What I Wish You Knew Before Your Session
Hi! My name is Chelsea West and I am a senior photographer in Midland, Texas. Before capturing seniors and their smiles, I taught middle school history for many years. I absolutely love working with teens, they’re my favorite. I love how teens are on the verge of becoming the person who they are going to be. You can see brief glimpses of it as they move through the nightmare that is puberty. I love how teens have a tendency to see beyond the surface. Even if they don’t acknowledge it, there’s an observance there that we lose as we get older. Also, teens are funny. My goodness, they are funny. All that being said, there are some things I wish they knew before they even thought about stepping in front of my camera.
Live
I want you to live your best life… within your means. I want you to stop trying to be everything you’re not and embrace all the magical things that make you, you! I know I’m not the only one that tried for years to make small changes that would make me fit in more. The more things I changed, the further away I got from who I truly was. Ya’ll, it wasn’t fun. It wasn’t fun trying to change who I was so I could fit in with people I didn’t even really like! It was nuts! I remember sitting at a Jackalopes game, years ago, desperately trying to participate in a conversation about lip sticks and glosses. Friends, I don’t wear lip sticks or glosses and the only tube of lipstick that I own, my mom made me buy because it drives her crazy that I don’t. I left that game so defeated. I didn’t have fun, these weren’t my people, and I didn’t ever want to have to fake a love for lip sticks ever again. I made a promise to myself that I would stop trying to fake friendships and instead make more of an effort WITH THE PEOPLE i DID LIKE AND WHO LIKED ME! Ya’ll, that was almost ten years ago and I haven’t looked back since! I love my tribe and am so thankful that these people accept me for who I am! A sports loving, book reading, non-lipstick wearing lady who loves a good walk and an even better bowl of queso!
Laugh
I’m saying this With all the kindness I have in my heart, laugh… At yourself. It is ok to laugh at yourself. Sometimes, we do things that we don’t mean to do (I’m not the only one that has tripped for no reason other than my ankles have failed me, yet again). When these things happen, tripping over your feet or your words, know that it has happened to everyone and it’s ok to laugh. The stigma of being embarrassed does have a place, but there are so many more situations where it is ok to laugh. One more thing, whomever told you you didn’t have a great smile (also I don’t ever believe that anyone has ever actually said this and it was actually just you overthinking it) lied to you. You do, it’s wonderful and it needs to be seen, like now!
Love
I will be the first one to admit, in my old age, that I took my FAMILY AND friends for granted in junior high and high school. My friends were amazing, and I just assumed everyone’s friends were awesome and this group wasn’t special. Ya’ll, i was so so wrong and it wasn’t until college that I realized what I actually had. I wish I had told my friends how much they meant to me at that time. I wish I had hugged my mom more and realized just how many sacrifices she and my dad made for us growing up. I wish I would of had just a few more lunches with my grandparents. I wish I would have known that it was ok to show love to my friends and family and to take the shame out it! If you can, call your parents, siblings, family or friends and let them know that you love them and appreciate all they do!
I wish we didn’t have to learn all these lessons for ourselves and could just trust the advice from others, but we do. We have to learn to appreciate those around us, we have to learn to stand up for ourselves, and we have to learn that it’s ok to show all the love to those in our lives! I just hope that you learn them faster than I did! I appreciate each and every one of you and hope that today you feel all the love that is given to you!
