![Gynandromorphism is a genetic phenomenon that occurs in insects, crustaceans, and birds. This rare occurrence produces both female and male characteristics in a single organism. In insects, there are several theories as to how exactly this occurs but most agree the change happens in the early developmental stages of cell division. The chances of gynandromorphism occurring in a butterfly are 1 in 10,000. The mix of female and male characteristics can be randomized (like a mosaic) in how it physically displays on an organism, but there are even rarer cases of bilateral gynandromorphism, that show an organism displaying female characteristics on one side of their body, and male characteristics on the other side, in an even split.
When I saw a favorite artist of mine @moth.on.the.wall start sharing her series of fabric moths last December based on real examples of gynandromorphism, I immediately knew I wanted to pursue this idea for a future photo project with a model who would feel connected in some way to the gynandromorph moth.
A client of mine, Wendy (They/Them) answered the call and we finally got to make that magic happen with them and their partner Erin (She/Her) earlier this month. 🦋
In Wendy’s words - “For a really long time I was put into a box that I didn’t know I could get out of. I was simply performing what I thought was expected of me. Realizing that I am non-binary has been a liberation from this. I am able to freely embrace my masculine and feminine side. This gynandromorph moth is a celebration and reminder to myself that being non-binary is a beautiful thing.”
About having their partner, Erin, at the photo shoot - “She has always been really affirming of my gender. She has been my safe space since the beginning, and during the session she made me feel more confident in my own skin. I felt very seen, valid, and loved.”
Thank you Wendy (and Erin) for your continued trust in me over the last couple years. I’m so honored to have you two as clients and to continue having opportunities to connect and celebrate you two. So so excited for your wedding this Fall. ❤️
#nonbinary #pride #pridemonth #pridemoth #gynandromorph]()
Gynandromorphism is a genetic phenomenon that occurs in insects, crustaceans, and birds. This rare occurrence produces both female and male characteristics in a single organism. In insects, there are several theories as to how exactly this occurs but most agree the change happens in the early developmental stages of cell division. The chances of gynandromorphism occurring in a butterfly are 1 in 10,000. The mix of female and male characteristics can be randomized (like a mosaic) in how it physically displays on an organism, but there are even rarer cases of bilateral gynandromorphism, that show an organism displaying female characteristics on one side of their body, and male characteristics on the other side, in an even split. When I saw a favorite artist of mine @moth.on.the.wall start sharing her series of fabric moths last December based on real examples of gynandromorphism, I immediately knew I wanted to pursue this idea for a future photo project with a model who would feel connected in some way to the gynandromorph moth. A client of mine, Wendy (They/Them) answered the call and we finally got to make that magic happen with them and their partner Erin (She/Her) earlier this month. 🦋 In Wendy’s words - “For a really long time I was put into a box that I didn’t know I could get out of. I was simply performing what I thought was expected of me. Realizing that I am non-binary has been a liberation from this. I am able to freely embrace my masculine and feminine side. This gynandromorph moth is a celebration and reminder to myself that being non-binary is a beautiful thing.” About having their partner, Erin, at the photo shoot - “She has always been really affirming of my gender. She has been my safe space since the beginning, and during the session she made me feel more confident in my own skin. I felt very seen, valid, and loved.” Thank you Wendy (and Erin) for your continued trust in me over the last couple years. I’m so honored to have you two as clients and to continue having opportunities to connect and celebrate you two. So so excited for your wedding this Fall. ❤️ #nonbinary #pride #pridemonth #pridemoth #gynandromorph ![At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had 21 weddings booked for 2020. Over the course of the year, all of my clients understandably changed their wedding plans to prioritize health and safety. Sometimes this meant rescheduling our work together to 2021. Sometimes this meant planning a safer, smaller wedding to take place in 2020. By the end of the year, I had worked 11 weddings during the pandemic.
I learned a lot along the way. I’m still learning, particularly as the pandemic continues into 2021 and we all navigate the addition of vaccines. I’ve created a blog resource “Pandemic Wedding Ideas from Real Couples” to share those lessons I’ve learned with a specific focus on how couples I’ve worked with have made the most out of an unprecedented, deeply challenging time.
If you’re currently planning your wedding - I hope this resource can be of value to you and your partner as you center health, safety, and joy for the start of your marriage. ❤️
If you know someone who is engaged or currently planning a wedding - send this post their way!
You can access the resource in my bio link, then click “Pandemic Wedding Ideas”.
