I arrived at the beach a little early. She was running fashionably late, which allowed me some time to scout out locations. I had a vision and it seemed as though the stars were aligning for us because the weather was perfectly overcast and the area was relatively vacant. I wanted that Miami vibe, minus Miami crowds. Once she arrived, I was excited to see the wardrobe choices. I love options! I knew from the get-go, this would be fun. I could just tell from her spunky personality that this girl would be down for my crazy ideas. And indeed, she was.
Recently having turned thirty, Adriana wanted photos to celebrate herself, her body and this milestone birthday. She was very specific in what she wanted: an editorial feel with a side of sexy. She wanted "model-y"and Victoria's Secret-ish with just a hint of boudoir. No pressure, right?! She said to me that thirty is the "it" age and she feels perfectly ripe and ready to do something like this for herself. She shared that she is in a place in her life worthy of documenting and that she'll never be where she is again. That statement is as literal as it is metaphoric. We are where we are and this moment will never happen again, we will never look this way again, feel this way again or perhaps even think this way again. Celebrate you who you are today, because tomorrow may never come.
As a plus-size model, I have made a career out of positive body-image and self acceptance, so you can see how I would absolutely celebrate her mentality. I think there is nothing more important than to love ourselves and celebrate who we are. This is the reason why I am obsessed with photographing women from all walks of life. These exact moments which will happen... never again.
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