Have you ever seen a photo of yourself and thought, “Ugh, my hair looks awful,” or “My arms look huge,” or “Why didn’t I fix my shirt?” Meanwhile, the person who took the photo says, “What are you talking about? You look amazing!”
Why the disconnect?
It’s usually because we’re zooming in on tiny imperfections — flaws only we notice — while others are seeing us as a whole. They’re not focused on a wrinkle or a shirt crease. They see your smile, your warmth, and your presence in that shared moment. They see you.
Maybe that’s the reminder we all need: we are more than any one photo, any one detail. We are our whole selves — our personalities, our quirks, our kindness, our strength, our humor, our spirit, our faith, our roles as daughters, friends, parents, or partners.
The true essence of who we are goes far beyond a single snapshot. While I work hard to capture that essence during each session, what I see and what my clients see can often be completely different. But the real you isn’t defined by a bad angle, a wrinkle, or a strand of gray hair — it’s something much deeper.
This perspective feels especially meaningful to me now as I celebrate my 60th birthday and step into a new season of life, alongside my husband and our adult daughters. Yes, I have more wrinkles, a softer neck, a few more age spots, with some silver strands peeking through. But in so many ways, I feel healthier than I did in my 40s or 50s — stronger in mind and body, more grounded, and far more content with the simple joys of life.
Of course, life is still messy at times with imperfect moments that can blur the view for me — a stressful day, a sick loved one, bills to pay, moments that don’t go according to plan. But when I step back and look at the bigger picture, I see a life filled with grace, growth, and so much to be thankful for. I think about the seasons that shaped me: the laughter, the lessons, the challenges I never saw coming, and the unexpected blessings that followed.
In my younger years, I might have been too self-conscious to share all this — afraid it would come across as self-promoting. But now, with the perspective that comes with time and age, I feel a responsibility to honor it all: the beautiful, the messy, the ever-evolving. I’m so grateful for this life, for my health, and for a faithful God who has walked with me through every high and low.
This year also marks another milestone — 20 years in my business — and I’m filled with gratitude for the journey and the many incredible clients who have trusted me to capture part of their story. Your support means the world to me.
And there’s one more piece of my heart I’m excited to share — a memoir I’ve co-written with my sister about our childhood growing up on a dairy farm. It’s been years in the making-full of stories, memories and reflection, and I am so excited to share it with you when it’s published this summer.
I don’t know what the next chapter of life holds, but I’m walking into it with open hands, gratitude, joy, and deep faith. I’m incredibly thankful for all that my husband does to shape both the life we’ve built and the future we continue to create side by side. Watching our adult daughters carve out meaningful paths with their partners fills my heart with warmth and hope for all that is to come. I thank God daily- for His grace, for the life I’ve been given, and for the gift of seeing things not through a filtered lens, but in their full, honest beauty.
So, the next time you see a photo of yourself, try looking beyond the flaws and into the fullness of who you are. Because that’s where the real beauty lives.
It’s not about being perfect — it’s about being real, being present, and being unapologetically you. And that’s always worth capturing.
So here I am — wrinkles, silver strands (hidden well!), soft light, and all — smiling at 60 and loving this season of life more than I ever imagined.
This is me. Trying my best to be fully present.
Ready to capture your own real and beautiful moments?
I’d be honored to help you see yourself the way others do — with grace, confidence, and the fullness of who you are. 💛
Let’s connect →https://sharonwardphotography.com/contact-2025/
Sharon
