Laura had always envisioned a life of adventure with her husband. They were supposed to grow old together, exploring new places on their motorcycles, hand in hand. But fate had other plans. On what seemed like an ordinary day, her husband never returned home. A fatal motorcycle accident claimed his life just blocks away from their home, leaving Laura shattered and adrift in a sea of grief.
In the wake of his passing, Laura discovered a painful truth: her husband had been unfaithful during their marriage. The revelation cut deep, plunging her into a whirlpool of self-doubt and questioning. What could she have done differently? Why wasn’t she enough?
Feeling lost and alone, Laura sought a beacon of hope to navigate through her despair. That’s when she stumbled upon the concept of a CRAVE Session—an empowerment photo shoot designed to reignite the inner fire within. Despite her initial hesitation, Laura decided to take the plunge. Maybe, just maybe, this could be the spark she needed to rediscover herself.
As she stood, vulnerable before the camera, each click of the shutter was like shedding a layer of grief and insecurity that had weighed her down for so long. With each outfit change, she found strength she never knew she possessed. She transformed from a woman who was lost and questioning her self-worth to a woman who was resilient, confident, and undeniably beautiful.
One truly unique aspect of her CRAVE Session was that she brought her husband’s favorite motorcycle. She truly wanted to honor the memory of him and the memories that she had shared with him when they would ride together. She also wanted to honor her heritage as a member of the Yakima Tribe. She was excited to share about this CRAVE Experience with her mom who she knew would be so proud of her for doing something so brave. So Laura also included some of her traditional tribal clothing in her session.
When the photos were revealed to her, Laura was stunned and holding back tears. There she was, staring back at herself with a newfound sense of empowerment. This was the woman she had buried beneath sorrow and doubt—the woman who had always been there, waiting to emerge from the shadows.
With each photo, Laura reclaimed a piece of herself that she thought was lost forever. The pain of her husband’s betrayal still lingered, but it no longer defined her. She realized that her worth wasn’t determined by someone else’s actions, but by the strength and courage she carried within.
Armed with a renewed sense of self, Laura embarked on a journey of healing and self-discovery. She may have lost her partner and her dreams, but she gained something far more precious: the knowledge that she was enough, just as she was. My hope is that, as she revs the engine of her motorcycle, feeling the wind against her face, she knows that she is ready to embrace whatever the future holds, with or without a passenger by her side.
