Ever since I was a little girl I remember being in love with photography. From watching my dad and looking at the pictures he took, as well as the pieces of art he collected around my house, I was fascinated with what the human eye captured in a fragment of a second and the story it told.

So naturally, since I fell in love with the art form at such a young age I wanted nothing more than to begin taking pictures of my own and started documenting my little kiddo adventures with disposable cameras my grandma and parents would buy me. I remember being so enamored by the click and the crank of the shutter, that I can still hear it echo in my mind as a smile comes back to my face and it's safe to say at that point I was hooked.

As I got older and got my first DSLR and started shooting more portrait photography I quickly found that the reason why I loved photography so much wasn't just because of the perfection in the photos captured, it was because of the beauty that was found in the imperfection.

I find that the older and older we get, the more obsessed we are with the pursuit of success, beauty, money, and happiness which we ultimately equate to perfection. I mean this can easily be seen in many recent examples, from the current booming beauty and plastic surgery industry that proves obsession with perfection is at an all-time high, to progress and new projects of biological sciences trying to rewrite the code of our existence (which tbh I feel is pretty cool).

Now, while this pursuit of perfection can be beneficial in seeking out the best in people and for me personally trying to become the best I can be at my photography, I have quickly seen how this thought process is actually self-damaging and unhealthy. Yet, we fall into it every single time. When I discovered this, I immediately started to see that although pursuing perfection in my photos and portraits could have a positive impact, it could just as easily have a negative one.

You see, I never really thought of it that way before and you might not still get where I am coming from. I honestly only used to focus on the way taking photos of people would make my friends and clients feel beautiful and empowered, all from capturing just a glimpse of their beauty within a single photo. But, it wasn't until recently when photographing my friend that I realized the way it could hurt someone.

During my shoot, I kept my friend laughing and the conversation light and when we sat down later to look over the photos and do some edits instead of responses in the past of her feeling beautiful or strong, the first thing I heard out of her mouth was; "Wow. I am so ugly." Believe me, I was absolutely stunned how someone who actually looked like a model could look at a photo of herself and think such a thing. And then it hit me. Like a ton of bricks.

The same thing that she had just said about herself, I had said about myself, many times in fact. Heck, I even had other friends that would say things like that. And to be completely honest, what hit me wasn't so much the fact that she couldn't see her beauty, it was the fact that she held herself to such a high standard because of social media, Instagram models, and etc., that she couldn't even see the things she used to recognize as beautiful within herself. All she could see were the characteristics and features she didn't have.

For myself as a photographer, hearing and realizing that was hard, I felt like I had failed as not only a photographer but as a friend. And since that recent incident, I have been reminded of one of the reasons I like photography so much as well as the responsibility I have as a photographer and a human.

I think Vince Lombardi said it best that; "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." As a human being, I must recognize that we are imperfect and I cannot hold myself or others to a standard of perfection. After all, perfection is impossible and that is okay.

As a photographer, I must continue to pursue excellence rather than perfection, because as a person who captures and shares people in their vulnerability, sadness, anger, and happiness I have a duty to showcase the beauties of imperfection instead of perpetuating what many believe to be ideal perfection.

So, the next time someone takes a photo of yourself, or you take a selfie, remember that although you may not think you have the body of a supermodel, or be tall enough or feel pretty enough, you are made beautiful and you are amazing! As cliche as this sounds, know this truth and know that even the models on Instagram who meet today's "ideal" beauty standards are still not perfect and even they compare themselves to others who they feel are more beautiful.

As a society, we're a long ways off from completely coming to terms that perfection is unattainable, but from photos we take and post to the conversations we have, maybe we can all speed the process along by making sure we remember that we are already enough, just the way we are.