teenager

What Would You Say to Your Younger Self?

Hey, ladies.

If you could face your younger self now, in the form of that teenaged girl growing up and learning life, what would you tell her? 

What would you say about self-confidence? About womanhood?

What would you say about outward and inward beauty? 

About love? About mistakes? 

What would you tell her about flying…and about the moments we fall down in life? 

I think that portraits are some of the best ways you can show your teenaged girls that life is already happening NOW. That it’s important, especially for young girls growing into womanhood, to see that it is more than ok, dare I even say, necessary, to see the value in existing in portraits, to capture where they are in life now. 

Portraits by Heartbox Photography. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved._3356.jpg

Not to wait until they feel “worthy”.

Not when they achieve society’s definition of what is “beautiful”. 

Not when they achieve x, y, or z. 

And certainly not when have earned the approval of other people. 

But now. Just as they are.

So that when it comes time for them to look back at those photographs of their younger selves, they can smile in remembering who they were becoming in that image. They can smile remembering that someone advocated for them and told them that they absolutely are worthy to capture in a photograph, even if they are still learning and trying to understand their life, awkwardness and all.

It is a joy to be able to capture young adults in photographs. 

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ANNOUNCEMENT FOR SUMMER!

Whether they are entering in as seniors in high school or have just begun their teenage years, we are now booking for outdoor photo sessions this summer!

I  invite you to book that appointment for the young adults in your life, whether they are your own children, your nieces, your god-children, whatever the case may be. 

Encourage them to exist in photographs. 

Because their life is worth capturing in images today and these images are a part of their unique story.


#existinphotographs #teenagers #seniorphotography #heartboxphotography #seniorportraits #sanjosephotographer

#classof2021 #seniorphotos 






Advice to the Teenage You

If I could turn around and talk to a teenage version of myself again (yikes!), boy would I have some advice. 

From the serious to the not so serious, I got to thinking of the advice I wish I had paid a little more attention to growing up. I always find it interesting and amusing to listen to all the variety of tips given by commencement speakers and graduations or any address given to the youth of today. I was certainly one of those girls who definitely had no idea how empowering it was to be a chic in today's world - to have the ability to use your knowledge and compassion to shape the world and all the while enjoy the fun of having more options in shoes and accessories. =)

Some things I wish I knew as a teenage girl that I now know as a grown woman:

1. Wash and moisturize your face every night before bed. Your complexion at 40 will thank you.
2. Those endless bags of chips and junk food eventually catch up to you and your thighs.
3. An educated woman = World, watch out!
4. You're actually a lot more interesting being yourself than to follow the seemingly cool fads of high school. Even if it means you love the excitement of the new books at the library dance only slightly better than a 3 year old.
5. Momma was right. Too much television really isn't all that great for your brain. Even if it was Beverly Hills 90210 night.
6. There's a reason why your parents give that boy an evil eye when he hangs out at the house.
7. Exercise can actually be fun. Guess the P.E. teacher was onto something.


Happy Tuesday!