How to Choose the Right Photographer for You
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I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what it means to be seen. Not just looked at, but truly seen - in the way that feels vulnerable and real and sometimes even a little bit life-changing.
Photography has been the doorway for me into that experience, both as the person behind the camera and, for many years, as the person in front of it. I know how exposed it can feel to let someone witness you in such an unguarded way. There’s something about standing in front of the lens that stirs up those deep-seated beliefs - the ones about not being enough, not being beautiful enough, not being worthy of the attention.
I’ve experienced all of this firsthand. For years in my teens and into my early twenties, I struggled with intense body dysmorphia. I didn’t even want to take off my shirt, let alone be immortalized in an image that would live on forever.
This is why I know from my own experience with shame and the longing to hide that choosing who you allow to photograph you matters so much more than you might realize. It’s so much more than a transaction or someone just taking your picture.
It’s an exchange of trust.
And that trust is what allows you to feel safe enough to relax into your authentic self in the moment.
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When you start looking for a photographer, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. There are so many options out there - different styles, different personalities, different costs. It can be tempting to just pick someone whose work looks polished or whose rates fit your budget. But there’s something much deeper at play here, something I hope you'll consider.
Yes, you’re hiring someone to make you look good. But on a much deeper level, you’re hiring someone to hold space for you. Someone whose energy will set the tone for how you feel about yourself, about the process, about the final images that will live on as part of your story.
When you’re choosing a photographer, you’re really choosing an experience. You’re choosing how you want to feel and how you want to connect. You’re choosing whether you’ll walk away with images that feel honest, with the energy coming through that is uniquely yours - or ones that look beautiful but don’t quite feel like you.
This is why I believe it matters to be thoughtful and take your time. To look beyond the portfolio and ask yourself: Can I imagine feeling safe in this person’s presence? Do their words resonate with me? Do they speak about their work in a way that feels human rather than transactional? Does their philosophy match what I hope to experience?
These are the questions that help you find someone who can meet you where you are. Someone who won’t just see the surface of you, but who will really sense and feel the true presence of who you are—the stories and emotions and history that live beneath what the camera captures.
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I can tell you from years of doing this work, the energy between you and your photographer is everything. You’ll feel it within the first few minutes of talking to them. It’s the difference between feeling like you have to put on a performance and feeling like you can finally let your guard down.
I’ve sat across from so many people - artists, business owners, parents, people who swore they “just aren’t photogenic” - and watched the same transformation happen. At first, there’s that tightness in the chest, the careful smile. But when trust is there, when you know you’re in the hands of someone who actually sees you, it’s like the body gets permission to start to relax. Your shoulders drop. Your breath evens out. Your eyes start to look less guarded and more alive.
That’s why I don’t believe photography is ever just about the technical side—the lighting, the angles, the styling. Yes, those things matter. But they don’t matter nearly as much as how you feel in the moment the shutter clicks. The camera will always pick up what’s real. If you feel judged or rushed or unseen, that energy will live inside the image. But when you feel safe and accepted exactly as you are, that’s what shines through.
This is why I approach every session as something sacred. It’s not about getting a “perfect” shot. It’s about creating an experience that helps you feel more connected to yourself.
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When you’re exploring photographers, I think it helps to trust what your intuition is telling you. You might come across someone’s website or Instagram and feel an immediate sense of calm, or curiosity, or openness. Pay attention to that. That feeling is information.
I’d encourage you to read the words a photographer writes. Look at how they talk about their work and about the people they photograph. Can you feel the reverence and the passion? Do their words connect to your own humanity?
Notice how you feel when you imagine spending an hour or two with this person. Do you feel like you could easily connect and feel relaxed with them? Do you feel like they’d be patient if you needed time to get comfortable?
These questions matter so much more than whether their portfolio is full of perfectly polished images. Because at the end of the day, the photographs that will mean the most to you are the ones where you can feel your own presence coming through. The ones where your eyes feel soulful, rather than guarded. The ones where your expression feels real, like you weren’t trying so hard to be anything other than yourself.
This is the gift of choosing a photographer whose energy feels aligned with yours. Someone whose presence helps you remember you don’t have to earn your worthiness. Someone who can hold the space for you to feel all the things that come up - nerves, excitement, maybe even a little fear - and still stay connected to yourself.
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You deserve to have this experience with someone who sees you fully. Someone who cares more about connection than performance. Someone who understands that the most meaningful portraits are never just about looking good - they’re about being authentic.
If you’re reading this and you feel a little spark of resonance, a quiet yes in your body, maybe that’s your intuition speaking. Maybe this is the right time, and maybe I’m the right person to walk alongside you.
I’d be honored to help you create images that feel honest and alive and beautifully yours.
If you’re in the Los Angeles or Palm Springs area and you’d like to explore what this could look like, I offer free consultations so you can ask questions and share anything on your heart. There’s no pressure. Just an open conversation about what matters to you.
This is your invitation to take the next step, to be witnessed with compassion, and to remember that you are already worthy of being seen exactly as you are.
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