“…but I am not pretty”
Similar to most artists, my body of work is contained and presented in my portfolio – in this case on my main studio website. I had a photography professor at the university I attended, Loyola University of Chicago, always remind me, “Your portfolio should always say more than your physical words.” So, naturally I try to present my very best images and not take a shotgun affect by dumping everything on the website.
However, one of the side affects of showing my best work is that sometimes prospective clients can feel intimidated by the beauty of the women on the site. They want to work with me, but they think, “this looks like fun, but I am not pretty, they only shoot good looking people.” Sometimes I wish I could post the person’s “before” image prior to working with me to show that they came through my studio doors looking just as ordinary as the next person. Helping to build confidence is part of what I do as I am shooting a person, but sometimes I have to do this even before they become the client!
When I am confronted with a person who is not feeling “pretty” enough, I try to explain to them that I put to use my skills in creating the most flattering, creative and glamorous images possible – which is exactly why I am being hired. Most people are not “A-model” material, but my job is to get their images to reflect this as much as possible. I always use a makeup artist, pose subjects in the most flattering way and afterwards use Photoshop to “nip and tuck” some of the “challenging” areas. 
C’mon ladies! Like my “about” page says – I am happy to shoot anyone and everyone – no matter what they look like. I truly believe I can find at least one unique and alluring feature in every client I shoot; I have not failed yet.
