This morning I woke up groggy. My shoulders pushed against themselves down into the mattress and my legs were revolting against my brain’s encouragement to get up and move. It's trudging days like today when I'm reinforced, when the support I know I have around me shows up and hugs me. Some of these days I am more the receiver of support and on others I am more the giver of support. This life is an ecosystem filled with symbiotic relationships - parasitic, communal and mutually beneficial. It helps to recognize our role and the roles of others around us, nourishing the ecosystem we are in.
Through my years as a photographer, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with many wonderful people. Through pain, celebrations and growth I’ve started to settle into a lush garden of vibrant, complementary people from the bold and vibrant, to the essential and hidden. The occasional weed pops up and, of course, non-complimentary plants are encouraged to uproot (or be uprooted) and exist in a place more fit for them - but that’s just life, yeah? I’m so thankful for the integral relationships in my own ecosystem. It’s a beautiful connection we share with others - where we can allow someone to step in where their strengths fit our vulnerabilities and we can step into their vulnerabilities with our strengths, it's amazing.
I love connecting with strong women who take negative experiences and turn them into positive opportunities in which they can help other people who are where they have been. Life is full of inspiring redemption stories, all pointing up.
My heart is full.
Wishing you all peace and health in this upended state of life we’re living in.
A portrait of debutante Taylor of the Greensboro Symphony Guild during their debutante season. | Winston-Salem portrait studio Jasper & Fern
About this time of year I’m amidst a rush of holiday gift sessions, charity galas and events and debutante sessions right before the big debutante ball. It’s always a flurried season, however, it’s also the opportunity to allow extra joy filter into my life. It would be easy to become stressed, frustrated even - thought don’t get me wrong, this happens too. Moreover, I see this time as an opportunity to grow, for my team to lean on each other, to serve customers with extra joy and maybe even relieve a little bit of their stress. My favorite part of this time of year though? Taking stock of the year for everything it has been.
Yes, I’m a sucker for nostalgia. I daydream and reminisce. And last night I had quite the unique opportunity to do so. You see, there was a woman in the studio who, uncharacteristically, I’d never met in person until her session. She’d found me on Google and wanted photographs for her significant other for Christmas. As we’re in rush season, the sooner we got her in for her session the better and our limited availability didn’t allow for us to meet in person beforehand. So, there she was, sitting with Kirby getting her hair and makeup done in our glam room while Bre and I finished setting up lights and testing them. She began to discuss her nerves about her session. Then, what she said next brought back a flurry of memories.
She began to describe the women she saw on our website in detail; “The woman in the video with the glasses and blond curly hair who had a warm smile” - I knew that was Jill immediately as her smile lights up the room. This woman who now sat in our chair found encouragement that she could be herself and be beautiful like Jill. Then there was “the woman with the dark, long hair and bright eyes who wore a long sleeved black dress with sparkles on it” - I knew this was Chandni - who, when seeing her photographs gave this woman a sense that she could be casual and elegant. Her list went on! She described what each of these women on our site did for her - just by seeing their photographs! And it was such a special gift to listen to how these portraits encouraged this woman, all the while knowing the stories of each and every woman she described. It was beautiful and I was thankful for the opportunity to walk through our year through someone else’s perspective.
And so I want to thank each woman who has shared her story with me, who has let down her walls in front of our cameras, and for every woman who will do the same. You are amazing and you are making waves in the world just by being you.
With love,
Alyson
Alyson, head photographer and owner at Jasper & Fern, a Winston-Salem based photography studio that specializes in portraits - from headshots and personal branding to beauty sessions, debutante portraits and dance portraits
She had absolutely no idea what she was walking into. Her mom had kept this secret for a month and a half and the only part she knew was that she was getting to spend her birthday at home. Then, she was informed of a surprise outing - still having no clues as to where she was going, what she was doing, why she wasn't allowed to wear makeup. Meanwhile, Kirby and I were eagerly awaiting at the studio. The balloons were out, streamers ready, tiaras on with a temperamental banner and a lighter at the ready to light the candles on Bela's birthday cupcakes at the last minute. I was holding my breath, giddy with excitement.
Bela walked in, puzzled and a bit shy. She blew out her cupcake and we explained that her mom had gifted her with a glamour experience. She would get to pick out her favorite gowns, choose her favorite makeup looks and jam out to her favorite soundtrack (Taylor Swift!).
A compassionate and gentle young girl, Bela decided she wanted a soft, yet glamorous look, choosing light pinks and a soft smokey eye to match her grey tulle, sparkling rose gold, pink lace and seafoam gown selections. She ate her Hershey's cupcake while her hair was being curled and talked about her school, fluency in sign language and family stories as her makeup was being completed.
Stacey, Bela's mom, sat in our gold french lounge chaise soaking in every moment. Her smile and eyes radiant with her love and pride for Bela. Softly "You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors. It's the morning of your very first day" When Taylor Swift's "15" song came on, we soaked in the words for a quiet moment, emotions building until Stacey let out the sweetest "awe!" Bela may have been a bit embarrassed by all of us getting a bit teary eyed over how precious she is and the perfect timing of this song.
Step into the studio with us on an exciting day - Bela's Birthday! Unbeknownst to Bela, her mother surprised her with a day off school and a glamour experience with us. Complete with Bela's favorite candy, streamers, cupcakes and a Taylor Swift soundtrack, we had a blast!
Her face may be familiar to you, as she has graced our blog and social media several times. If you're just now meeting her, she's one of the sweetest, most compassionate women. Jen is gracious and graceful and I always love photographing her. This time around, she wanted to do something different, something that let her branch out, something creative, something that excited her.
She sent me oodles of images for inspiration, mainly featuring a parachute dress. Whilst I don't have a parachute dress in my collection, I knew I could create a dress for her. We sent styles back and forth to each other and then got down to selecting a location. Now, being frank, I was a bit apprehensive about photographing at the Arts Park in downtown Winston-Salem. I'm definitely a bare-feet in the grass, fields of flowers and waterfalls kind of lady! However, if Jennifer was willing to push herself, I was willing to be right there with her.
The final bit of inspiration was a story Jennifer sent me. I asked her to send me a story or a feeling she wanted to have captured with these images. This is her story.
"Once there was a girl who was a dreamer, a lover of life with a big open heart. She believed so much in the good in others and had hope for a fairy tale life for herself. Unfortunately, she tended to let the wrong people into her life and she often got left behind holding the pieces of her heart. These pieces were all that were left for her to start over and she did it again and again, opening her heart and being shattered once more. Yet, she remained strong, and kept building her strength, because she knew God had a beautiful plan for her. Her parachute represents the perseverance that has kept her going all these years and her realization that nothing is going to stop her from believing because she always has always been filled with hope and had her own back."
This is what we created to celebrate her strength and her journey, her love and her resilience. Jen has titled this series "Becoming Fearless" and I couldn't love the name any more than I do because it's perfect for her!
