My daughter was standing in my studio recently, looking at what I call my Wall of Fame. And really – it should be called the Wall of Stories.

If you’ve ever visited my Colorado boudoir studio, you’ve probably seen it – a wall filled with hundreds snapshots and portraits of women that I’ve photographed over the last two decades.

There are clients, visitors in the studio, and events, and it is really a beautiful look at so many memories and stories.

She stood there quietly for a minute, looking from face to face, telling me how beautiful they all are, and finding herself as a baby on that wall too, when she visited my studio before she was even a year old.

She stopped, pointed at a photo and looked at me and said, “what’s her name?”

I said you know… I don’t remember her name. But I remember that she was getting divorced from her husband who was very unkind and she was ready to start a new chapter in her life.

I pointed to another photo and said this beauty told me that she thought her skin was too pale for photos and almost canceled the night before.

Princess P stopped and said “wait… you remember the details but not their names?”

I smiled and nodded.

I don’t know why my brain works this way. I forget names all the time, but I remember stories.

My mother says I have an incredible memory – and I do have a pretty good one. But the truth is, I don’t remember everything, my memory isn’t necessarily “incredible.”

Even without a perfect memory, I DO remember the stories from the women who have let me into their lives for a few short hours.

Or, on some occasions, several events, hours and even days.

Twenty years.

I’ve been a professional photographer for twenty years now, and a Denver boudoir photography specialist for 17 years, and I can remember my amazing clients’ stories and details by looking at their photos on my wall of stories.

I remember…

… the woman who sat in her car for twenty minutes before coming inside because she almost turned around.

… the woman who scheduled VERY last minute because she found out she had to have her breasts removed and wanted a beautiful portrait beforehand.

… the woman who laughed through her entire session because she was so nervous that laughter was the only thing keeping her from crying.

I remember the woman who found her mother’s boudoir photos when she passed and saw her mother as a WOMAN and not just a mom, and she wanted to have her own for the same reason, to celebrate herself as a human being and a woman.

Some of these stories are enormous turning points. Some are celebrations. Some are hilarious moments that still make me laugh twenty years later. None matters more than another. They’re simply the moments I remember.

I remember the woman whose husband left her after 30 years of marriage for a stripper, so she brought in her new “boy toy” – her words, not mine – and told me she knew it was temporary, but she wanted to have some fun.

I remember…

… the woman who had spent years criticizing every inch of herself only to see her photos and quietly whisper, “I didn’t know I look like that.”

… the woman who had been told by her dad at 10 years old that she had “thunder thighs” and how she still carried that at 52 years old… and finally got to see that those thighs were ridiculously beautiful, and not something to be ashamed of.

… the mom who had spent years making everyone else a priority before finally giving herself permission to have one day that belonged entirely to her.

I remember the woman who did her session as a celebration, only to find out a week after seeing her photos that she had to have a double mastectomy. She sent me an email telling me how grateful she was to have those photos of her body before it was forever changed.

The photographs aren’t what make these stories important. The women are.

I remember

The woman celebrating fifty.

The woman celebrating thirty.

The woman celebrating absolutely nothing except the simple fact that she’d always wanted to do a boudoir session and finally decided she didn’t need another reason.

I remember the bride who was so excited to do her session for the love of her life that she couldn’t keep the surprise, and they eloped and he came back to see the photos as her husband, not her groom.

I remember the inappropriate jokes that come out when my beautiful clients start relaxing, when we laugh so hard we cry.

I remember

… the woman who had to have some melanoma removed from her face and felt like her face was forever changed, and the look on her face when she saw the photos and realized that it didn’t change HER.

… the woman who came in as a bride, so excited for her wedding. I also remember when she came back to celebrate her divorce, and when she came back again because she was feeling uncomfortable in her now pregnant body and wanted a reminder of the amazing process that was happening real time, even if all she could see at the time was swollen ankles.

I remember the couple who was in a very… interesting position, with her draped over his knee, while we casually discussed school districts and charter schools like it was an everyday Tuesday afternoon over coffee.

I remember the woman who was in an abusive relationship and decided that until it was time for her to leave – because it’s not always that simple – she was going to do the things that SHE wanted to do. And guess what – he didn’t get to see those photos either.

I remember the conversations while hair and makeup was happening. Conversations about family, politics, health, music, beliefs, and so much more.

In fact, I literally have a stack of Post-it notes from those conversations. Things my clients have told me I need to check out. Recommendations they knew I’d love. Random bits of wisdom. Quotes they said that I loved so much I had to write them down.

Little pieces of conversations with women who trusted me with a few hours of their lives.

I have seen so many faces change, I have watched the stress melt and the nerves start to calm when they look at the back of my camera and say…

“Wait… that’s me?”

And I want to scream YES YOU BEAUTIFUL DARLING, YOU ARE GORGEOUS.

I casually respond something along the lines of “of course it is, you’re beautiful.”

Because of course it’s her. It always was.

People sometimes ask me if, after photographing so many women over the last twenty years, the sessions start to blend together. The poses might. I can do most of these things in my sleep at this point. But the sessions, my clients, and their stories? They absolutely do not blend together. If anything, they’ve become more distinct.

Because while most people see photographs, which have often been reduced to what our phones can do on the fly, I see chapters in someone’s life.

I see my beautiful clients, who are walking through different seasons of life, both big and small, and celebrating themselves.

Every woman who walks into my Denver boudoir studio brings a completely different story.

Different fears.

Different victories.

Different reasons for being there.

Whether it’s celebrating, healing, rebuilding, or simply wanting to see themselves through kinder eyes.

Photography is simply how we preserve the moment.

The privilege is getting to witness it.

As I’ve been thinking about twenty years in business, I’ve found myself standing in front of the Wall of Stories more often, usually just a tiny bit misty-eyed.

Not because I’m counting sessions or reminiscing about photographs, the various studios I’ve had, events I’ve hosted, bridal shows I’ve attended, or stages I’ve spoken on.

Because I’m remembering women.

Some I’ve stayed in touch with for years, through multiple stages of their lives. Some I haven’t seen since they picked up their artwork. Either way, I still remember them.

Maybe not every outfit, every pose, or every photo, but I remember why they came. I remember how they felt when they arrived, and I remember watching them leave walking a little taller and feeling just a little lighter than when they walked in.

When my daughter asked if I remembered everyone, I don’t think she expected my answer. But that’s the thing. To someone else, it’s a wall filled with beautiful portraits and memories. To me, it’s twenty years of courage, trust, laughter, healing, and women choosing themselves.

I’M NOT CRYING, YOU ARE.

I always say that I work with the most amazing clients on the planet, and I mean that with my whole heart. My clients are the people who are not only kind and have been through some shit in their lives, but they’re also the people who will walk out of the fire and reach back to bring others with them.

Next week, I’ll finally be sharing what I’ve been planning to celebrate twenty years in business. But before we celebrate the milestone, I wanted to celebrate the women who made it possible. They have never simply been clients. They’ve been the heart of this business.

And every time I walk past the Wall of Stories, I’m reminded just how lucky I am that they chose to trust me with theirs.