Stepping into the frame: Changing My Story

Stepping Into the Frame: Changing My Story

For years, I’ve lived behind the lens.
Behind the scenes. Behind the desk.
Behind everyone else’s needs.
And somewhere along the way, I started to disappear — not just from the photos, but from parts of my own story.

There are very few pictures of me with my children. I was always the one holding the camera, adjusting the lighting, making sure everyone else looked perfect. And the truth is… I thought I didn’t belong in front of the camera. I let my struggles with my weight — tied closely to some very real health issues — keep me hidden.

I told myself I’d step into the frame when I looked better.
When I felt better.
When I was “back to myself.”
But the years passed. My kids grew. And I slowly realized that I wasn’t just waiting — I was missing.

Then something happened. A moment I can only describe as life flashing before me — and not in a dramatic, movie-scene kind of way. It was quiet. It was sobering. It was flipping through photos and realizing I was barely in them. That my children will have albums full of memories… where I’m not there.

It hit me hard. And it woke me up.

Because the truth is:
I’m already myself. I’ve just been quieting her for too long.

So this post is a line in the sand. A declaration.
I’m done waiting for the “right” moment.
I’m done hiding because of my body.
I’m done letting health struggles dim my presence.
This is my story—and I’m stepping back into it.

From Here Forward…

I’m making a promise to myself: to show up in photos.
Messy, beautiful, honest, joyful, tired—whatever I am that day, I will show up. Because I want my children to remember me in the moments, not just behind them.

I’m putting me first.
Not in a selfish way, but in a whole, healing, human way.

This blog will still be a place for photography, creativity, and all the things that light me up. But it will also be a space for honesty. For growth. For learning to love myself as I am—and not just behind the camera, but in the frame of my own life.

If you’ve ever felt the same—like you're watching your life unfold from the sidelines—I hope this reminds you that it’s never too late to step in. To rewrite your narrative. To be seen.

Here’s to showing up.
Here’s to being in the picture.
Here’s to being the picture.

❤️
Elisa