“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are”—E. E. Cummings
Last week I escaped to my favorite place at Dillon Beach with a few good friends. The weather was warmer than usual and the tide extremely high. However, on the very last morning, a bit after sunrise, the fog rolled in, the tide rolled out, and I took these photos of my dear friend and July model, Heidi.
I met Heidi about seven years ago in an online support group for surrogates who were pumping milk. Odd, I know! Turned out not only did she live near me, but she also was a writer. She invited me to her writing group, and after a few years of dragging my feet, we finally met.
Thank goodness! Heidi’s now one of my favorite people. She cares not only about her friends, but about the world. She’s smart, ambitious, kind, devoted to her children, an incredible middle school teacher, a talented writer, and she makes damn good guacamole. I’ve witnessed her incredible strength as she’s navigated some really hard things, and she impresses me with her dedication to growth and healing.
These photos are some of the first I took with my new 25mm f/1.8 lens, and it really was dreamy. Unlike most of my sessions, I barely edited these. Heidi fully trusted me and we worked together with such joy and ease that I think it really translated to these images.
Let me know if you have a favorite and give Heidi some love.
What makes you proud?
I’m most proud that I had the courage to dismantle every belief system that taught me to abandon myself in pursuit of acceptance. I’m proud that I’ve been brave enough to walk away from people and places committed to shrinking me, or unwilling to truly see or respect me. And I’m incredibly proud that I’ve chosen authenticity over belonging again and again, even when that authenticity and honesty have cost me security, community, and every version of myself I thought I would become.
What makes you feel brave?
My children make me feel brave because they remind me everyday that every time I choose courage, or step out of hiding and fully into my truth, I’m handing them a permission slip to do the same. To stand in the face of their fears and declare: “You don’t get to tell my story. I do.”
What gives you hope?
Nature gives me the most hope because in her I see the truth that everything is energy. Nothing is ever truly lost, merely transformed. Being in nature has shown me that we are not separate from her; we are her. When I can be still and return to Earth’s natural rhythms, she returns me to mine. In her, I am reminded that life knows how to adapt, regenerate, and begin again. She reminds me that transformation is always possible. And if Mother Earth can do it, so can I.
Here’s here’s a few bonus shots I wanted to add. A dog we met on the beach named Nova thought reminded me of the dog in Peter Pan. A few shots in black and white, deer prints in the sand, a seagull eating a crab, and a crazy bug that was close to Heidi’s face in the cave.
These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using several different lenses and edited with Lightroom Classic. Let me know what you think, and check out the others in this series if you missed them.
Bridgette Tales 