Not too long ago, I was testing some new equipment and I asked my daughter to pose for me. She agreed and, after our impromptu mini-session, she was absolutely sure none of the pictures would come out good because she "doesn't look like a model". Just like any pre-teen girl, their self image is sometimes skewed by social pressure and the distorted concept of beauty that is out on TV and the internet.

I knew the pictures were good and I just hoped that she would not imagine any flaws when she saw them (because my daughter is perfect and beautiful and there is nothing anyone can say that will make me think otherwise). The next day I show her the selected images (included in this post) and she was quiet for a minutes before she said "Wow! I look beautiful!"

And that is why I love photography.

Because I love the feeling I get when someone looks at the photos and thinks they look great in them, or they use the picture I took as their profile picture on social media... because they are using that image as their presentation card, as the image that they want to show to the world to say "this is me and this is what I look like".

As photographers we should not think of our work as just "taking pictures". We should think about creating images that will hopefully speak louder than people's insecurities, and make them see themselves in a better light.