Patti was nominated for the Women’s Day Giveaway I did last March. She was nominated by her lovely daughter Sibyl, for whom I’d done maternity portraits last year. When I met her, Patti instantly struck me as a very kind and humble person – and I knew she was the perfect person to win a portrait session with me. I couldn’t wait to show her the best portraits she’d ever seen of herself.
Here is Sibyl’s Nomination for Patti:
“I’d like to nominate my mother, Patti McCarley. She’s not technically a Milwaukee-area woman, as she doesn’t live here full-time. With that said, over the past almost 3 years, she’s visited countless times, often for extended periods of time. For example, when my husband and I found out we were expecting our first child and realized she would be born 2 weeks into my final semester of law school, my mom basically dropped everything and lived with us – in a small 2 bedroom apartment – for the duration of my final semester of law school. This allowed my husband to go back to work and me to figure out how to raise a newborn while finishing law school. She plans to be back in Milwaukee for an extended period of time when my second child is born this summer.
I have a massive, career-building project that I’ll be in the midst of when our second child is set to arrive. My mom already told me she plans to help us take care of the baby (so we can wait to start day care until the 5 or 6 month point); this will allow me to work from home part-time to wrap up this project and enjoy having the baby at home instead of day care until he’s a bit older.
After high school, she worked her butt off to help put my father through college, while they raised my older sister. After they divorced then remarried each other, my parents had me and my brother.
Eventually, my mother stepped in and helped run the family business. By the time my parents sold the business a few years ago, she was completely running the show. It was a very male-dominated industry and she established herself as a force not to be reckoned with.
She rarely makes time to do something for herself, because she’s always taking care of other people, including my father who is often in and out of the hospital with chronic pain and other medical issues.
She has dealt with a lot during her life and she doesn’t give herself credit for all the great things she does and what she means to others. I know she struggles to see how beautiful she is, inside and out. I think one of your photo shoots would help her to see herself in a different light. ♥”
And now I’d like to share words from Patti on her experience:
“When I learned that my daughter had nominated me for a photo shoot with Jennifer, and I had been selected, I was filled with so many emotions. I never liked being photographed. I never liked how I thought I looked in the photographs. After seeing the absolutely fantastic photographs Jennifer had taken of my daughter while she was pregnant with my grandson I thought, well maybe this will be different.
My experience of being the subject of a photo shoot was incredible. After choosing the clothing I would be wearing to the preparation of hair style and makeup it was so much more than I had even imagined. All the directions, the poses, the looks, my mind was in overload while having one of the best times of my life.
After all that, I was totally unprepared for when the day came for the reveal. Petrified, terrified but yet excited to see the final product. First came the slideshow with music. To say that I was overwhelmed is an understatement. Tears of amazement, joy, shock and feelings that I still can’t find words for.
I had absolutely no idea that those photos I was looking at is how the people I love and care about see me, because I hardly recognized that I was that person. I felt like a totally different person with a totally different mindset.
Thank you Jennifer for giving me such a wonderful gift that has made me feel like a person to be proud of.
~Patti”
