ABOUT ME
I am a portrait photographer, artist and body image campaigner, creating magazine-worthy branding images, heirloom portraits and artistic expressions for you. I have a deep desire to help women see their UNIQUE BEAUTY and access more self love and confidence.
I specialise in women’s portraiture; which means women can rest assured that you will always look great, whether its their beauty or business portraits. I provide a fully customized and immersive service offering personal communication and care, custom designed service, styled photo shoots, natural yet magazine caliber retouching and in person image selection.
I am an internationally accredited photographer with The Portrait Masters USA and winner of the 2019 ACCI Southwest Region Home Business Award.
My photo sessions encourage you to be yourself, appreciate yourself, change the way you see yourself.
MY BACK STORY
There have been 3 paths to my destination as a women’s portrait photographer. Firstly drawing and art were my childhood refuge. From an early age all I wanted was to be an artist, but my parents forbade it and insisted I get a proper job and so I did.
In my mid life I got a camera and my love affair with beauty began. I photographed amazing scenery and then began candidly photographing the communities in which I lived.
In 2016 at 56yrs old I signed up for a Digital Art course – using photographs to composite stories and I attended a workshop with American Fine Art Photographer Brooke Shaden. Brooke is an artist making conceptual fine art using herself as a model. She is young and beautiful, and it seemed to me therefore it was easy for her to make beautiful art. I started trying to do the same but felt completely overwhelmed with feeling too old, too fat and definitely not beautiful enough.
Persisting; I strived to find a way of putting myself in art, which led me to learning about portrait photography. My self-portraits started out very painfully. But throughout the year I gradually uncovered myself. I was encouraged by a growing number of followers who saw me as courageous and leading the way. My portraits got more and more revealing, and a very magical thing happened - I begun to see my own beauty. Firstly it was just parts of my body, but eventually I took a portrait that I totally adored. Fat and 57 – I had finally revealed my real beauty to myself.
It was then that my life paths converged. The artist within me finally stepped up, the love of a camera as a medium seemed the obvious choice and I finally had the skills transferable to help other women.
I have been blessed with a big overweight body all of my life, and I say blessed because it has finally become a gift. It now helps me to do what do now, because I painfully know what it feels like to not be comfortable in your own skin. I know what if feels like to hide yourself, not wanting to be in any photographs and to know how disappointed I will be.
My passion has now grown into to helping all women see their beauty. There isn’t a bigger joy in the world than to touch someone else’s life, in a way that helps them transform it. Knowing that you had a little itty bitty hand in that, wow! What better job is there! With portraits I have a chance to make a real difference and I love that!
BUSINESS BIO
2020 Internationally Accredited
ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHER
The Portrait Masters USA.
2019 WINNER - HOME BUSINESS
Albany Chamber of Commerce
South West Region (WA)
THE PORTRAIT MASTER CONFERENCE
In person participation - Phoenix Arizona 2019
COMPETITIONS
The Portrait Masters - (ongoing)
Bronze with Distinction – 17
Silver – 2
Art Not Waste – Denmark WA 2016
SPEAKING
Women’s Leadership Forum,
Albany Chamber of Commerce, WA 2018
Epic Photography Conference Geelong VIC 2018
Smart Chics, Denmark WA 2017
EXHIBITIONS
2016 Back to Back – Denmark WA
2023 Wise Women’s Legacies - Broome
PUBLISHED
Somerset digital Magazine 2016
Awake magazine 2016