…proud…

Anyone who knows me, or knows my work, can tell you that I am huge fan of retouching to get rid of all the little “flaws” that bother my clients. I so often hear such nice feedback about the final images that I produce, that sometimes I feel like I get caught up in the illusion of it all.

Today I had the pleasure of shooting a beautiful, 50 year old woman. Her bright eyes were accomponied by the little tiny lines that come with years of child-rearing and wisdom, and her smile was encolosed with lines of laughter. Each of the “flaws” I saw held some kind of memory in them. Each line told a story of a day gone by and a time that brought her great joy or much sorrow. Today I realized that the things we so often call flaws are much bigger than that, they are stories, memories, moments, and battle scars. As I looked at her face, I thought about what each line must represent; were the lines in her forehead from the stress of having three teenagers and a newborn all under the same roof? Was each line a representation of the fear and hope she held for each of said children?  The crows feet, were they formed when she lost her daughter and even more indented when she lost her son? The laugh lines, were they from all the years of laughing with my father? Were they created with each accomplishment that I have made, or my sister or brothers have made?

I began thinking of all of the things that have shaped my mother into the woman she is and I started to feel ashamed for photoshopping all of the memories from her face. Each line, each “flaw” each wrinkle and scar are from the moments that have made us who we are. Each laugh is remembered at the corners of our mouths, each line growing from the corners of our eyes is a symbol of something that has made us smile, cry, or contourt our beautiful faces. What I saw today on my beautiful mother was 50 years of expierence, 50 years of laughter, and 50 years of life, to that I raise my glass.

After much thought, I realized that the photos I’ve now retouched of my mom are perfectly beautiful, with or without the “flaws.” I will continue to retouch the “flaws” away as requested, but from now forward, I will also remember why I love what I do, I will remember that documentation though photograph is a beautiful thing, especially when you do it with honesty. That said, I love retouching, and I love the way my clients feel about themselves when they receive thier picture perfect images, but make no mistake, I will alway find more beauty in your truth than I will in all the photoshop in the world, I love you just the way you are…. xoxo

TRUE Beauty really IS in the eye of the beholder…

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I don’t know that I’ve ever actually posted on this blog about anything other than business, but I just HAVE to share this. I am so sad at they way that people not only JUDGE today, but think that there is nothing wrong with passing on that judgment publically. I found this article via a friend on FB and could not resist the temptation to share MY thoughts with this writer.

Friends, remember, at the end of the day, *I* believe that YOU are beautiful. No matter who you are, what you look like, or what choices you make for yourself, there is beauty within your soul and I hope you embrace it.

 

xoxo~

lk

Find the article HERE, or simply read below.

“I get it. It’s the 21st century. You’re cool, you’re rebellious, you’re cutting edge, you have a point to prove, and you’re a woman. Awesome.

Ladies, I know you’re at least at the legal age of making your own decisions, but before you decide to get a tattoo, allow me to let you in on a little secret. A secret you may have not fully realized yet thus far in your life. What you must understand is, as women, we are – naturally – beautiful creatures.

Seriously, though. Your body literally has the ability to turn heads. Guys drool over us. We hold some serious power in our hands, because – as corny as this sounds – we hold the world’s beauty.

But something girls seem to forget nowadays, or maybe have not been taught, is that women hold the world’s class and elegance in their hands, as well. So what’s more attractive than a girl with a nice body? I’ll tell you what: a girl with class. Looks may not last, but class does. And so do tattoos.

An elegant woman does not vandalize the temple she has been blessed with as her body. She appreciates it. She flaunts it. She’s not happy with it? She goes to the gym. She dresses it up in lavish, fun, trendy clothes, enjoying trips to the mall with her girlfriends. She accentuates her legs with high heels. She gets her nails done. She enjoys the finer things in life, all with the body she was blessed with.

But marking it up with ink? That’s just not necessary.

I’m not here to say a girl should walk around flaunting her body like it’s her job – that’s just degrading. Instead of getting a tattoo, a more productive use of your time would be improving and appreciating the body you have been given, not permanently engraving it.

