Disclaimer: This is going to be an embarrassing blog for me and a few of my old friends.
I recently returned from a visit with my family and friends in the town I grew up in. I decided to dig up some of my old photographs, and when I found them (in an old box full of cobwebs) it was full of hilarious treasures.
Is it normal to plan photo shoots as a 10 year old? I didn’t identify with photography as a career path until I was in my mid-twenties and always wished I was one of those photographers that had a story of how they remembered holding their first camera, or that they knew as a child this would be their calling. I felt my past self robbed me of that magical story. Did I just find my missing story?! Maybe, or maybe I’m reaching for a one…
While I barely recall taking these photos, I do remember that the reason for the first shoot was to make a calendar using the images with hopes of raising money for some kind of charity (probably whale related, as the movie Free Willy made me try all kinds of things to help save the whales) We planned to go door to door selling them. This was the concept until my brother saw them and asked, “why would anyone buy a calendar of these photos?” He raised a good point, we knew that models and firemen sold calendars of photos of themselves, so why couldn’t we? I don’t think we made the connection that a) it’s because they are selling sexy and b) we were minors and if an adult bought a calendar full of images of two ten year old girls trying to look like models, they would questionable characters at best!
So the calendar and fundraiser was kiboshed thankfully, and a weird little album was made for me to find 20 years later.
This didn’t stop me from doing more photo shoots with my friends. About five years later I created yet another set of photos with a friend that were equally as embarrassing. Go ahead, have a laugh..
I love these photos. They remind me that everyone wants to feel beautiful at every age, it’s so incredible to have photographs to look back on and see a part of our history and remember who we were at that time. We change a lot throughout our lives and time sure flies, so I feel privileged to have the job of capturing this moment in time for my clients. I hope they experience the same joy and gratitude as I did to find my old photographs, I hope they remember the experience and what was happening in their lives at that time. I am just so glad that I have 20 years on the photographer who shot the first set of images you see here!
Calendar Shoot:
2nd Found photo shoot:
Leigh Righton Photography 