Glamour portrait session with Laura

Dear Patricia:

Just want to thank you again for all the beautiful pictures you took of me. The whole experience was awesome and gave me a whole new outlook on myself.

Every since I was a little girl I have hated my smile because I have crooked teeth. Because of that I rarely smile with my mouth open in a full smile and I have learned to smile with my eyes instead. I also hated to have my picture taken because of it too. So I became the photographer with all my family and friends, and then I didn’t have to worry about being in all the pictures. This has served me well most of my life.

Lately I had seen a few pictures and I was wondering who that old fat lady was in those pictures. Well it turned out to be me! What a shock that was. Now I was the old fat lady with a bad smile. It was a real blow to my ego and the bad self talk really went into full gear. Fortunately I came across for a post for your beYoutiful campaign and read that you wanted to photograph woman of all ages and sizes to show them how beautiful they really are. I thought why not, it couldn’t hurt to try. So I sent in my video of why I wanted to participate. I wanted to see if you actually could really make my outside match what I was feeling on the inside. I really didn’t want to think of myself as the old fat lady with the bad smile.

I was thrilled when I found out that I was actually chosen for it. From the very 1st meeting with Patricia I just knew I was in for something special. She put me at ease and really did make me feel like I was more than just my opinion of myself. The photo shoot was amazing. I felt like queen for the day. I’ve never had my hair and makeup done professionally and that was a real treat. When Patricia photographed me, although some of the poses were a bit uncomfortable, she never made me feel uncomfortable at all. She really helped me to relax and I just knew I was going to get at least one good picture out of the bunch.

Well I just viewed my pictures from the shoot and all I have to say was WOW! I did not know that I could look that good in a picture. When I asked her if that is what others see when they see me and she said that is exactly what she saw from the very first minute she met me, I was speechless. Not only did I have one good picture, I had about a dozen good pictures! For the first time in my life I was seeing ME like other people view me and it gave me a whole new outlook on who I really was. I look at those pictures and I can’t believe that I am a grandmother! This whole experience has been truly transformational. Patricia is true a professional not only with photography but also with showing you just how beautiful you really are.

My biggest and sincerest Thank you for showing me how the rest of the world views me!

Laura