WE LOVE TO SEE IT

I can’t speak for you, but I think I just recently took a deep breath for the first time in, well, four years.

I’ve felt like a kid on a playground gone wild, desperately searching for the adult monitor to model a dignified way to act. I have now lived under *six presidents and while I have a life that remains relatively stable through these changes of power, I have listened over and over again to people who don’t look just like me say they that is not their experience. And that is more than enough.

For over the past decade of being a photographer, I’ve been so fortunate to explore the complexity of this human experience when entering into the backstories, homes, and workplaces of my clients, of which no two have ever been identical.

The best most interesting part of photographing a face is getting to see the grooves. It’s noticing the small mannerisms children take on from a certain adult in their life. It’s getting to observe the lack of an eyebrow raise when rain comes sweeping in during our session and wondering what in a person’s life prepared them for that discomfort. It’s hearing about the uniquely steep climb someone made to bring a business into the world. It’s the all the asymmetrical parts of us that find harmony to be honest about who we really are.

I am not interested in a perfect leader, but don’t we deserve one who challenges us to appreciate our differences and who champions our shared humanity? Who can be repeatedly counted upon to use language that unites during moments of unrest? During a year when this country’s history of racial inequality is being critically addressed, I wished for the opportunity to look to a leader to model respect to his least tolerant supporters and instead, I witnessed with horror more tone-deaf rhetoric time and time again.

It’s a bit sad knowing that this is another day past and present clients who visit this space or my other social channels will unfollow me and not call again upon me again for services, which inevitably happens when I veer into places too feminist, too blue, too ________ for their comfort.

But here’s the deal: I trust in sharing these thoughts in a really public way, because I have always trusted in making space to visually share the diverse places we come from and for the wild territories we want to venture into. And I am hoping against all hopes that it is our time to do some collective healing; if only we let curiosity— not pride— lead, I think it will take us so far.

In this spirit, my running mate and I dusted off aviators yesterday and we shared a scoop and a cheers to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Love you dearly.

Deanna

You caught that *six presidents, huh? Yeah, I’m that old. Been collecting canine bffs since ‘88, people.