Can you get meaning out of a tattoo? Arguably. If you want to insert ink into your skin as a symbol for something greater than yourself, then maybe you are proving a point to yourself or the rest of the world.

But at the end of the day, are you really a happier person? Has this tattoo, for instance, caused you to learn something new about yourself? Has it challenged you? Has it led you to self-growth? Nothing comes out of getting a tattoo. You get a tattoo, and that’s it. You do something productive, though, and you see results. That’s a genuine, satisfying change in life. Not ink.

Invest your time, money, and effort into a gym membership, or yoga classes, or new clothes, or experimenting with different hairstyles if you’re craving something new with your body, not a tattoo.

I promise, it will be a much more rewarding experience, and you won’t find yourself in a rut when your future grandkids ask you what’s up with the angel wings on your upper back as you’re in the middle of giving them a life lesson on the importance of values and morals.

God knows the last thing this world needs is another generation of kids questioning their basic values and morals.

 

Email: lisa.khoury@ubspectrum.com

 

And my reply…

Dear Lisa,

I applaud the confidence and wisdom it must have taken to write your article on tattoos and today’s woman. Your points are clear, concise, and heard. As women, the beauty of the world DOES live within us, but it is not in a $30 manicure, $60 stilettos, or the way we turn a man’s head, although, being a college student, and presumably in your young twenties, I can see where you may think that based on the media and general consensus of your generation.

You see, Lisa, the TRUE beauty of a woman, the beauty that GOD bestowed upon us is only 1% physical. The beauty, class, and elegance that you speak of go far greater than dressing your beauty/body in trendy clothes and going to the shopping mall with girlfriends. True beauty is not vain, it is self-less, true beauty is buying a neighbor an extra bag of groceries when they’re going through hard times, instead of having that set of nails done for yourself. True beauty is volunteering for a non-profit that is close to your heart knowing that the only payment you’ll have in return is the help and relief that you will bring to someone else’s life. True beauty is loving people for who they are and accepting them for who they are not without judgment. True beauty is smiling at someone who is “different” than you instead of mocking or criticizing. True beauty is knowing that who YOU are is BEAUTIFUL and understanding that beauty is rooted in everyone, and each person has a RIGHT to display their beauty how they choose without being ridiculed.

 Elegance? Let me define that for you as well, elegance is walking into a room and turning heads, not because you have the most beautiful face or finest clothes, but because you are a true joy to those around you and others see genuine qualities in you that are kind and gracious.

Last but not least, we have the taboo topic of Class, and this one is what really gets me… Class is not defined by what kind of car you drive, how big your home is, where you went to school, how fluffy your hair is, how sparkly your diamond is, where you shop, how much money is in your wallet, or really anything other than how you carry yourself. A “classy” woman is thoughtful of others, giving and loyal, always displays manners, and above all, does not judge the beauty of the world around her, but embraces it.

As you step further into adulthood, may you be blessed with true wisdom and an abundance of confidence, but may you also recognize when you’re judging others who you assume are trying to be  “cutting edge” and “cool”, that at the end of the day YOU are simply trying to prove YOUR point and judgment just isn’t classy, posh, cool, or trendy, it’s just wrong.

One last thing, as I read your article, I couldn’t help but notice your photo. I am going to guess that you have some slight curl to your hair by the way your hair is flipping in the bottom of the photo. Did you use a flat iron or round brush and blow dryer to specifically alter your hair the day that photo was taken? Is that not altering the beauty that God blessed you with? Was your temple not supposed to have hair with a little extra wave? Did GOD make a mistake in creating your temple or is it only ok for to alter your temple how you see fit but I’m not “classy” if I alter mine? Shame on both of us I suppose for thinking we know better than our maker…

I am Lindsay King, a woman, a Christian, a mother, a wife, a community activist and volunteer, a business owner, a friend, a shoulder to lean on.

I have tattoos.