I absolutely loved this portrait session with Stacey. She’s one of those people you just want to be around; a genuinely beautiful soul. On this day, it was me, Stacey, and my sister Meg (our super stylist onset). The three of us felt an immediate connection as if we had known each other all our lives. We had fun, laughed, and shed a few tears during the day as we shared the stories of our lives, our hopes, and our dreams. There really was a soul connection between us all.
One of the things we talked about that day was creating change in our lives. At the time of the shoot, Stacey had been on a journey of healing, self-discovery, and lifestyle change. She had recently completed a 90-day alcohol-free challenge, aiming to develop a healthier relationship with alcohol. In doing so, she also began meditation and invested more time on her personal development and, as Stacey said, “less time seeking comfort and escapism through habits and behaviours that weren’t serving me anymore”. The conversation was something that resonated for both myself and Meg, and I know is something that also resonates with many of us. I was (and still am) on my own journey of health and healing, developing the skills and resilience to navigate the challenges life throws us.
I am incredibly grateful for the ability to have these deep, meaningful, and insightful discussions because I truly believe that there is freedom in sharing and in being vulnerable (took me a while to learn that). I also believe that these deep conversations are critically important to us as human beings, particularly we are living through some very challenging times.
Kris captured me during a time where I felt ready to explore a new way of living and a new way of feeling. Happy, healthy and confident.
After sharing her journey with me, I asked Stacey what advice she would give anyone looking to become the healthiest, happiest version of themselves. Her thoughful advice:
- Seek out the practices that support you in achieving this, but know it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
- You can start with small steps by being more mindful and present with your daily choices.
- The key is to keep going, keep building better habits, and if you have a day or a week or a month where you feel you’ve regressed and you haven’t made choices that best serve you, that’s ok you just keep on going.
- Every day while you have breath in your body, you have a chance to start again – to become who you want to be.
- Each failure brings you closer to success.
Nana korobi, ya oki....
This beautiful Japanese proverb is all about resilience. It means choosing never to give up hope and to always strive for more. It means your focus isn’t on the reality in front of you, but on a greater vision that may not be a reality yet.
I’m sure you’ll agree Stacey’s inner beauty and confidence shines through in these photos. Her joy is tangible. Enjoy seeing what we got up to on this gorgeous day at Watson’s Bay in Sydney.
At the Vaucluse Yacht Club. The last time I photographed here, the building was white, so happy to see it painted blue.
Carrying a pineapple – just because….
I had an idea about bringing a watermelon to the shoot. It was a fairly hot summer’s day. As you can see, we had lots of fun mucking around with it.
This was taken at the end of the shoot – in fact, it had officially wrapped, but we needed ice-cream and then I saw all the greens and had to get a couple more photos.
Stacey with her essential oils, helping to support your emotional and physical wellbeing.
All images, copyright Kris Ashpole
The greatest challenge in life is self-discovery. Until you find yourself, you will always be someone else, Become yourself. Myles Munroe.
Credits:
Big thanks to Stacey for sharing with us her personal journey and allowing me to share these photos. If you want to find out more about essential oils, click here.
Many thanks to Sabrina Melei for superb hair and make-up, and my sister Meg Ashpole for amazing styling via Ashpole Agency. Always love seeing Meg style things – she has an inspired way of pulling together looks, colours, clothes, and jewelry to create a unique look.
Hope you enjoyed seeing these images. Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
With love and light,
Kris xx
PS: My Private Portrait Sessions are designed to make beautiful, sumptuous European-inspired images. If you would like a photo session like the one I did with Stacey – I can guarantee you’ll feel absolutely amazing, have a really fun day, and have images that you’ll treasure forever. Click here to find out more and see other portrait shoots here and here and here.
