11/02/2026
Long post- please read!!!
This may ruffle a few feathers, and that is not my intention. I’m not writing this to hurt anyone’s feelings or call anyone out personally. I’m writing it to bring attention to something that genuinely hurts my heart.
As a photographer, but also as an obese woman, I want to share my perspective.
Every single one of us is our own worst critic. We analyze ourselves. We pick apart our appearances. We have things we love and things we wish we could change. And sometimes, when we see a photograph of ourselves, all we can focus on are the things we don't like.
But here's what I wish more people understood...
You are looking at yourself through your own insecurities, not through the eyes of the people who love you.
You don't see yourself the way your children see you. You don't see yourself the way your spouse, your parents, your grandchildren, or your family see you. They aren't looking at your weight, your wrinkles, your imperfections, or the things you wish were different. They're seeing MOM. They're seeing DAD. They're seeing the person they love, the person who makes their world better, and the person they want memories with.
I wish people would stop allowing their insecurities to rob them of family photographs, meaningful moments, and the opportunity to look back at memories with happiness instead of criticism.
It honestly breaks my heart when someone can't enjoy their photographs because they're too busy picking themselves apart. I wish I could make everyone see what I see. Not just through my camera lens, but through the bigger picture of what these photographs will mean one day.
Pictures are IMPORTANT.
Every single one of us has an expiration date that none of us knows. Neither do the people we love. One day, photographs may be all our families have left to look back on. And I can ASSURE you, the people who love you and miss you someday will not be sitting there analyzing the things you thought were flaws.
They will be looking at your smile. Your face. Your presence. The memories. They'll be wishing they could have just one more photograph, one more hug, one more ordinary day with you.
Please don't wait until you're thinner, until you lose weight, until your hair looks better, until you feel more confident, or until you think you've reached some version of yourself that is finally photograph-worthy.
You are already worthy of being in the picture.
Get in the photos. Take the pictures. Make the memories. Let your children have photographs of you. Let the people who love you have something to hold onto.
Stop letting the way you see yourself today determine the memories your family gets to keep tomorrow. ❤️
