Meet our 2017 covergirl, Jessica! She is a mom, a wife, a friend, one of the most loving person I've ever met and beautiful inside and out. Jessica is the type of person you just want to be friends with. She is smart, loves her family, spending time with her girlfriends and wasn't sure she was perfectly gorgeous. When I first met Jessica, I was immediately drawn to her vibrant smile and true kindness. I am so proud to have photographed her, to have been able to show her what that special sparkle in her eyes looks like. To have created portraits that her two daughters will look on with joy. Really, Jessica is most of us. Sometimes we need a reminder of how amazing we are!
A word from Jessica:
I never liked being photographed. I only saw ugly. I for sure hated smiling with my teeth in pictures. Going to the photo shoot with Natalie was scary for me at first. Having two kids with not so much time for myself, my hair was a mess, I still had my post-baby body from my second child... But those fears all went away as soon as I walked into Natalie's studio. Being able to just sit down and truly get pampered, getting my hair and makeup done was awesome! I felt like a whole new person.
At first, being coached how to pose was awkward for me, but after just a couple of minutes, I felt Natalie's energy run through me and her passion for her job. The awkwardness went away. I felt pretty and like a model. Looking at these pictures, I still can't believe that it is me. I did that? Through the lens, Natalie saw something about me I haven't seen myself and It took these pictures for me to see that. I am beautiful, and even though I might not be perfect, that is what makes me, me!
I hope my daughters can one day look at these pictures and say to their friends, that's my mom. And their friends will say, "wow, she was so pretty!" Just as I have of seeing my mother's and my grandmother's pictures. How the camera can just capture ones soul is remarkable. Natalie is remarkable and I hope she will continue capturing women's souls and make them feel as beautiful as I did for a long time!