Pictured here is Anna & Hilary, on their wedding day in November 2020. They had a faraway friend lead their wedding ceremony and read poems — all through Zoom. And their florist @skylarwko built a beautiful ceremony display that incorporated the laptop they were connected through! I also bring up this couple in particular because I photographed (or associate shot) this wedding for my friend @studioxiiiphotography when she found out she had tested positive for COVID the week before her couple’s wedding day. Forever thankful this couple welcomed me into their magical day - and for community, especially in a pandemic, of trusted friends who have my back if I need it, and know I always have theirs. ❤️
(Image Description in comments)
#covidwedding #covidweddingplanning #pandemicwedding #pandemicweddingplanning #coronaviruswedding #covidweddingideas #covidweddings #covid19weddingplanning #covid19wedding]()
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had 21 weddings booked for 2020. Over the course of the year, all of my clients understandably changed their wedding plans to prioritize health and safety. Sometimes this meant rescheduling our work together to 2021. Sometimes this meant planning a safer, smaller wedding to take place in 2020. By the end of the year, I had worked 11 weddings during the pandemic. I learned a lot along the way. I’m still learning, particularly as the pandemic continues into 2021 and we all navigate the addition of vaccines. I’ve created a blog resource “Pandemic Wedding Ideas from Real Couples” to share those lessons I’ve learned with a specific focus on how couples I’ve worked with have made the most out of an unprecedented, deeply challenging time. If you’re currently planning your wedding - I hope this resource can be of value to you and your partner as you center health, safety, and joy for the start of your marriage. ❤️ If you know someone who is engaged or currently planning a wedding - send this post their way! You can access the resource in my bio link, then click “Pandemic Wedding Ideas”. Pictured here is Anna & Hilary, on their wedding day in November 2020. They had a faraway friend lead their wedding ceremony and read poems — all through Zoom. And their florist @skylarwko built a beautiful ceremony display that incorporated the laptop they were connected through! I also bring up this couple in particular because I photographed (or associate shot) this wedding for my friend @studioxiiiphotography when she found out she had tested positive for COVID the week before her couple’s wedding day. Forever thankful this couple welcomed me into their magical day - and for community, especially in a pandemic, of trusted friends who have my back if I need it, and know I always have theirs. ❤️ (Image Description in comments) #covidwedding #covidweddingplanning #pandemicwedding #pandemicweddingplanning #coronaviruswedding #covidweddingideas #covidweddings #covid19weddingplanning #covid19wedding ![Excitement level is 💯 to realize these two get married in exactly 1 week! They’re going to be getting ready at a cabin in the forest, saying their vows at a waterfall, and celebrating with a very small group of loved ones, including their two pups! So glad Instagram connected me with these two last year and that I have the honor of documenting their elopement!
Aaron’s Hairstylist: @sabrina_thewitchh
Katanna’s dress from: @foragervintagepdx
(Image Description in comments)
#marissasoliniphoto #oregonelopementphotographer #swirlcouple #boymeetswirl #swirlcouples #oregonengagement #catalystwedco #oregonelopementphotographer
#feministweddingphotographer #oregonengagementphotos
#washingtonweddingphotographer #oregonweddingphotographer
#tattooedcouple #tattooedcouples #inkedcouple]()
Excitement level is 💯 to realize these two get married in exactly 1 week! They’re going to be getting ready at a cabin in the forest, saying their vows at a waterfall, and celebrating with a very small group of loved ones, including their two pups! So glad Instagram connected me with these two last year and that I have the honor of documenting their elopement! Aaron’s Hairstylist: @sabrina_thewitchh Katanna’s dress from: @foragervintagepdx (Image Description in comments) #marissasoliniphoto #oregonelopementphotographer #swirlcouple #boymeetswirl #swirlcouples #oregonengagement #catalystwedco #oregonelopementphotographer #feministweddingphotographer #oregonengagementphotos #washingtonweddingphotographer #oregonweddingphotographer #tattooedcouple #tattooedcouples #inkedcouple ![Black Lives Matter.
If you’re reading this I sure hope you agree. But ask yourself (if you’re a non-Black person) what are you doing to back that up? Really - how are you showing up for Black lives?
I ask this because, I’m asking myself those same questions too, and frankly sometimes I’m disappointed in my own answers.
Every one of us has a responsibility to take action to push for a more equitable future for all. That action can take many forms, but we gotta keep at it. Redistribution of wealth through reparations to individuals. Donating to a non-profit that’s doing the important work like @equitablegivingcircle or @takingownershippdx . Taking to the streets to protest injustice. Signing petitions & voting for government officials who are committed to the same vision of racial equity. Having tough conversations with friends & family about systemic racism and current events. Supporting Black-owned businesses, not just when it’s timely, but year-round. Investing & committing to anti-racism learning. Amplifying Black voices and identities, not just in a crisis, but celebrating Black joy & successes & creativity too.
A resource that deserves more attention is what’s being offered by @ihollagram . I posted about this non-profit earlier this month to amplify their “Bystander Intervention Training to stop anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment”. I’m posting again to share another incredible training - “Bystander Intervention Training to Stop Police Sponsored Violence and Anti-Black Racist Harassment.” In this hour-long Zoom training they provide valuable tools on how to approach different situations as a bystander and how to intervene if you see a person possibly in danger, while also knowing your rights in the presence of police. So far both trainings have been lead by POC that identified w/ the content and shared their own experiences too. The trainings had assistants answering Qs in chat, and it was 100% free. They had virtual polls to engage with and assess how you’d act in scenarios.
