A couple of weeks before BlogHer, I received a message from Karen.
“Been looking through your photos. You give AMAZING face — all sparkling eyes and happy smile. May I photograph you at BlogHer?”
The thing you need to know about Karen is a photographer. But she’s more than that. She has an amazing gift– her photos capture and bring out the unique beauty that each of her subjects possess.
I didn’t hesitate to say “yes.”
She came to my hotel room, pulled a chair in front of the window, asked me to sit down and began to shoot. And shoot and shoot and shoot. She showed me a few shots. I don’t like my face, but I sure did like what I saw through the viewfinder. She’s amazing, I tell you.
Yesterday, I received an email that contained the photo she chose to post on 1,000 faces.
As soon as I saw it, I began to pick apart my face. I immediately noticed all of the things that I hated. My wrinkles. My bad skin. My crooked teeth, and so on…But then I read what Karen wrote underneath my pictures.
“Isn’t she just radiant? She looks like the sun to me.”
My first reaction was to reject her description. Instead, I let her words sink in. And for a minute, I allowed myself to believe them.
I hope that one day, I can see myself the way that Karen does. Every day.
Hot. Damn.
It’s so wonderful. The photo. The description. Everything.
YES…just like the sun. Beautiful!
This picture made me tear up. Y, you’re so beautiful and so loved! Karen is such an amazing photographer, but I think she only captures a small glimpse of your bright shining light.
You’re gorgeous. Inside and out. I am so lucky to call you a friend.
What a fantastic photo! Everyone is always their own harshest critic, but seriously Y – you look gorgeous!
It really is a great picture of you, Y! I agree with Kren, you do look radiant!
This is how I always have seen now, big, small and everywhere in between. You’re a light and a dear friend and even if you weren’t my friend, I’d still think you sparkled.
You ARE radiant, and you are as radiant in person as you are in these photos. I’m so glad I got to give you a hug, even though it was brief (and beside a bathroom stall.)
Karen is absolutely spot on, just so you know!
Y, you ARE absolutely beautiful! I’m so glad you had this opportunity… it’s a gift… to show you just how amazing you truly are.
hugs
You’re too hard on yourself Yvonne. You’re gorgeous. Like we all are in some way or another. Grab on to it tight and run away with it.
I see it too. As soon as I saw it I smiled back.
I always knew you were so radiant. I am glad you are finally able to see it.
You are a happy, radiant woman, she’s right. It shows.
I saw this earlier today on her site and thought, “what a fabulous pictures! Y is looking GREAT!” We are our harshest critics. You’re beautiful, sunshine.
Your face is beautiful and expressive. I wish I understood why beautiful women can’t see their own beauty. I’m glad you caught a glimpse of yours.
definitely sunshiny 🙂
You are like the sun. It’s why everyone who meets you wishes they could spend more time with you. We all want to soak some of it up.
Oh. Oh. I am nearly speechless. What a breathtaking picture of such a beautiful woman. You do look like the sun.
You are sunshine in my life, Yvonne. I love to hear your voice, see your face, read your words.
If you saw yourself the way others see you and if you felt about yourself the way we feel about you, you would be…SO CONCEITED.
Hahahaha.
I love that face!
xoxo
L
So many of us do that thing. Silly us.
You are truly beautiful, Y.
This is beautiful. And so you. Which is, BEAUTIFUL.
I’m so glad I had a chance to hug you and say hello, however briefly. xoxo
I think all of us do that when we look at photos of ourselves (some of us more than others I’m sure!!!).
That said… everyone who knows you can see the beauty. And your words brought tears to my eyes.
I’m so happy I was able to meet you at BlogHer… even if it was a brief meeting!
You are gorgeous. The photo is gorgeous too, but mostly you.
If you look at anything hard enough and critically enough, you’ll find flaws. That beautiful flower has a petal that isn’t quite aligned. That incredible child has a smudge on his cheek. But those tiny imperfections just emphasize the beauty of the whole.
And you are beautiful.
I’m so glad you let yourself listen, if only for a minute, to the truth.
Make some time every once in a while to go back to it and reread that caption.
Erin 🙂
Your openness to your vulnerability is what I instantly liked about you. Most Mommy bloggers can’t open up that far. How touching that you allow people to both really see inside you and post a picture that allows everyone to see the lovely outside. My daughters and granddaughter have a great model in you.
Cathy Jo Cress
http://momlovesyoubest.wordpress.com/
It made me so happy when I saw that. You are so, so beautiful, Yvonne. Your smile, your eyes, just totally light up the world.
I LOVE your face! And Karen is right, you do give great face. You may not believe it right now, but you are gorgeous. One day, I hope you see yourself the way the rest of us see you!
yup. i totally see it! how beautiful!
She gave you a gift. You can look back at that photo when you’re feeling down and be able to feel beautiful when you remember her words. Beautiful.
Long time reader, first time commenting. I just had to tell you that that is a beautiful picture of you and she is right. You do look radiant. 🙂 Keep smiling!!
Ms. Pillowz
BigDivaHq.com
Karen’s right. You can believe her. I promise.
I absolutely agree with Karen.
Karen IS right. You have a beautiful smile and your lovely personality shines through in every photo. AND you are even more radiant in real life. It’s true! Believe it! Swear, I’m not just blowin’ smoke over here!
You DO look like the sun! I am SO SADPANDA that I didn’t get to meet you (again) at BlogHer. I’m so sorry I didn’t stalk you down.
The picture is great! You are a beautiful woman! You have such a beautiful smile! I am glad I got to meet you, I only wish I would have had a chance to chat more than we did. Your dress at CheeseburgHer was adorable and very flattering.
That is such a GREAT picture. You look lovely. 🙂
It’s a lovely picture, and you have a lovely face. Try this experiment. Look at a picture of some actress that you think is gorgeous. Look at a closeup of her face and start to pick it apart. Find the wrinkles, moles, a tooth out of place. It will be hard to find a picture that hasn’t been given the Photoshop once over first, but I’ll bet you can warp the way you see anyone the way you warp your own self image, and if you can do that then with a little practice and kindness you can see yourself in a new gorgeous light.
I love this picture! You look awesome, but then again you always look fantastic!
Y – I used to read you a long time ago and then my life collapsed and I fell off the face of the earth. I was thrilled to find you today and scroll through some posts – you are as vibrant and interesting as you were three years ago and I can’t wait to keep reading. The sun? oh yes, you ARE the sun… let that be your mantra!
Wow – that was fun to read because that’s exactly what I think of you when I see pics – sunshine. You radiant happiness through your eyes & smile. Enjoy the pics – you deserve this chance to see yourself through our eyes.
What a beautiful picture!!! I love the description. I hope you see it too. =)
You are all those things to all of us. You’re sparkly. I totally get it, but I do, too, hope you see yourself that way every day. XO
You are beautiful!! Love that photo.
SKINNY!!!
I can see what she is saying — you smile with your whole being — your lips, eyes, cheeks, everything lights up and just makes me smile too. What a gift you have!
I don’t know why we (as a society) tend not to like ourselves. I know that businesses takes advantage of it, making billions off of telling us how to improve this, change that, etc.
I’ve always, having read your blog for several years, thought that you are beautiful. it starts from the inside and shows up outside – especially when you smile.
It’s beautiful! Really great photo!
Karen’s photos don’t lie. Your photo is especially beautiful-own it!
“Beauty is not always the package it is the soul you find inside.” You are a beautiful soul.