I met David a few years ago when we were working retail at the same outlet center. He walked by one day and I noticed he had these huge triangle tattoos on his arms, which I thought were really cool. The triangle is actually my favorite shape and I’ve been wanting to get a small, upright triangle tattoo on my wrist to represent the element of fire (I’m an Aries). Anyway, I went into one of my favorite stores and saw him working, so I awkwardly told him I thought his look/vibe was DOPE. To be honest, he probably thought I was such a weirdo and we both went about our day. We somehow became friends on Facebook, and two years later he applied for a job at a store I was managing (not knowing who I was). I interviewed him and we instantly clicked, but he had a better opportunity elsewhere, so we never had the chance to work together. This was long before I started my blog and I remember excitedly talking to my coworkers about the fact that David was a photographer, and I even joked around about him one day taking my picture.

Fast-forward to now… we ended up forming a friendship over Instagram and decided to collaborate! We went to Longwood Gardens and had the most wonderful and magical day! I was there earlier this year and thought it would be THE PERFECT place to shoot, and it was. David’s boyfriend, Greg, who is the sweetest person, and who I knew prior to knowing David (it’s a small world, y’all) also came along and took some fun behind-the-scenes footage. David took some video footage and compiled it into a cute little music video, which I’ll be putting on my YouTube channel shortly (#homegirlisbehindonvideos). I love getting “the shot” and presenting the finished product of a shoot, however I do want to start doing more in-the-moment/behind-the-scenes, as it’s another avenue of creativity and I want to have the memories for later!

Something I struggle with in life (and I’m quite sure I’ve mentioned this before on my blog), is staying present. I’m always thinking about and desiring the next thing, and often times I wonder if I’m “on the right track.” To be honest, I feel like I haven’t accomplished enough for my age with the time I’ve been given, but perhaps that’s an insecurity stemming from societal pressure. The older I get the more time seems to accelerate, and although “time” is a man-made construct it’s still important to me to use it wisely. When I was shooting with David I felt happy and free as I was twirling around. I wasn’t worrying about trivial things, and that’s something I really want to do less of this year - worrying less about where I am in life, what I’m doing, what’s going to happen next, when I’m going to move to the West Coast, who I’m going to end up with, etc. I want this year to be about not only letting the light in, but keeping it (in all areas of my life). I’m incredibly thankful that I’m finally able to pursue my creative dreams (after much delay), and do things that make my soul shine! I’ve met a lot of really genuine and interesting people so far, and my journey has just begun.

You can see more of David’s work on Instagram and his newly launched website!

Mar 31 MAGIC GARDENS

Apr 14 SCARLET

Feb 20 VINTAGE VIBES