Something that’s always a treat for me to witness is how everyone I’ve photographed, except perhaps a handful, will visibly warm up and relax after the first half an hour or so of being photographed. Even people with a great deal of experience are still figuring out their limits and comfort levels in those early stages and once they’ve got their finger on the pulse of the the common goal they share with the photographer, things really start to take off. I left this album mostly in chronological order so you could see an example of this with these portraits of Nia. Granted, she was pretty lively and animated right from the jump but as you scroll, you’ll see as we moved outside to her backyard in the neon patterned outfit and ultimately with the orange top outfit, she just comes into herself. Selfishly, this “awakening” or revealing of self is something I pride myself on because it wouldn’t occur if the person wasn’t comfortable enough to reveal those layers of themselves.

— Field Notes