How Having Your Portrait Taken Relates to Inner Child Healing
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I didn’t always know that portrait photography could touch something as deep as the inner child. When I first started out, I thought it was about creating beautiful images, helping someone look their best, or giving them a photograph they’d feel proud to share. And yes, those things happen. But over the years, I’ve discovered something far more profound: stepping in front of the camera can awaken parts of us that have been hidden away since childhood.
When I was a kid, I carried a lot of shame about who I was. Growing up gay in a religious environment, I learned early on to hide parts of myself. I wanted to be invisible because being seen felt dangerous. Cameras made that even harder. Every “candid” photo, every family snapshot, felt like it was freezing the very parts of me I was desperate to keep hidden.
I can still remember the tension in my body when someone raised a camera. My chest would tighten, the last thing I wanted to do was smile, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to disappear. Looking back now, I realize those moments weren’t just about hating photos, they were about the scared little boy inside of me who didn’t feel safe to be himself.
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It’s taken me years to understand that every time I step in front of or behind a camera, I’m in some way meeting that younger version of myself. The boy who wanted to disappear still lives inside me, but so does the part of me that longs to be seen, accepted, and loved exactly as I am. Photography has become a way of giving him what he never had. Each time I allow myself to be seen authentically, I offer that boy safety. Each time I witness a client relax into their true self, I’m reminded that we all carry younger versions of ourselves inside, waiting to feel safe enough to show up.
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When you sit down in front of the camera, I know how easy it is for your shoulders to tense, for your jaw to tighten, for that thought to enter your mind… please don’t see too much. But slowly, as we talk, as I hold space without judgment, you begin to relax into the present moment as yourself. It’s not about posing. It’s about permission. Permission to stop performing, to stop guarding, to stop hiding that younger version of you who was told you had to be smaller, quieter, different.
When that shift happens, you can feel it in your body. The nervous laughter gives way to real laughter. The stiff posture eases into something natural. And often, when I turn the camera around and show you a glimpse of yourself, there’s a pause, a catch in your breath, and sometimes even tears. Because for the first time in a long time, you recognize yourself. Not the mask. The real you.
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That’s the moment I believe connects so deeply to inner child healing. Because the younger you, the one who felt overlooked, shamed, or unseen, finally gets to be witnessed in a way that reflects back your humanity and your worth.
I’ve lived this myself. A few years ago, after one of my guided journeys, I created a self-portrait that felt like peeling back every layer of armor I’d been carrying since childhood. My chest was open, my expression raw, and when I looked at the final image, it felt like my younger self was standing there with me. For the first time, I could see him—not hidden, not ashamed, not trying to disappear—but present, alive, and deserving of love.
As Alice Miller once wrote, “The experience of being understood, truly understood, is what allows the inner child to heal.” That’s what I want the camera to give you too - proof that your presence is already worthy of being seen.
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If you’re in Los Angeles or Palm Springs and feel ready to experience this for yourself, I’d be honored to hold that space for you.
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Reach out if you’d like to talk about what this could look like.