This is my beautiful mother

This is my mother.  She is one of the most beautiful people in the entire world.  She is also one of the largest reasons I am standing behind the camera today.  Her love and support has allowed me to follow my dreams.  

I want to share a story.  When I was almost finished at the community college I was attending, my father introduced me to my first camera.  I fell in love .  After a couple of classes I had decided I was going to transfer to Columbia College Chicago and pursue a degree in photography.  My father and I traveled there to speak with a counselor to gather more details about the program.  Little did I know, this counselor would have a larger influence on my education than I could have ever imagined.   

I was so excited to be inside Columbia.  I thought to myself "I am finally going to start a path in life that has a purpose."  We proceeded to talk about things like my education, the history of the school, how exciting the area is, etc.  Everything was going according to plan, until he realized I was there to inquire about the photography program.  

He said that the program was alright, but it was a bit dated. That may have been true at the time, but it would not have changed my decision to attend the school.  What really caught my attention was his next statement.  "Are you sure you want to major in photography?  That means you would be taking the chance of living in your parents basement when you're thirty because you're not making any money?"  At that moment my heart sank. I didn't know much about the industry, but I knew I didn't want to spend a bunch of money just to be broke in ten years.  Throughout the rest of our conversation he continued to bash the industry,  and my father and I left with our tail between our legs.  I decided I would find another path in education. 

I struggled staying focused in school because I couldn't find anything I was as passionate about.  I dropped out, went back, dropped out, and went back.  It was a frustrating and boring time, but I was too scared to put faith back into pursuing photography.  However, it was my mother who gave me the confidence to do so.  Fast forward ten years, three colleges, and two majors later, I found myself back at Columbia.  Only this time I skipped the counselors visit and went straight to orientation.    

My mother believed I could never be happy without photography.  She believed I made the wrong decision by listening to that counselor.  She also believed that I could achieve anything, and not to listen to what other people are telling me what I won't be able to do.  This photo shoot is a thank you to my mother.  I wanted to show her in the most beautiful light possible, because she is the most beautiful mother I know.  I wanted to give her an insight into what I do because she played a large role in helping create it.  Thank you Mama, I love and appreciate everything about you.