I only look hot when I'm laughing.

That got your attention, didn't it?

Seriously, though. I got together recently with some amazing friends for playtime. We're all photographers. And we were to do head shots. These are my friends:

As you can see, we're a very serious bunch (I resisted the urge to post photos of our recent 80s night). And more importantly, there's a ridiculously good reason why we spend our lives behind the camera. Quite frankly, we found ourselves totally frozen at the prospect of sitting for our own portraits. We were all arms, hands, legs and awkwardness. What do I do? Where do I look? What do I wear? And the idea that we were posing for each other and that the results would be passed around, maybe used in blogs, maybe loved, maybe hated. Well, quite frankly, it was a bit intimidating. Even with friends.

I learned a couple of things.

1. I need to practice being behind the camera more. It's important to know how you feel as clients. I found myself hearing for the very first time some of the direction I give and realizing how awkward and unhelpful it was on the other side. I found myself feeling insecure and a bit frumpy. I realized I don't spend enough time identifying how my clients feel and discovering new and creative ways to move past the roadblocks that can stall out a session.

2. It's incredibly important to have good, deep, trustworthy friends in this industry. And it's important to work those relationships hard. I'm talking about going beyond vendor coffee house warm fuzzies and encouraging and challenging each other to new heights on a personal and collective level. Trust is paramount and it's a blessing not easily discovered. You have to look for it. Hope for it. Pray for it. And ultimately, earn it. I am so grateful for these ladies (and a few more who were missing or happened to hide...), and know we have something rare and big here.

3. Apparently, I only look hot when I laugh. (At least, I think so) I don't think that's a bad thing though, do you? Because I'm pretty much always laughing. At somebody. Usually myself. Usually... ;)

PS. I can't take the credit for any of these lovely images, obviously. Here are the props that go to my amigas (although I don't know who did what...):

Chelsea LaVere, Bit of Ivory Photography
Sarah Mariel, Sarah Mariel Photography
Valerie Demo, Valerie Demo Photography
Christene Schaaf, C.S. Photography, Inc.
Jessica Sevin, JL7 Photography
Somer Chambley, Somer Anne Photography