You may remember my collaboration with Chicago Dietitian Amari Thomsen of Eat Chic Chicago this past winter. If not, have a click here and refresh yourself! Anyway, she's back with a super delicious recipe that you must know about! Click the photo below to find out how she made these savory chicken meatballs. It was really hard not to eat this while I was photographing it because it smelled so incredible! Not pictured: my drool!
If I'm being completely honest, I will tell you that I got into photography because I liked taking photos of "pretty things." I've always appreciated the small things, and found beauty in unusual places like cemeteries, alleys and everyday objects. It wasn't until I started being asked to photograph people that I really fell in love with documenting moments. And even then, it took me a long time to figure out what was missing in my work and although I truly loved it, something was leaving me feeling empty.
It's hard to explain, really, but the more I started photographing for a living, the harder it actually became for me. I get in a rut when I do the same things over and over, and I feel disconnected when I'm not creatively challenged. I've been a photographer for almost 10 years now, 7 of them professionally and though I'm always striving to be learning and growing, I finally feel like I've figured out what's been missing. It's not just enough for me anymore to take a pretty picture. I want those goosebumps when I'm looking through my camera, watching magic unfold. I'm an emotional person naturally, but when my eyes start to well up behind the lens while seeing your love pour out, I can't explain it. I want to capture those honest moments between you and your loves and I want you to feel what I'm seeing. I want your heart to explode with happiness when I show you your images! I crave shooting from my heart.
I love lifestyle sessions more than anything because I get to document real, raw moments. To me, it's all about connection. Yes, I will guide you into position and take some nice photos of your family, but my heart sings when I know you're not focused on me and just loving one another. Documenting sweet, tender moments in your world is what I live for and it's when I create my best work.
I photographed Miss S when she was a week new. A head full of hair, SO many smiles and the cutest little baby toes I ever did see! Her mama and daddy's love for her brings so much joy to my heart. It's the little moments that I want you to look back on. It goes by so fast, and you're likely sleep-deprived and may not remember a lot of things, but these photos will freeze time and each time you look back at them, I hope you smile. That's what I love about what I do. When you trust me enough to let me do my "thing" and have creative freedom, I will create magic for you.
I will be cutting back on the number of newborn posing sessions I offer and shifting my focus to lifestyle sessions like the one above. You'll still get adorable photos of your baby, but the focus will be more on your love for your little one.
Confession: I did not watch the Super Bowl this past weekend. I did, however, watch Lady Gaga's halftime performance and loved it! She's the epitome of a strong, successful, beautiful woman who doesn't give a damn what others think of her! She's so inspiring to me in so many ways and I think she's an exquisite role model. So when I started seeing all of these headlines about her body being a topic in negative ways, I was quite upset. I mean, she OWNED that performance and looked fantastic! And people were saying she was "fat" and shouldn't have been wearing an outfit that showed her stomach like that... Please! I could understand expressing opinions of her performance, music, etc since we all don't like the same things, but to attack based on appearance alone? What message does that send? Think about every woman in the world who doesn't look like Lady Gaga, and how that makes everyone else feel. Think about the message it's sending to young children. That it's ok to verbally attack someone for no reason. It is so sad that there are so many bullies in this world that are so full of hate and anger within themselves that they need to tear others down to feel better.
It saddens me to think we live in a world where young girls, and women of all ages for that matter, are taught to believe something is wrong with us if we're not physically perfect. My heart aches at the thought of my nieces, and all young girls, growing up having to constantly compare themselves to society's version of perfection and how damaging this can be to self-esteem. It's setting them up for failure so early on, at a prime time when their sense of self is developing and being shaped.
We are all unique, and we all have different bodies. No one is perfect and it's something that needs to be celebrated, not criticized. THIS is why I do boudoir beauty sessions. To help you see yourself the way I see you: beautiful, just as you are. To show you that the way you have been taught by society to see yourself is not accurate. It's not just about pretty pictures of you, it's about a sense of empowerment and owning yourself, so-called flaws and all. We all benefit from each other when we let our light shine and recognize our own value. Celebrate you!
Imagine if we all focused on lifting each other up instead of tearing one another apart. We are all beautiful in our own ways. Let's re-define "society's" definition of beautiful and start accepting EVERYONE exactly as they are.
Be you, exactly as you are, just like ^Lynnea^ does every day! This girl is gorgeous on the outside, but her inner beauty is equally stunning. Killer personality, talented, loyal, musical dancing queen with an infectious smile, killer eyes and a giant heart full of love. She welcomed me into her tribe with open arms and I am eternally grateful to know such an incredible human being. Thanks for working with me, Lady!
We can all learn from Lady Gaga and Lynnea: that it's better to be authentic than to dim your inner light to conform to a sense of "normal." Be your weird self, my darlings!
XOXO, Courtney
Professional Portrait Photography by Courtney Laper in the greater Chicago area.
Courtney Laper focuses on documenting moments & relationships with a mix of lifestyle and posed portraiture. She is located in Chicago, IL but travels all over.
Call: 608.438.9832
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