On a hot, steamy late September afternoon, I met lovely Catherine and her mom in a beautiful forest right in the middle of Houston. It was incredibly humid, after having showered here and there a few minutes earlier. . . but the sun and steam made for some divine lighting! I found a lot of sun flare, which I have wanted to experiment with for some time. Catherine was the perfect subject: a free spirit, she doesn’t take herself too seriously. This is my assessment of her! Well, I do sort of know her a little bit. She was my student in 8th grade. I adored her then and still do. She really, really seems in tune with who she is and what she wants. You’re one step ahead of a lot of people, Catherine, including many adults! Smart girl, pretty girl, down-to-earth girl=success. I don’t like the fact that she will most likely be far away at college (sniff, sniff, Allison, I know you hear me on this!) in a few months, but I am at peace with the fact that Catherine has it together and is almost ready for her next phase in life. It’s such the perfect time to photograph someone–when they are on the verge of crossing over into another segment of life. I truly believe photographs capture this transition in the best light, so to speak. Here is Catherine in this moment:
