so much more to me.

what if there's so much more to me?
i've got a pocketful of poetry
i've got a head full of songs, a heart with wings
you couldn't tie me down to anything and that's enough for me
{mindy gledhill}

photographing strong, confident women of all ages is what will always speak to me.

it never has to be about the hair, the makeup, or even the clothes - 

but it always has to be about the spirit within. that's all that matters. 

you. 

xo

with a white quilt.

i wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? and then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."

{l. carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass}

















{styling by cheryl kubat}
red collar: tangled handknits

pale september.

pale september

i wore the time

like a dress that year

the autumn days

swung soft around me

like cotton on my skin

but as the embers

of the summer

lost their breath

and disappearred

{fiona apple}

the girl you think you see.

 i'm not necessarily

the girl you think you see

{c. simon}

"beauty isn't caused, it is" - emily dickinson

emily dickinson says it best. every woman has her own unique beauty. this is what i find so rewarding when i shoot a beauty mark session. the opportunity to connect that beauty with it's rightful owner. you. while flipping through magazines i realize that the fashion industry will never ever change. picture perfect models will always be the feature, wearing the most provocative + intriguing clothing. but that only inspires me more. to take what they are dishing and turn it into a soulful beautiful moment. our inner beauty deserves to be taken out and shown off. it doesn't mean turning yourself into something you're not, but taking yourself to another level and having some fun along the way. let yourself shine brightly. there are a few photographs of myself from my 20s that i absolutely love, but i really have none from my 30s + 40s and i wish with all of my heart that i did. as i enter yet another decade of my life i am determined to change that for myself, and for my daughter who deserves to always feel free in her own skin.

i collaborated with some very talented women for this beauty mark session. it was mid january, absolutely freezing and we settled into a gorgeous bungalow on plum island at blue, the inn on the beach - with a roaring fire and some wine and cheese and music cranked in the background. we happily scoured through some beautiful vintage lingerie on loan from modern millie vintage + consignment in newburyport and forgot about the winter air outside when we held amazing blooms in our hands from cymbidium floral. the day would not have been complete without the talented hair and makeup artists from spa nijoli, who absolutely set the beauty mark session in motion - i adore working with this salon.

perhaps i can talk the other ladies who participated in letting me show off an image or two, because we truly got some amazing ones. but for now - let's just enjoy the beauty of kristen.

if you are interested in booking a beauty mark session for yourself or for a group of your friends, please let  me know. hair + makeup is included, as well as a beautifully designed album. 

because? well when you get right down to it, every woman deserves to feel beautiful. period. xo