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Follow Your Passion Project
A recap of my recent speaking and gallery event to celebrate some of central valley’s business women and entrepreneurs.
Over the past few months I had been working on a project that started like many do, with a thought. The general thought was to connect with local business owners and take a picture of them. Over time, it evolved into something more. Something that would become a gallery exhibition of local female business owners, celebrating their contribution to the community and inspiring others in the audience to follow their passion in life.
I loved taking in the process of getting this project up and running. Learning something completely new and overcoming hurdles that presented themselves along the way. From the beginning I knew I wanted to do black and white portraits of each individual. As well I knew that I wanted to print them big! 40” x 60 “ big! That was the first challenge, sourcing prints that huge! In the end with the cost involved, I decided I’d invest in myself and purchase a printer capable of printing that large.
The Canon Pro-4000 printer. The machine I would use to bring this gallery to life!
After that, it was a matter of recruiting local business women and entrepreneurs to come sit for me. I think I got lucky there, because with the help of my friend Anna Hatton, I filled up my list of people to photograph within a couple of days! I think, photographing as it was the part I’m most familiar with was of course the easiest.
Next hurdle was to figure out a venue that could showcase the many large prints planned for display. The idea was to have 20 images! I’m glad I didn’t push for a full 20, I ended at 15, because I wouldn’t have been able to fit it at the venue I was able to get into. That was in the beautiful Greens on Tenth venue. Many thanks go out to Ann Endsley for providing such an amazing space to showcase the images!
Last of all, I decided that rather than have a gallery exhibition, to create an event out of it. One with both gallery and speaking engagement involved. That meant I had to speak! The most I’ve ever spoke in front of was probably 20 people. I was hoping to having 100+ people at the event :). Suffice to say, I figured out what I wanted to say and on August 26th, made it happen!
Again it was great to see a project go from concept to completion! I learned so much from the process and definitely plan to do bring other projects to light. Here is the gallery of the amazing women that were photographed for the project. I’m so inspired by all of them, women who went out and pursued their passions and in doing so brought to life businesses that fuel them and make our local community all the better with their presence.
Ann Blair Endsley
Owner, Greens on Tenth, Underground Kitchen, Event Collection, Gather
Web: greensontenth.com, undergroundkitchen.net, greensmarket.net
Facebook/Instagram: @annendsley, @greesontenth, @gather.2.gether
Debbie Hinz
Owner & Embroiderer, A Stitch In Time
Web: www.stitch-art.net
Facebook: @stitchart1961
Instagram: @debbienewmanhinz
Erica Ormsby
Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker, Author
Web: ericaormsbyinternational.com
Facebook/Instagram: @ericaormsbyinspired
LinkedIn: Erica Ormsby
Jessica Chang Irish
Owner/Public Speaking Coach, Jessica Chang Consulting
Web: www.jessicachangconsulting.com
Facebook: @jessicachangconsulting
Instagram: @jesschangrish
Kelly McCarthy, CPCC
Designed Life Coach, Kelly McCarthy Coaching
Web: www.kellymccarthycoaching.com
Facebook: @kellymccarthycoaching
Instagram: @kelly_mccarthy_coaching
Kendra Dahlstrom
Faith-based Business Strategy & Life Coach
Web: kendradahlstrom.com
Facebook: @kendraLIYC
Instagram: @kendra_your_calling
Stephanie Carver, BSN, RN
Co-Owner/Integrative Health Consultant, Ho’ola Essential Oils
Web: www.hoolaessentialoils.com
Facebook: @hoolaessentialoil
Instagram: @hoolaessentialoils
Summer Barker
Owner & Lead Artist, M.U.A.H by Summer
Facebook: @MUAHbySummerBridalTeam
Instagram: @m.u.a.h.bysummerbridalteam
Tammy Wu, MD
Owner/Plastic Surgeon, Surgical Artistry, Inc
Web: www.surgerytoday.com
Facebook: @modestoplasticsurgery
Instagram: @surgical_artistry
And check out the gallery of images from the nights event here!
Imperfect Beauty - It's Exactly Why We Should Be Photographed Now!
Growing up with less than perfect skin, I was inspired to start a project that will hopefully show people and the world around them that despite whatever flaws we perceive having, we are still beautiful people.
What is imperfect beauty? I stumbled upon this concept while thinking of a personal photography project to work on. The words just popped up and forced me to dig deeper into why it resonated so profoundly within my core. Imperfect beauty, as I came to see it was the notion that people initially see the flaws in oneself before they acknowledge the true beauty in themselves. So why did it connect so well with me?
Growing up, life was pretty good until I hit puberty. That was when my relationship with moderate-to-severe acne began. I battled with this disease from the age of thirteen well into my mid-twenties, which was when I was finally able to get the treatment I needed in order to help me control it. Afterwhich, I can recall the time when I went a week without an outbreak, then a month, then a few months, until finally I was able to not obsess over potentially waking up and feeling a new pimple forming somewhere. I had broken free from it's grasp, but not fully...the scars from over the years were still there to remind me. Of what? In my mind, how ugly I was. It's amazing how damaging to one's confidence that very thought is. It is a thought, that fortunately visits my mind less frequently these days and when it does, I know how to quickly let it go.
I want to point out though, that while I was hyper-focused on my external appearance and feeling at times down about it, life was and is still, really good. Reflecting on it all, I had friends who accepted me for more than who I was on the outside, I managed to get a college education, found a career I loved that paid well, met the love of my life and started a family of our own to lately turning my photography passion into a business. So many great things, beautiful things, to grace my life and I am grateful to be able to step outside of myself a little to see them and appreciate them.
I share all of this to say, I would love to connect with you and photograph you. Perceived flaw and all. For me it was, acne scars made me look ugly, but I still booked a professional portrait session for myself and the talented Gérson Lopes (http://www.gersonlopes.com) helped make me look and feel like a million bucks. I would like to offer you the same experience as part of my imperfect beauty project. Would you be up to helping me build a body of work showing the world just how beautiful imperfect beauty is? If so, I would love to hear from you! There is no cost to participate, though a model release is required. Please feel free to reach out to me via email at hello@neonhowe.com to discuss further. Check out the following images as a sample of the look and feel I'll be aiming for with my project. Of course I wouldn't ask anyone else to join in on the fun without stepping up to the plate myself :).
