Lori Maloney Photography

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Dear sweet woman... šŸŒœšŸŒšŸŒ›

Dear sweet woman,

she who has just received a diagnosisā€¦

or is overcoming a betrayalā€¦

or who brought home a baby and became seemingly invisible to loved onesā€¦

or who is so completely happy with where sheā€™s at in life and wants an image of this chapterā€¦

or. at a young age, is confronting just how mean teenage girls can beā€¦

or who is embarking on a new career and needs a power headshot to match her mojoā€¦

or who consistently puts everyone elseā€™s needs firstā€¦

or who realizes the only photos sheā€™s in are armā€™s length selfies or shots she had to beg her family for that were also fraught with argumentā€¦

or is struggling with self-confidenceā€¦

or who loved one photographerā€™s work on insta, summoned her nerve and reached out to book a session but was turned away as she was ā€˜outside my demographic of clientā€™ #sighā€¦

or is in the best shape of her lifeā€¦

or is adjusting to an ā€˜empty nestā€™ā€¦

or wants to commemorate a milestone birthdayā€¦

or is wondering when the clock might slow downā€¦

dear. sweet. woman:
I SEE YOU, I AM YOU, I LOVE YOUā€¦
And you deserve a portrait you love. At every stage and phase.

Booking a portrait session with me means that - from the very first contact to the finished prints and beyond - you will receive my devoted attention, genuine empathy, and every tool Iā€™ve (l)earned through my life to create authentic portraiture for YOU.

My toolkit obviously includes my training in portrait photography and equipped studio, but - and Iā€™d argue more importantly - it also holds my lived experience of: having been a teenage girl, losing people I loved and wondering how the world just kept on spinning, betrayal + the ā€˜phoenix risingā€™, gaining weight + losing weight, required grit, motherhood (and ALL it entails), DIY bangs, dye jobs + uneven eyebrows, health scares + interventions (incorporating ancient modalities with Western medicine - both so needed!), of friendship and the loss of friendshipā€¦ not every woman will walk the same path, but there is a sacred knowing amongst us and THAT is what I endeavour to honour in every session and is what fuels my heartā€™s work.

ā€œYou are so lovely and a magician with the camera.  I absolutely loved the pictures and cried when I saw them, it was an emotional experience for my husband as well.  He said ā€œyou finally see you how I see you.ā€  I cannot express to you enough how much I enjoyed the experience, your empowerment and warm presence having allowed for that.  It means a great deal to me that the smile on my face is authentic in those pictures.  I felt joy for just being me.  For having you help me celebrate it, well, there are just no words for the deep gratitude I feel.ā€ ~ tt

The women below came to me for assorted reasons, not necessarily outlined above, but for each of whom having their portrait made was an act of courage. I thank them for their trust + their inspiration.

May you choose today to lean into what it would mean TO YOU to be empowered in this way - to have the proverbial mirror held up so that YOU might see what your loved ones see: BEAUTY. STRENGTH. GRACE. āœØ

And for those of you reading this who recognize a woman you love in the above šŸ‘‰ GIFT HER this amazing experience, an experience that she so deserves but may never arrange for herself. (gift cards available here)

Iā€™ve said it a gazillion times already but the fact that, in preparing Momā€™s obituary, we didnā€™t have a portrait to use that I knew SHE loved, was gutting for meā€¦ ladies, your loved ones want photographic record of you in all phases and stages and I want you to have photos YOU love to share with them. šŸ’ž Just as my kids know what their Grandma Susan looked like - who passed before they got to meet her - so too will my grandkids and great-grandkids know what I looked likeā€¦ the poignance and importance of history in photographs can not be overstated.

Photos from my life that I am so happy to have in print, for me, for my kids, and for those who come later. ā­•ļø

šŸ“ø: Dad ā¤ļø
#calgary

šŸ“ø: JoĆ£o, Bellaā€™s big brother who asked if Iā€™d help him build his portfolio.
#natal

šŸ“ø: self portrait in studio
#calgary

You deserve this experience that will empower + buoy you, that will put that extra ā€˜pep in your step,ā€™ and provide you with portraiture you love. šŸ™Œ

I canā€™t wait to help celebrate YOU! šŸ¦‹

xo Lori