Someone has to go first

I recently celebrated four years of Moments With Merry, and to mark this milestone, I launched a new photo project: 50 to 50: A Women's Portrait Project.

This isn't the only milestone I'm celebrating this year. I'm turning 50 this summer and feeling this milestone more deeply than any birthday before it. Let's be real: not everyone is fortunate to turn 50, and I don't take that lightly.

The last decade brought extraordinary highs and lows, from celebrating my wedding in 2016 to losing my father in 2021, and I have come out on the other side as my most authentic self.

The Women Who Went First

Photography brought me to women who were doing this work differently and watching them made me curious. There is one woman in particular who changed the trajectory for me.

She didn't hand me a formula. She asked me a question: what if it could be different? And then she told me to take the pressure off and just go practice.

So I did.

In the beginning, my self-portraits were raw. Messy hair. Imperfect everything. But something was happening. My creativity was waking up and slowly, without really planning it, I started to take myself a little less seriously. I became kinder to myself. Braver. I began showing up differently; not just behind the camera, but in my life.

Documenting my own journey through self-portraits paved the way for me to embrace myself like I never have before. And I couldn't have gotten there without someone going first and showing me a new way.

This project is my version of that. My way of passing it forward.

Why 50 to 50

I can't think of a more meaningful way to honor this milestone than by photographing 50 incredible women.

This part feels especially important: this experience is for women of all ages. It didn't feel right to limit this project to women over a certain age. If a younger woman needs this experience, I would never want to stand in the way of that. It took me four decades to embrace myself, and I'm a firm believer that the sooner a woman feels empowered and aligned, the better this world becomes.

My work as a photographer is about providing beautiful portraits and giving an experience rooted in presence.

This project is more than a photo session. It's about self-acceptance, taking a moment for yourself, and saying yes to yourself, as you are.

This is not about age. It's about readiness. It's about courage.

Showing Up

I appreciate how uncomfortable it can feel to stand before someone else and be vulnerable, all while being photographed. But I also know that if you're open to meeting yourself now, this can be a life-changing experience.

Once all 50 women are photographed, we'll gather to celebrate showing up for ourselves as we are. This is a collective movement of women empowering women.

Someone has to go first. This time, it's me.

In-person sessions are now taking place in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Learn more about 50 to 50 here

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