i always get that fluttery feeling so much when i'm photographing people that i worry that i won't be able to put them at ease if i can't calm my nerves. it's a battle of will, sometimes, to act like you're in a mental space you're not in yet to give people confidence and feel safe in front of the camera.

i really like this shot.

I would so love to borrow (and attribute to you with a link) these incredibly powerful statements:
"Let's all try to look at ourselves with the kindest of eyes today. When we see the best in people, they unfold before us in the most magical ways."

This is the most profound truth of anything I have read in a long, long time.

Thank you.

Tamara

can i just tell you that i LOVE reading your blog?! it really lifts me up and pulls me out of myself. thank you thank you thank you for your constant encouragement in my life!

your words and this photo are stunning. i hope this couple frames this and hangs it in their home, when their baby grows i am sure he/she will just love this photo of his parents. so beautiful andrea. you have a gift for capturing the soul.

xoxo

wow. this is a stunning post. your photo took my breath away. I wish SO BAD that there was one of me like that, with jason. And it makes my heart ache to know that I'm done being pregnant, so that's not a possibility. I TOTALLY relate to what you've said here too. It really is a huge honor to be invited into people's lives, and intimate spaces, and feelings. I love what your yoga teacher said about beauty spilling out of you when you carry yourself differently. Kindly.
Such an inspirational post Andrea.Thanks for sharing such beauty with the world.

and p.s. I adore the texture in their bed spread. :)

What you wrote here is a wonderful offering of wisdom (as usual). Thank you for the reminder and the beautiful images! xo -L

Ah yes. To see without seeing. Hear without hearing. Beauty that is unjudged and therefore boundless. It's why foreign languages always sound so beautiful to me. Because I do not understand them.

a...
i so understand. i feel the same way when photographing people. the transformation of their energy as they get comfortable with you and your camera. becoming more and more themselves... and ineveitably more beautiful.

i did some self portraits today to give to my husband for valentine's day. i typically loathe photos of myself, and don't see my beauty that way. BUT today, i pretended my camera was my man and i was actually able to capture something magical in a few of them. so stoked! :o)

happy love day everyday to you!

Andrea,

I always adore reading your blog and my superhero necklace always bring joy to me and makes me feel happier just for wearing it, how powerful is that for some baubles?!

I never comment but I just had to say that is an absolutely gorgeous photograph. What a gift for the couple to have! I can't help but think how amazing it will be for that child to have that photograph when they are 30, to see their parents in that way.

Just beautiful Andrea! Happy Valentine's Day!

Andrea,

I always adore reading your blog and my superhero necklace always bring joy to me and makes me feel happier just for wearing it, how powerful is that for some baubles?!

I never comment but I just had to say that is an absolutely gorgeous photograph. What a gift for the couple to have! I can't help but think how amazing it will be for that child to have that photograph when they are 30, to see their parents in that way.

Just beautiful Andrea! Happy Valentine's Day!

Sometimes...it's so hard to be kind myself. This post brought tears to my eyes. Thank you. The couple in the photo are romance. wow.

Let's all try to look at ourselves with the kindest of eyes today. When we see the best in people, they unfold before us in the most magical ways...

Just as I was thinking: I wonder if she ever photographs unattractive people -
you teach me another lesson.

let me preface this by saying I'm pregnant and emotional but when you said...
Let's all try to look at ourselves with the kindest of eyes today

I couldn't help but cry. Thanks for the words of wisdom. This pregnant momma needed the reminder.

i love your one eye photo. your eye looks like a planet!
happy valentines's day, andrea!

xoxooxpritha

Looking at yourself with the kindest of eyes is sometimes oh-so-much harder than looking at others with a warm and open heart.. it is a daily struggle for some, and potentially with no permanent outcome or solution, but a journey full of lessons and learnings. You gave me a great goal for today, Andrea. And took a wonderful picture yet again. :)

Such a great photo for Valentine's Day - and in my life, the request to look at ourselves with the kindest of eyes is like a gentle reminder of the message I have been getting over and over lately - acceptance...to see myself and others through the eyes of the angels, with unconditional love and acceptance - and the idea that doing so lifts everyone.

Thank you for your words...

What a perfect picture for Valentine's Day. Beautiful.

your photos. no words for your photos. they are like unveilings of souls.

love this post.