Feeling thankful

Not sure how many of my readers (assuming someone is reading this blog!) know where my full time job is, but it's not photography. My full time job is a very stressful job where no matter how hard I work, I rarely, ever have a customer who says "thank you, I appreciate what you did for me." Most of our customers just complain and gripe and insult us. I've been dealing with these same customers for 26 years and while I'm pretty worn out with it, I know I'm blessed to have had a job all these years, especially the toughest years of my life.

However, it is so amazing to do something that actually makes people happy (besides me!). My latest boudoir photo shoot was last weekend, you can see a teeny, tiny sneak peek on this post, don't want to reveal much, it's a surprise for her hubby. This sweet girl came to me, very, very nervous. Said this was completely outside the box for her, but she really wanted to do this for her husband's birthday. Asked her if she wanted to add hair and make up to her session and she quickly accepted, told me if I leave it up to her, she'll show up with no make up and a pony tail! She told me she NEVER wears make up. So we scheduled a photo shoot and a hair and make up session with the super talented Yurim Cabrera Makeup Artistry.

The first thing that made me realize this session was going to be special was when Yurim finished her make up and hair , this girl came so close to bursting into tears as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She kept saying she couldn't believe it! Then we moved on to the photo shoot. She was still nervous but I think the hair & make up made her feel beautiful and self-confident. As I was photographing her, I would tell her "you look so beautiful" and she would just smile so sweetly. I could tell she was really enjoying hearing that.

I've been editing her photos this week and can't get over how stunning she looks. Last night I sent her a link so she could see some of her photos now that they are fully edited. She sent me so many sweet messages as she viewed them: "I love them!! I still can't believe it's me...so crying" "I'm speechless...I really am" "looking at these pics brought tears to my eyes".

Those messages brought tears to my eyes!!! I don't know if she realizes how much she has blessed me with her comments. It is so wonderful to feel like my hard work has brought joy to someone else. It is the best feeling in the world. Makes me realize that photography is my path to a happier, more fufilled career, doing something that brings me as much joy as it does my clients. That makes me smile. That makes me thankful.