integrity in the face of adversity, and I just love that about her.

I have to admit, I was so curious about this young lady as she sat before me. My eyes to someone who was at first a stranger were opened and I got curious. Her Spirit was so beautiful and magnetic to me that my heart wanted to know more. I complimented her on the maturity and gentleness she possesses and I asked her what beliefs did she have that contributed to the way she was living her life. She responded, "I believe you should live every day the best you can - not worrying, not regretting the past, and living each day one step at a time. I have a tendency to overthink sometimes and it causes me to worry about my future and being grown. But, I've decided I will be 17 (years old) today, and 17 tomorrow too. When I become something different, then I'll change to be that new age."

Her responses humbled me. There was a lot of wisdom in those words and thoughts, so I felt it made sense to share them with you.

I did my best to portray Taylor as carefree and ethereal, but God took over and did it for me. His love shone through! Her shoot was the epitome of capturing a person's unique and beautiful soul - the way God sees her. I felt very blessed to be her photographer and I know she blesses the world with her wisdom, true beauty, inspiration, and smile!