Faith's Senior Session // Beatrice, Nebraska

Dare to be different.

If there’s one thing I could tell right off the bat about Faith, it was that she stands firm in her beliefs and she seems very sure of who she is. She wanted to show off her soft, more feminine side, and also her more bold and edgy parts of her personality. So for the beginning of the shoot, where she wore a gorgeous vintage dress, I stayed true to my typical style and we rocked it out.

Then for the fun part. She put on this black romper and some biker boots and we got creative downtown. These turned out to be my very favorite shots because they sparked that creativity in me and I felt like we really hit the vibe she was goin for on the head.

If you’re looking to get out of your comfort zone, whether it be with photography or in your day to day life, here are a few things I find helpful.

1) START SMALL. If you’re deathly afraid of heights, you’re not going to conquer that fear by bungee jumping off a bridge. At least, that’s not how I would approach it. I would start by doing things like taking a hike up a big hill/mountain and trying to enjoy the view. Or with photography, I would suggest trying a new angle or a new location. Maybe shooting at a different time of the day than you’re used to!

2) GO WITH THE FLOW. Donn’t be too hard on yourself if you try and at first, you don’t succeed. Sometimes it takes more than one attempt to create the look we’re going for or to put yourself out there in a new way. Start small, and celebrate the little successes. Be proud of the steps that you’re taking!

3) BE YOURSELF. Stop being so afraid of what others will think. 9 times out of 10, you’re gonna spend way more time over analyzing your every future move than all the people around you combined will think about your accomplishments. In photography and in day to day stuff, we just have to keep trying to be better than we were the day before and be BOLD enough to say what we really think or shoot how we see it.

4) HAVE FUN. This is the biggest piece of advice I can give. Whatever it is that you’re setting out to do, go at it with a positive attitude and have a good time doing it! We all make mistakes, we all flop on our faces sometimes. If you do, stand up and laugh it off. Life goes on. If you put positivity out there, you will surely notice that the energy around you begins to shift perspectively.