Aunt Mame – Mabel Holt I wanted to share a thought about the natural beauty of God's children. As a portrait photographer I have seen how the world, affected so deeply by the current media and trends, views beauty. I am saddened especially when our our young women feel they are not pretty enough the way they are, and seek to fit in with a society that strives to bring them down to a lower level. Although I do not have a problem with limited photo retouching which enhances our lovely features and reduces distractions, I hope we can all look for the light in each other and choose to bring that out – in our family, our friends, our associates, and our clients – and not worry so much about the artificial or outward show.
The portrait above is of a dear friend of mine, and although she was the literal aunt of an artist friend, Greg Newbold, she was affectionately known as Aunt Mame to all who knew her. She was 99 years of age when I popped in on a whim and coaxed her into doing a spontaneous picture at her window. When I presented the finished image to her (which, by the way, didn't have a smidgen of retouching done to it), I was delighted to hear her say, "Oh, I am so beautiful! So beautiful!" That is what I wish we all would say when viewing ourselves. We are indeed beautiful children of a loving Father who has great things in store for us. For artists who seek to be inspired from above, there is no more joyous blessing than lifting another soul just a bit closer to the heavens. Let's not forget the source of our talents, the reason for our gifts, or underestimate the power of praiseworthy art. – CD
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