The very notion of celebrating yourself can seem a little frivolous. But I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t take much and self-care is essential. Against popular belief, caring for and celebrating yourself still involves work. As nice as having a quiet moment to yourself endlessly scrolling the internet, it isn’t serving you. Being intentional with how you love yourself, reaffirms your value back to yourself.

I have learned, that one of the best ways to celebrate yourself is to document who you are at that moment. On a daily basis, we may look at ourselves to see what needs to be improved and worked on. But how often do we look at ourselves to say “I freaking did that and have made so much progress”. Photo sessions don’t always have to be for couples or groups. They can be just for YOU.

In 2021 my friend Rubi reached out to have me take photos for her 30th birthday. It’s not a typical shoot that I see often so I was so excited for her to reach out! She loves plants and succulents, so I reached out to almost everyone I knew asking if I could borrow any potted plants they had. We ended up landing on two main looks for the shoot. One casual look to embrace who Rubi is at this amazing time of her life, and the other is a little bit more dressed up, edgy, with a sprinkle of confetti.

Flash forward to 2022, I was inspired by Rubi’s shoot to do this for myself. After spending the past two years practically at home, raising two small children in a pandemic, and then quitting my job of 8 years to start my own business I needed to acknowledge to myself all the hard work I have done. So on my 30th birthday, I got my hair done, had lunch with my best friend, and then we had a private photoshoot! It was the perfect way to celebrate. I didn’t need a giant party with tons of people, just connection and celebration.

So why should we celebrate ourselves in photo sessions or solo photo sessions? The act of acknowledging your self-worth, hard work, and celebrating yourself is so incredibly healing. The ability to be authentic enough to show your true self is a practice and the best place to start is in front of a camera with someone you trust. It’s my favorite form of “treat yourself” and is a deep confidence booster. Whether it’s by yourself, or with your partner, take the time to be present in that moment and celebrate where you have come from to where you have landed.

I hope you enjoy the results of both and that it inspires you to celebrate yourself too!