We take photos as a return ticket to moments otherwise gone.

These images were taken by my friend, Michele Mateus @mateusstudio.

I literally was walking back to my hotel room to rest after a long day of photo shoots and The Portrait Masters conference. Then I saw these lovely five ladies photographing each other during the beautiful Arizona sunset. They were just as they were, no makeup, no assistants, and no planning. It looked so magical and so much fun that I asked to join. After photographing a few of them they asked me if I wanted to be photographed. And here I was a complete hot mess and feeling sick from the dust storm, but I said, “Why not?” I literally ran to my room, changed in the dress that @chloedao had made for me for the silent disco, rockstars party for that evening, put on some lipstick, and tried to muster all of the energy that I had left to get some pictures before the sun went down. So naturally, I totally forgot all of my accessories, gloves, and didn’t do my hair or makeup as planned. 

Throughout the past few years, I have come to realize that every moment is fleeting and sometimes we just need to exist and document our own existence in this world. As much as I love looking perfectly glamorous and polished like most of my photography work, sometimes a person just needs to let it all go. Enjoy the moment. Be confident in who you are and just let that be good enough, because you are good enough!

Remember, IMAGE IS EVERYTHING at Paula N. Luu Photography.