Friendship. What a powerful word. It can have many different meanings. We can be “friends” on so many levels: acquaintances, intimate, Facebook. But when does a friendship start? At what point do you start referring to “friend” instead of “someone I know”? For me, friendship is not instant. I have to feel someone out over a period of time. I carefully guard myself, not wanting to offend. After many conversations with someone I start to understand how they think and what makes them tick. Realizing the limits of conversation, I can start to relax. Rarely, I meet someone who just… “fits”. Someone to whom I know I can say anything and they, not only won’t be offended, but they won’t even be shocked. A little over a year ago, I met just such a person.
Lizzy is fun, hilarious, and straight-forward. She’s also a photographer. When I first saw her work, I was drawn to the honest emotion that emanated from her images. Although we hadn’t had but three or four conversations, every time I talked to her I felt lifted up. When I asked her to do some portraits of me for my upcoming revamp of “The Brand of Becky”, she asked me to take a few of her as well. It took us a couple of months to coordinate schedules, but we finally found a morning that worked, and we set out.
Yes, it was nerve wracking, both to have my portrait taken and to photograph another photographer. However, it turned out to be a fun and fulfilling experience. My goal was to capture Lizzy’s personality and beauty in these portraits. She is fun. She is an entrepreneur. She is a mother. She is a photographer. She is my friend.
