Graduation is a time of celebration and reflection. A time where graduates are both eager to move on to the next chapter of their life, but maybe also sad to close the current one. Both Amna and Vatsala are two of the highest achieving people I know. I have watched them grow from my innocent high school friends, to strong women capable of conquering anything they set their minds too. Here is a glimpse of the beautiful ladies who I know will one day change the world with the power of their intelligence and hard work. Congratulations to both of you for graduating and moving on to bigger and better things!
Vatsala
I have known Vatsala for over eight years now, and over those years I have seen her grow as my friend, a student, and a fellow classmate, but as a photographer, I have seen her grow in a completely different way. As a girl standing in front of my camera for her graduation pictures, she flashed her pearly white smile, batted her long eyelashes, and proudly held up the Rice Owls hand symbol, but she wasn't always this way. Our first ever formal photo shoot was more than two years ago, and I had to direct every last detail including getting her to smile! While I have always known her to be confident, hold her head up high, and own the space she occupies, in front of the camera I could see her timid and reserved side that she never showed anyone. It has been a journey we traveled together; for me as a photographer to learn to make people feel comfortable in front of my camera, and for her as a person to feel comfortable in her own skin no matter the circumstances. Now, I can proudly say that after years of practice and drawing from her confidence, I have become more sure of myself as an artist which has helped me make others comfortable during sessions, and clearly the images above speak for themselves, Vatsala has never been more beautiful and self-confident than she is today.
Amna
Amna is the kind of person who takes your breath away from the moment you meet her because she does it all, and every time you see her you can't help but wonder how one person can be so perfect. She is so poised and elegant, yet between each set of images she always finds something funny and that is when you can see her break her model-like stance to let out raw unfiltered laughter. Amna is that friend that everyone needs to have in their corner. She is a constant ray of sunshine, the person who is always cheering for me, and the person who can turn any frown upside down. Over the past eight years that I have had the pleasure of getting to know Amna, I have seen the way she is always present in the given moment, and how she carries herself in such a way that she can brighten any space she enters. A person with such a lively personality and incredible beauty is almost too easy to photograph. It was truly a pleasure to shoot with Amna after so many years and catch up on life as we memorialized her graduation through these pictures.
