My dad and I always joke about how my favorite character in any given film is the sidekick. I love Cameron Frye in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Riley Poole in National Treasure, and Todd Anderson in Dead Poets’ Society. Those characters whose skills may not always be the most useful, and who may need important plot details explained to them a bit further, and who are always at the ready with a killer sarcastic one-liner. Those characters who usually are a little bit clumsier, but whose greatest strength comes from their dedication to and love for their friends.
I’ve also never auditioned for a lead role in a play or musical. I have so much more fun as a Pink Lady than I ever would have as Sandy, or singing as the Meg Giry to my best friend’s Christine Daae. It’s not that I don’t think I could do well in the spotlight, but I’ve never really identified as well with those roles. I’ve always felt better slightly to the side of center stage. I’ve been more than happy all the time to step aside and let my friends show off all their talents and wow-ness. I’ve never felt like I needed all of the attention—being referred to as a “supporting” role always seemed pretty wonderful to me.
The one thing that I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of getting attention from, though, is what I can capture with my ever-beloved Canon DSLR. I’ve been passionate about photography for a couple years now, and have pretty widely established it as my “thing.” My heart skips a beat every time somebody new asks me to take portraits of them, and it soars every time they see the finished photos for the first time and tell me about how much they love them.
Honestly, I think it connects in a lot of ways to how I feel about characters in movies. My favorite thing about being a portrait photographer is being able to help other people see themselves in their best moments, and be able to emphasize how much I love seeing them at their best. I’m a hardcore supporter in the idea that everyone is really super beautiful, and I love being able to help people see that in themselves, especially with people who may have a hard time remembering it about themselves. What I love so much about being a photographer is being able to capture and immortalize joy and friendship and laughter and confidence. Being able to see people at their best and being able to help them see that, too.
I’ve been asked every once in awhile if it gets lonely sometimes to always be the one to take the pictures of my friends being all cute and fun together instead of getting to be in the photos with them, but truthfully, it never does. I’m just as happy to be getting to mix spending time with the people I love most and doing the thing I love most. It’s the same as all the roles I’ve played before. I never need the spotlight—it’s more than enough for me to have being at my best include bringing everybody else up to feeling their best as well.
Image Credit: Annmarie Morrison