Fine Art Studio Portraits: Jacqueline {Vancouver, WA}

“I once read that elegance is a privilege of age. I thought, ‘that’s so true. You get more comfortable with yourself as you get older.’”

— Victoria Beckham

This Commission with Jacqueline is a perfect example of a woman #EmbracingSelf. Celebrating 60 years and the publishing of her first book. Jacqueline came to me wanting portraits that were soft, whimsical, and something a little different from the static headshot image on her nurse’s badge.

When I thought about what I might write about this Commission, I felt conflicted. Immediately I wanted to celebrate and highlight the fact that she is 60 years old and has chosen to invest in portraits of herself and is not weighed down by the trappings of a culture where women feel like they become invisible after a certain age. Blog headlines like “Fine Art Portraits 60+” and “Women over 60 are Worthy of Existing in Photographs.” And while there is nothing wrong with those titles in and of themselves, there is a piece of me that cringes at those titles. Why is it that we feel like we have to over-highlight in some ways, a woman in her 60s “daring to be seen” in photographs in a way we don’t consider to mention when blogging and sharing images of women who are in their 20s/30s or even men who are also in their 60s? Do you often see a headline that says “Fine Art Portraits of 20 Year Olds” or “Women in Their 20s Bravely Showing up for Portraits”!? Or even, “Men over 60 are Worthy of Existing in Photographs.” No, we don’t. Because we live in a weird cultural mindset that prioritizes youth. But not just youth in and of itself, our culture prioritizes youth in women specifically, in a way it does not for men. To this I ask, ‘what are we missing out on, when we dismiss women in this way?’

This is a major reason I am so passionate about Embracing Self commission sessions. It’s not just about the resulting images although those images can play a big role in helping someone adjust their perceptions of themselves which were formed by a culture that prioritizes beauty and youth for women over almost all else. Rather, it’s the experience and privilege of being able to be a “fly on the wall” in a person’s journey of acceptance of themselves. Acceptance not just of their appearance, but also of their skills, strengths, and voice. It’s a way for me to show a woman a view of herself that she’s never seen. And creating art with her through creating an environment where she can move, and breath, and just be as if no one is watching. It’s in this place where the magic happens. And with a little sneak peek of an image or two that we just created together moments before from the back of my camera, bit by bit women begin to see versions of themselves they never knew existed. It was in a moment like this that Jacqueline said “Wow, I didn’t know I could look like that!” And that statement is pure joy for me. It’s a peak into my own reactions and experiences during my self-portrait journey. It’s the fusion of what it actually feels like to step into the awkwardness of being in the spotlight and moving your body in a way you don’t in your normal everyday life, and the immediate positive reinforcement a woman experiences when they see the kind of image we’ve created together in that moment. That moment of release and letting go of the twisted cultural messages telling women that their value is rooted in their looks.

I want women to really feel what it’s like when you take a leap of faith and make a choice to believe you are worthy of existing in photographs, right now, just as you are, and then to put that choice into action and invest in having artwork created of you, with you.