Rebecca is welecomed into the Photo Divine Mafia!

“Think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody's face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways."  Duane Michals quotes

I have known Rebecca since 6th grade. She is now a mom of three extremely polite sons. Somehow, every time I see her she looks very put together. When I was brand new to motherhood, sleep deprived, delusional and exhausted Rebecca came to my house with a meal, all three of her sweet boys and soothed my crying baby while I showered. One of the two words she used to describe herself in our Photo Divine pre-shoot questionnaire was "nurturing," which she hated to admit, but she certainly is. I nicknamed her "Super Mom" because I still cannot figure out how one woman can accomplish so much in a day.

Rebecca did this photo shoot for herself, for many reasons, however I believe the real reason is that she realized she is Super Mom and therefore worth celebrating. The bonus of the shoot is these images are also meant to be a surprise for her husband. When Victoria Secrets packages started to show up at her house, Rebecca's husband showed some concern because she never buys new undies and other prettys for herself. Without giving the plan away she told him that she was helping Wesley and I with some marketing and it got him off her case. We started this shoot at dusk and photographed into the night with the goal of an urban, moody feel.  The Victoria Secrets attire did not make the blog, to respect Rebecca's privacy, but I so wish I could show her off. We ducked in and out of the alleys. Trying to find private places to shoot in the darkness. As a mom it is important to tap into your feminine and sexy self, and that is exactly what we did with this shoot. Rebecca is certainly sexy and oh so much more.

The Newest Members of the Photo Divine Mafia in San Francisco

We have expanded the realm of our work and friendships into the marvelous city of San Francisco thanks to the inspiration of one woman, best known as Sadie Kay. Photo Divine thrived in SF, because no matter what outrageous costumes these women marched down the streets in, the only heads they were turning were those of the tourists. It seemed as though there was nothing that could shock the locals, which was perfect because it allowed us to go about our merry way quite freely.

These ladies are magical. They are webbed together by beautiful friendships. They like to play dress-up. They spend a large chunk of the year preparing costumes for Burning Man. They are playful, fun and all seem hopelessly in love with this amazing city and with each other. Costumes aside, there was still transformation that occurred in each shoot. Made-up or raw the beauty of each woman unfolded and enchanted us all. For Wesley and I, there is nothing more rewarding then creating a photograph of a woman that shocks her, because she suddenly sees herself as stunning. Sometimes it just takes a little ruby red lipstick, sometimes it takes a good photographer and sometimes it takes a Photo Divine experience.

Photo Divine Mafia Member ~ Carmen

"Photo Divine's photo shoot with me was amazing. They were not only professional, but very gentle and cautions of my feelings safe and comfortable. I can't wait to do it again. Thank you!" ~ Carmen

There is no right time to commit to a Photo Divine shoot. The timing is different for everyone. The piece that tends to connect most of these type of shoots is they tend to happen during or after a time of transition in life. I loved hearing Carmen's story about how she heard about the work that we were doing from a few different people over a period of years. When I joined a BNI group that she is in, Carmen felt like it was the universe's way of telling her now is the time. Her story of life's challenges over the past year moved me to tears. I am always inspired by how strong women are, how much we can handle in times of stress, and how gracefully we can transition, learn, and let go. Wesley and I are privileged to know this powerful woman. We are so thrilled to have been allowed celebrate her with our cameras!