Why not fashion like the big “dogs”? Well, there was a time when I really wanted to be in fashion. I actually worked in it for a while for large fashion companies. What I came to realize however is that it’s not what I truly believed in. You see, I have a real problem with how the media perceives beauty. I do not want to live in a world where people are transformed beyond the lens, where photoshop rules all that is “beauty”. Although Photoshop is an incredible tool (and I could NOT live without it, especially when I design) the media is using it for the wrong reasons. Promoting “being perfect” rather than being unique and confident. By being a Fashion Photographer, I was part of the problem. So, I turned to Custom Photography. Photographing people that are in love and celebrating an amazing moment, or even enjoying a simple day of fun with the family, inspires me. Makes me want to be a better person. I want to let everyone (especially girls and women) know that it is beautiful. It’s not about your weight or the scars you wear, but about your attitude facing the world. Love, friendship, relationships, families, homes, kisses, and hugs. Life…. That’s True Beauty. Not the result of a processed image on the cover of a magazine. That’s what I want to show by my photography. Sometimes we all need a little reminder that we ARE beautiful. My goal is to show you through my lens, that the life that you own every day, is amazing. That YOU are amazing. I’m Isabella. I have curves and have incredibly rosie cheeks. I have a strong accent in French and sometimes get really upset over nothing. I’ve learned that I am beautiful… most of the time. Because, of course, the science isn’t perfect. Somedays are tougher than others while living in this world but the goal is to providing you with proof that you can look back on that it doesn’t always have to be that way. You’ll come to realize that you are all that you are because you are real and you are unique and THAT makes you beautiful. You have it all already, I just capture it. Here’s the problem though… the photography world… is a harsh world. A lot of people still see this as a luxury item where only BIG moments should be captured. Happy moments. I almost quit photography a number of times because of this. When I mean “almost quit“, I mean that I actually sold half my equipment and closed my website. A lot of people still have trouble understanding what photography really is about. I get so frustrated and stressed with this job sometimes and it’s quite hard to see if it’s all worth it or not. The last time I tried to quit, I gave myself an ultimatum. There’s was a photography workshop happening in Portugal and I decided that I would go and see if I came back inspired … or devastated. I told myself that it would ultimately decide my fate for me. This workshop was with 10 speakers, from around the world, who spoke to us about their businesses. What they ended up doing however is, open up to us about their frustrations and hardships.Were we all going through the same thing? What I ended up learning about myself was that photography is frustrating for one reason: As photographers, we struggle constantly with trying to show our vision of the world, to the world. What I mean by that is, we have a picture in our mind of how we see the world but we struggle to be able to show people exactly how it is. Does that make sense? We struggle to show people our thoughts and our emotions through a photograph. How we feel when looking at something. As photographers, we experience and feel every part of what we see. We take our surroundings and turn it into an image in our minds and then search for ways to perfectly interpret that piece of ourselves and make it available for everyone to see. Most of the time, we fail at it and people simply see…. a photo. That’s it. Without the meaning behind it.Every day, we are on a journey. Photographers get emotionally invested with their subjects and the images they create together. It’s not a “just a few photos” for us. We study our subjects and see how we can materialize what we see so that they can see it too. Photography (for us) is a way to make people understand you better and see you from the inside. I constantly feel different from most people. I am in a constant battle to be better and feel understood. Photographers wear their hearts on their sleeves (and cameras) and give it to you to analyze. I am just vulnerable… all the time. When a prospective client contacts me and says that they just need a few photos for a few hours because a photographer is simply needed for the event, it hurts. Not because I don’t want to work but because, my photography, to me, is much more important than ” just a few photos”.Photography is not easy to explain. Does it show?Most people think that it’s about pointing a camera at a subject and pressing a button. That it’s about capturing what’s in front of you and being able to show it to other people. Professional Photographers don’t see it as such, however. Sure, I take good photos. Most people will love my photography and will praise my efforts but, only because we know how to expose our photo correctly.They will have a hard time seeing the emotional reasoning for that photograph. But a photograph isn’t just an image. It’s an experience. It’s a reason to feel. If you don’t feel, I failed. And since photography is so misunderstood… I fail a lot.All this, changes when I find my perfect client, however. The people I want to photograph are people that value a memory, that loves love and thinks it’s more important to spend time with their surrounding than to have the perfect shoe for an event.My clients have hardly any decor at their weddings and won’t care if their mom should be dressed or not in the photos. Because as long as she’s there, it’s all that matters. No matter if there’s smiles or tears, they’ll be glad that a photographer was around to capture the emotion behind a moment in time.My perfect client understands that happy moments are what keeps us alive and sad moments is what makes us grow. Both are equally important and both should be remembered.When I first started photography, my goal was to photograph people and show them how amazingly beautiful they are. My goals never changed. The only difference now is that I came to realize that beauty isn’t always smile and happiness. You are beautiful even when you aren’t at your best. Because you are authentic. Because you are YOU.No more bright studios and perfect lighting for me. Instead, I want to photograph more people in their homes, where people are free to be themselves. It could be in happy moments or not-so-happy ones. As long as I get to photograph YOU. Because I can prove to you that no matter in what state of mind you are, you are amazing just the way you are.