SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. One thing that I haven't revealed is that I am a product of a single parent. My mom raised me with the help of Jehovah, God. To be raised, in what some would consider a challenging situation, was a blessing in disguise. Why? It taught me to be resilient, but even more, it taught me about woman. My mom is a strong woman who doesn't know the meaning of the word 'quit.' She taught me lessons about women that other ways I wouldn't of witness. It taught that the beauty of the female is to, not only be admired, but respected. Also, their exterior is only compliment of who they are and not what defines them. What defines them is who they are, what they struggle, what they achieve. They are to be treated as indivuals and not that all women are the same. This is why I wanted to dedicate a series to the women of strength I have met throughout my life including photography sessions. This session is dedicated to my mom.
Graciela, the first time I met this gorgeous lady was in one of our Old Hollywood Portrait Sessions that we have once every season. The first thing that you'll notice about her is her confidence and her gracefulness. She was so easy to feel comfortable with. It's surprising because, if you judge her by her looks, you would of thought "wow! what a beautiful women but she looks like she might kick my buns." But no, nothing farther from the truth...That I know of. I've never made her mad. But so far, it's not.
She is career-oriented, but, has a healthy social life surrounded by people that love her support her. I've done a healthy number of photo sessions with her for her and for passion projects of mine. Everytime I photograph her, we end up having in depth conversations about growing up and how much we love our lives. What makes me categorize Gigi as a strong woman is that she is doing things on her own. She reaches goals and she strives on her own. She doesn't defy her success with having a man on her side, but, by the happiness of the world around her. You can't help but to respect her. She doesn't demand it, she earns it with grace. No pun intended.
My wife and I are on team Gigi and we are always rooting for her just like she roots for us.