The girl who ignited the passion

Not many people can pinpoint an exact moment in time that made them realize their passion. Well I can. It was a cold day in January 2017 when I offered to take photos of a young aspiring model. I had a nice camera, you see, and knew a little about photography from college classes, since I once had the dream of becoming a photographer. Little did I know, that ONE day, would make me realize my dream can be a reality. When I first laid eyes on Kaylee Priscu, I could not get over how beautiful she was. She was the all American teenage girl, but this girl was covering up some real pain with a gorgeous smile......like so many girls her age still do. She was the target of some pretty intense bullying by a group of girls at her high school and what should have been the best time of her life was ruined by the start of one little rumor. When I heard her tell me she didn't think she was "good enough" to be a model I wanted to cry. I delivered her 1st photo to her in late January 2017 and the words out of her mouth made me realize this is what I wanted to do forever......she said "Wow I look so pretty". Little did she know, she was more than pretty, she was stunning. The next few months of her life were a whirlwind and she gained traction in the modeling world, quickly becoming a ring girl for a local MMA production and even winning Miss January 2019 in a Calendar Girl Competition. She was well on her way to becoming someone everyone knew and loved. However in April 2017, just 3 short months after her very 1st photo shoot, she was killed in a tragic car accident that left the community, her friends and family shook to the core. I contemplated giving up on this dream, I mean how could I possibly go on knowing she can't. But then I knew I HAD to keep going FOR HER. I carry her spirit with me to every session, I honor her in my work and I try to keep her name alive with each piece of art I create. She will always be my W-H-Y.