Caroline Confidential?

Who would have ever thought that Kitty Carlisle would be any kind of inspiration to me? Growing up as a young girl in the 1970s, I only knew of her from talk shows and game shows as a sort-of “has been” celebrity. I never gave her a second thought until I saw this article about her in March 2007. She had a revival of her career at the age of 95. That’s no typo. A revival of her career at the age of 95!

“My career blossomed when I was 95,” she says, laughing, “and I love gigs. I need more gigs.”

This has stayed with me for years and has changed my entire outlook on what it means to embark on a career. The thing I remembered the most from this article was that she said she wakes up every day and forgives herself.

Now that I am embarking on a new venture (packing my bags and headed for Boston), I am wondering what it is that I am going to do. What do I want? How can I obtain it?

Other wise voices are ringing in my head…”You either live in love or you live in fear.”

I choose love.

Kitty Confidential; Despite her renown as a To Tell the Truth celebrity panelist, Kitty Carlisle Hart doesn’t spill all her best stories in her sellout nightclub act.

Meagan and Jared

The images speak for themselves…

I loved this couple and this was one of the most heartfelt weddings I’ve seen.

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Tags: black and white, chicago, meagan and jared, outdoor, photojournalistic

Awesome day filled with self-esteem!

I had such a GREAT time photographing the girls from Refugee One. They told of their aspirations in life (including being President of Sudan!) and we talked a lot about self-esteem.

I was there to take their portrait, but I couldn’t help but have some fun with the camera while they played some soccer…

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Giving back to the girls at Refugee One

I was just asked to speak to and photograph a Girls Group at Refugee One. Refugee One is a great organization that “provides a local home for the world’s most persecuted,” and they are located in the Uptown area of Chicago.

The purpose of Girls Group is to have a safe space for the girls to talk about all the things teenage girls need and want to know. In addition to being 14-18 years old and trying to understand high school and growing up, these girls face a lot of additional challenges having recently arrived in Chicago with limited English abilities and knowledge of American culture. Another big issue for most/all of the girls is the responsibility of being a translator, caregiver for siblings, and point of contact for the outside world for their parents, who usually speak less English than they do. This new group will give them the tools to help them cope with all of this and empower them to be confident, strong young women!

I’m so honored to participate and hope I can be of some inspiration to these young women. Stay tuned for photos from the shoot…