jennifer's mentor session turned into a portrait session which turned into another portrait session with her husband josh.

lately, portrait sessions for me have been more quiet.

more observing and settling in, less crazy-making and riling people up.

jennifer is part of my seeing classes and is a lovely soul who i had been waiting to meet for months before the class finally came.  what an eye, what a spirit, what a gift for jumping into the world of art and doing things that are inspiring and worth looking at. 

enjoy these----------

i keep talking about my mentor sessions,

because,

that has been my life for the past month.

10 per week,

10 chances to dive right into the grit of life through the medium of photography.

i went to san luis obispo 2 weeks ago and was able to fit in a mentor session with jennifer at her house!  the sessions are usually at my house, or over skype------- but i made a special little exception with jennifer because i was in the area (and.......... secretly wanted to see her cool house.)

derek van oss was with me in san luis, and was super nice and offered to photograph the session happening.  we had to be there at 9am so i woke up at 7am and got ready in 2 minutes to run out the door for breakfast.  this is me in the reality of me.  i think most everyone in the class saw me unshowered, in my yoga clothes, wearing this same sweater.  show the edges. live the grit.

visit jennifer's two blogs! she is so good! i'm so proud of what she accomplished in the class.

#1, iartu- inspiration

#2, her photography

and thanks derek for these photos------- such a gift.

it's mentor-session central over here at the pink house.

we had our first session all together, and then each student meets with me individually once a week for three weeks.  we're in week two.  it has been beautiful, unexpected, deep, and complex.  each person comes with their images, we look at them and explore together.  explore the why's.  why are you drawn to take photographs of say..... night? lines? why are you always far away? why are you always so close up? why are there no people? why is there ONLY people? some are drawn to color, some are drawn to trees and flowers, some are drawn to weird quirky finds that they randomly come across. 

we explore, and we come to some really meaningful places.

i love doing this.

its like water to me.

i just want to drink it up.

i need more.

i love it.

i need it.

a few of the sessions this week have ended in a short little 5 or 10 minute photo session.  i think its so good to experience how YOU show up in front of the camera before you do it to others.  here is beth,

>>> to get on the mailing list for future SEEING classes, email yes@shannonleith.com and put SEEING in the subject.

jeanie rule.
yup, that's her name.
i flipped when i saw it.
i flipped when i saw HER!
how gorgeous is she?
jeanie is strong and confident,
easygoing and bright.
we did these photos in south pasadena, my favorite place.

it's scary to have your picture taken.
its also AWKWARD.
what do you do?
how do you act?
how will you look?
will you like them?
"am i doing okay?"
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, PHOTOGRAPHER??????"
out of everyone who i've photographed in the past four years, 95% of people warn me about how bad they are at having their photo taken.

i have the I'm Scared! chat with practically every client who hires me.
i think 50% of my job is calming fears and giving positive affirmation, which i love---- because when i calm you down, you are able to light up. its what i love to do. light you up.

so, i've decided to bring the conversation to my blog, to level the field and let everyone know that YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE!
honestly.
everyone freaks out.... but look at the happy, natural, lovely photos we somehow are able to get!

here are my secrets.
1. take a few deep breaths, literally
2. your job is to simply exist.  just be you. no need to put on a show.
3. i will tell you where to go, what to do...we'll just be chatting, having a good time for an hour, and magically you'll have amazing photos of yourself.

is it THAT easy?
kind of. 
i honestly think that good photos come out of an acceptance of who you are, and a willingness to be seen.  if you're willing to have me really SEE you, really spend time with YOU, really uncover who you are and capture what i see, then the session is easy. its no problem. my approach to photography is to capture real life.  i'm always paying attention to the light---- putting you in the places where you'll look the best. more importantly though, i'm trying to notice and capture who you really are.  we're not trying to force anything.

are you still with me?
i have lots of thoughts on this, so if you're into it, keep reading.

a photo session IS scary at first,
but lately i've been interested in pressing into that fear.  using the space of a photo session to face it head on.  taking the experience you have with me during your session, and uncovering the layers of what it was like for you to be in front of the camera.

there are a few issues though.
a) photo sessions are not a normal part of life. this is not NATURAL. i get that.
b) it takes vulnerability to relax and just be.  that means that someone gets to see you.  will they like what they see? thats a big question to face.
c) this is a risk.  you have to be present and trust me.  trust that i'll see you as You.  trust that i'll see something lovely.  trust that i won't make you look horrible.

so.
i've been taking time after delivering the images from a portrait session to talk about the experience.
>> what was that like for you?
>> what did you learn about yourself?
>> what is it like to see what i saw in you?
>> how does it feel to be given so much attention?
>> did you feel like you were YOU during our session?
>> did you feel like i LET you be you?
>> did you feel like you had to perform at all? why?
things like this.

yeah, its kind of like therapy.  i love it.
i did three years of therapy myself.... realized all sorts of insecurities that am still dealing with.

i think that having your photograph taken can be a really freeing experience, if you are willing to take that risk, be vulnerable, and trust me.

it can also be celebratory and monumental.  something to look at and say, "that's ME, and for once, i like me."

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so.
i want to offer a huge discount to you guys if you want to have the experience of being seen. i have room in my schedule right now for two sessions, and i'd like to offer them for $200 instead of the normal $350, because i like you.  if you're interested email yes@shannonleith.com and we'll set you up. only the first two though... sorry i can't fit more in! (SOLD OUT)
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I love doing family portraits for people who are open to what the words family portrait might mean.  Blaire, her mom, and her grandma fit into that category.  Wanting a documentation of the real them, having a real experience.  We went to the the San Juan Capistrano Mission, a place where her grandma had taken photos of Blaire and her mom 20 years ago.  The three of them are reallyclose.  Both Blaire and her mom are the only daughter---- think Gilmore Girls, and you'll have a glimpse into real life for them.  We ran to the car from the rain at the end, happy with what we had and excited to see what we had created and captured.  So, Blaire, Sue and Grandma.  I call her Grandma too along with Blaire, so we'll go with that :) enjoy,