Brilliant

284 Sam S., Paradise Valley, AZ, Nikon D-80, f 5.6, 1/125, ISO 400, Vivacity, Waterpaper, 12-10-09

Do you know who you are? If you do know yourself; Is it beauty you see from the inside out? Each of us is incredibly gifted with our own unique stamp. And because of this, it's worth repeating over and over again...You are brilliant.

When ever I take pictures of people, I'm always, I mean always, humbled. There is something very intimate about looking through a lens and requesting a tilt of the chin this way or ever so slightly, a wink of an eye that way. Never is any two pictures identical and so during the course of a photo shoot, taking hundreds of pictures, the camera has a way of unmasking the outside layer of everyone.

I call it photo time travel because it feels like the years are rolled away, leaving the core of my models open and pure. When this happens as it usually does, I feel chills run down my arms and sometimes tears pool in my eyes. I love people...really and truly love them. Again, repeating over and over, you are uniquely rare, amazingly beautiful and a stand alone, one of a kind...Brilliant!