Confronting your fears

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of photographing Dianne who wanted to give her husband something special for Valentine's Day. She was pretty sheepish about the idea, but she wanted to go outside her comfort level and do something that he would never suspect. I suggested that she buy some lingerie items for the photo shoot. She was a bit hesitant at first. I guess she envisioned something a little less bold. Nonetheless, I convinced her to at least check out some sexy items. Boy am I glad she did. She got some great stuff.

I also found a great makeup and hair artist, Annie, to come and take care of the beauty aspects for the session. Annie did a great job, and I know that after she was done, Dianne felt like a supermodel. She looked great!

It took her a little while, but as the session went on, Dianne relaxed and we were able to get some really great images. When Dianne saw the final images that she was going to give her husband, she was truly shocked at how good she looked. I am so pleased that she was able to overcome her nervousness. I could really see her confidence level change when she saw the photographs and she told me how great she felt about it all.

This experience made me think, "What can I do to step outside my own comfort level?" One of my biggest fears is speaking in front of a group of people. For some reason, I become flustered and can barely tolerate the idea of all those eyeballs focused on me. Perhaps I can learn from Dianne and take some small step to confront my fear of public speaking.

What are you afraid of?

Unsung Heroines of Massachusetts

Did you know that each year, the state of Massachusetts seeks nominations for women residents, from each town, to be named an unsung heroine? I didn't either until today.

I happened across something online and did some digging. The MCSW, Massachusetts Commission of the Status of Women, was created in 1998. The goal of the groups seems to be advancing women of all backgrounds to promote rights and opportunities.

This is very interesting to me; I have never even heard of this organization before. Have you? If you would like to see who was named the unsung heroines of 2007, click here.

Personally, I think this is a nice way of recognizing the women in our community who go way above and beyond. I just wish more people knew about this. I'm sure we all know a fellow mother, teacher, nurse, or daughter who would surely qualify for this in our own town whom we could nominate. I encourage you to check out more information on this interesting organization.