My ask - Can this inspire 5 people to sign up for a FREE @ihollagram bystander intervention training? If you sign up, let me know ❤]()
Black Lives Matter. If you’re reading this I sure hope you agree. But ask yourself (if you’re a non-Black person) what are you doing to back that up? Really - how are you showing up for Black lives? I ask this because, I’m asking myself those same questions too, and frankly sometimes I’m disappointed in my own answers. Every one of us has a responsibility to take action to push for a more equitable future for all. That action can take many forms, but we gotta keep at it. Redistribution of wealth through reparations to individuals. Donating to a non-profit that’s doing the important work like @equitablegivingcircle or @takingownershippdx . Taking to the streets to protest injustice. Signing petitions & voting for government officials who are committed to the same vision of racial equity. Having tough conversations with friends & family about systemic racism and current events. Supporting Black-owned businesses, not just when it’s timely, but year-round. Investing & committing to anti-racism learning. Amplifying Black voices and identities, not just in a crisis, but celebrating Black joy & successes & creativity too. A resource that deserves more attention is what’s being offered by @ihollagram . I posted about this non-profit earlier this month to amplify their “Bystander Intervention Training to stop anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment”. I’m posting again to share another incredible training - “Bystander Intervention Training to Stop Police Sponsored Violence and Anti-Black Racist Harassment.” In this hour-long Zoom training they provide valuable tools on how to approach different situations as a bystander and how to intervene if you see a person possibly in danger, while also knowing your rights in the presence of police. So far both trainings have been lead by POC that identified w/ the content and shared their own experiences too. The trainings had assistants answering Qs in chat, and it was 100% free. They had virtual polls to engage with and assess how you’d act in scenarios. My ask - Can this inspire 5 people to sign up for a FREE @ihollagram bystander intervention training? If you sign up, let me know ❤ ![Celebrating an important milestone for my business & my heart ❤️
2 years ago today - I announced I’d be donating 5% of every booking to one of five non-profit organizations that aligned with my values (with my clients getting to pick when they booked me). @thetrevorproject @womenspaceinc @nationalforests @adelantemujeres @xercessociety
10 months ago - I added a 6th non-profit to the list @equitablegivingcircle - an incredible PDX organization created during the pandemic. They focus their efforts on leveraging economic deposits from communities of privilege to empower local BIPOC communities to bring about transformational change and move towards economic equity.
With everything going on in our world it can feel overwhelming at times on where you should direct your time, energy, money, or support. I was running into the same dilemma too. For me, it gave me a little hope that one of the ways I could help was to take a little bit of love I felt with each booking, and send it back into the world to organizations that were working to protect vulnerable communities, people, environments, and wildlife ✨ It is far from the only way I can (and do) help but since it became a part of my business, it became a part of me too, and will continue to remain a permanent foundation of how I run my business.
Today I reached $5516 in total donations made from my business to those 6 non-profits listed above. That number means more to me than any amount of followers or stats ever could.To watch this grow has been one of the biggest sources of fulfillment in my business.
It’s also been a reminder in the power of small choices that can add up to something bigger over time that may have seemed impossible before. 🦋 In the past 2 years I’ve seen more wedding vendors give back with their businesses too, and being more vocal about their values and causes they support.
So I just want to say - Thank you all for the support & seeing why this matters. Your love is a light for others, and I’m looking forward to helping keep that lantern lit for years to come. ✨
📸 by @nadiajoycephoto Edit by me! 🍄 mask from @foragervintagepdx Hair by @tinygingerboss]()
Celebrating an important milestone for my business & my heart ❤️ 2 years ago today - I announced I’d be donating 5% of every booking to one of five non-profit organizations that aligned with my values (with my clients getting to pick when they booked me). @thetrevorproject @womenspaceinc @nationalforests @adelantemujeres @xercessociety 10 months ago - I added a 6th non-profit to the list @equitablegivingcircle - an incredible PDX organization created during the pandemic. They focus their efforts on leveraging economic deposits from communities of privilege to empower local BIPOC communities to bring about transformational change and move towards economic equity. With everything going on in our world it can feel overwhelming at times on where you should direct your time, energy, money, or support. I was running into the same dilemma too. For me, it gave me a little hope that one of the ways I could help was to take a little bit of love I felt with each booking, and send it back into the world to organizations that were working to protect vulnerable communities, people, environments, and wildlife ✨ It is far from the only way I can (and do) help but since it became a part of my business, it became a part of me too, and will continue to remain a permanent foundation of how I run my business. Today I reached $5516 in total donations made from my business to those 6 non-profits listed above. That number means more to me than any amount of followers or stats ever could.To watch this grow has been one of the biggest sources of fulfillment in my business. It’s also been a reminder in the power of small choices that can add up to something bigger over time that may have seemed impossible before. 🦋 In the past 2 years I’ve seen more wedding vendors give back with their businesses too, and being more vocal about their values and causes they support. So I just want to say - Thank you all for the support & seeing why this matters. Your love is a light for others, and I’m looking forward to helping keep that lantern lit for years to come. ✨ 📸 by @nadiajoycephoto Edit by me! 🍄 mask from @foragervintagepdx Hair by @tinygingerboss
