Alissa+Alan | Portraits at Discovery Park

Tonight's blog means so much to me. I've shared portraits of Alissa+Alan and their story before but the frames below have just seen the light of day as of this afternoon. So it's worth creating another post again. I have had about 6 rolls of film sitting on my desk for as along as I can remember. And these rolls have been neglected because I made the mistake of not labeling them right away. I've slowly been picking away at the stash, getting them developed each time I'd make a trip to the lab with new rolls that, for whatever reason, were more important than these 'mystery' rolls.

 Much to my surprise & happiness, Alissa+Alan were there; printed on my contact sheet. I was still standing at the front desk, with another customer waiting behind me but I wanted to squeal and had to keep that happy tear in as it welled up; so close to running down my cheek. We had shot digital but I brought my Hasselblad to play with and I can't believe it never occurred to me that Alissa+Alan lived on one of those rolls, sitting on my desk all this time. And even though it's only three quick frames, these are three powerful frames that are of so much importance to me.

See, if you've clicked on the link to their original blog post, than you know that Alissa is my hero. She is one of the most brave, most determined, most confident woman I know. She is what I strive to be when it comes to confidence and being true to yourself. These portraits were taken when Alissa was in the thick of her chemo yet still, as confident as ever. Sometimes I find myself thinking if I could rise to the occasion as determined as Alissa. Can I conquer the way she conquered? And do it with a hand on my hip and the other flippin' the bird to whatever stood in my way? Because that's how Alissa did it.

To conclude the written part of this post: Alissa and her closest friends and family came together for a Hat Party. Everyone brought a hat for Alissa and there was even a Henna artist who tattooed her entire scalp. It was incredible! Guests could even have Henna done and not wanting to get anything over the top, I got a small heart on my hand. And as silly as it sounds, that little Henna Heart made me feel powerful. It made me think of Alissa and all her determination; how she grabbed her obstacles by the collar and said, "I will win." When I picked up this film from the lab, it had me thinking. I should make that a permanent thing. So stay tuned on THAT topic.

Alissa, and Alan of course!, I adore you and though we haven't seen each other in a long time, I hope you know how much you mean to me and what an inspiration you are to me. How's your hair? Shall we shoot more portraits, get a cocktail and maybe watch Sex and the City from start to finish? xo

{Hasselblad 500cm | Kodak Portra 400}