I first met Anna when she was sixteen and I did her head shots for her theater auditions. Since then, we have developed a special friendship and partnership that is kind of hard to describe. I got together with her for breakfast recently before she headed off for a six month assignment.

JJ - So there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you. You posted a picture from our first shoot together on Instagram a couple weeks ago and commented that that was the first time you ever felt beautiful. What did you mean by that or what was it that brought you to that?

Anna -  Well, having my hair and make up done helped but honestly it was you as a photographer. Your way of making people feel like they belong and that’s what they’re supposed to be doing and be comfortable with it. Because I was so comfortable, for the first time in  my life  I was just able to let go and not worry about anything or anyone. I knew I could just trust what you were doing and be myself. Part of that comes from, I guess I am comfortable in front of the camera to begin with, but all of it combined it was like meditation in a way. I could just get away from the world and feel glamorous and beautiful and I did. It was an awesome feeling of freedom I had never felt before.

JJ - I’ve always known you as a very mature and confident person but you’ve grown so much to me over the last few years as a person and a performer. Where do you get your inner confidence?

Anna - Oh my goodness. This took a long time for me to really grasp, but it started with you actually and then our trip to SPA. How do I put this in words? The first time I took a picture with you and then started modeling, I sort of realized that I do have an outer beauty, and looking at your pictures of other people made me realize that everybody has that and everybody is capable of that. So really just connecting the dots from that and what I was feeling on the inside and realizing that it does not matter what other people think about how you look and you just have to worry about yourself. I remember I started having pictures made and people would still make fun of me, they would still be like, “oh, why did you do your hair like that?”. We used to have this thing called Formspring which was supposed to be anonymous

JJ - Oh man, I remember Formspring

Anna - Yeah, and people would be like, “ You look like Farrah Fawcett. Like, what are you doing?” 

JJ - OMG hahahaha

Anna - Yes! And it is just so ridiculous to me that people would still try to find something to make fun of you about. And that’s when it really hit me that it’s not you. It’s never you. It’s just other people and then from that I realized that everybody is insecure  and everybody feels the same way, so if you can be genuine and kind to everybody you can just nip that in the bud - the bitterness and jealously and insecurities and you try to reach out to people and just be kind to everyone. That’s where I draw my confidence from now. From interacting with people knowing we are all the same. You can connect with everyone on a much deeper level  than just how you look. That gives me confidence.

JJ -  Was there a single, defining moment in your life that has led you or driven you to be who you are and where you are in your life today?

Anna -  Aside from modeling at SPA, getting into the musical theater program at WestConn. I had a really hard time in high school. Just getting there and showing up because I was so insecure and felt utterly detached from that world. When I auditioned for WestConn, everybody was so positive and immediately supportive and I got in even though I didn’t think I would. In the past four years, I mean, I can’t even describe the support and the love at time the tough love that they showed me. It’s really made me who I am now, that change in me that you’ve referred to. They gave me room to grow and so many opportunities. I realized that hard work pays off and that it’s ALL about your attitude and how you work and communicate with people. I was given the opportunity to prove that I can do it and that was exactly what I needed.

JJ - Now that you’ve grown beyond all that stuff from the past, what motivates you now to be
who are today?

Anna -  I’ve always been a very career focused person and I’ve known since the first grade that I wanted to be an actress and that motivates me to stay on top of things and, you know, I took a semester off and worked in retail and I realized that what I truly want to be doing the rest of my life is performing no matter what the venue. My career motivates me to keep moving forward and with that comes the aspect of always bettering yourself and practicing and taking your vocal lessons and continuing with dance and that constantly moving forward motion perpetuates the motivation. I’ve never thought, “ Oh I want be famous doing this” but the feeling of performing and the feeling of reward from performing keeps me going.

JJ - What are your personal goals now?

Anna - I want to be doing some sort of substantial theater or film work like an HBO show where they have characters that are really deep and have crazy story lines. They’re not only entertaining but you can really connect to them and they shed light on different subjects like Shameless and even Game of Thrones. You know? The characters are so well developed and believable. I need to do something with a little bit of bite to it and a bit of edge. Wether that comes from tv or film or regional theater like at Hartford Stage or Long Wharf Theater. They produce amazing shows there and I want to be able to connect to people. I want to use empathy as a point of directing change for people. That’s my ultimate goal. I want to be able sustain myself as a working actress and be able to affect people.

JJ - What are you doing or what’s your plan to make that happen?

Anna - Well after this stint in New Hampshire,  I’ve connected with a few agents in NYC through my senior showcase so I’ll do the NY scene for a while. I’ll do theater stuff there and collaborate with a bunch of my friends who are doing new theater stuff and putting on their own shows which I think is amazing. Eventually, I’ll go to grad school because having an MFA is crucial if you want to be doing ground breaking work. You need that extra training so definitely grad school and theater work on the side.

JJ - When you dream, what do you dream about?

Anna - Wow, that’s a great question. I’ve never been asked that before. Last night I had a dream about New Hampshire because that’s where I’m going today. But I have these dreams where I’m about to go on stage and we never rehearsed and the director is like, “you gotta do this whole show” and I’m like OMG we never rehearsed this and I’m thrown on stage and have to just go with it. I still have those flying dreams, you know? Where you can fly?

JJ - Oh yeah everyone has those to some degree but I don’t know why

Anna - Yeah right? They’re so cool. And I have these dreams where I went shopping and bought all these cool clothes and then I wake up and look in my closet and I’m like “Crap, well that didn’t happen”. That’s so unfortunate haha because I bought some killer stuff in the dream hahaha.

JJ - You’ve become quite the singer/songwriter now too. What’s your personal style? Can you define it?

Anna - Well my friends have described me a Soul-Country-Folk haha. A little bit of Joanie Mitchell in there that I try to make a little soulful. Joanie is the best.

JJ - OK, Singer/Songwriter, Actress, Model - in what order do you put yourself?

Anna -  Oh man, OK, Actress……. Actress…. hmmm OK, Actress, Model, Singer/Songwriter

JJ - I know you’re working on an album now so what are you going to put on it?

Anna - I have songs that I’ve worked on since my freshman year of college so I’m going to start there. Once I got into college, I found my writing style and developed it more . I want it to be a little country but not too country and folky and Indie. Definitely an Indie vibe. The first song that I wrote will be on there and there’s a few that I’ve been working on with my phone actually using Garage Band. My dad says I should put out an entire album of just work I've done on my phone. I love using garage band because you can mix in violins and I’ve learned to make it sound so badass hahaha. I upload my guitar work and mix it all together. I add a lot of layers and blend it all. It’s way cool.

JJ - Can I shoot your first album cover?

Anna - YES!!!! Of course you goober!

So I've decided to start a regualr series of posts featuring some of my favorite sessions. So naturally I'm kicking it off with Chiara. She was clearly not your typical high school senior. She has stunning raw beauty and a whimsical personality to go with it. She marches to her own drum. A gifted artist, she makes a lot of her own clothing and all of her jewelry. I first noticed her a s a junior, on stage in one of the school's musicals. Although she was in costume with theatrical make up, I could tell just how insanely beautiful she is. Her senior year came and almost went. I was bummed that she had not called me to do her senior pics. I later found out that she hadn't done any at all. For her yearbook, she simply submitted a snap shot that a friend had taken. Funny thing is that simple snap shot was better than most senior pics. Because it is simply Chiara. I ran into her at the coffee house next door one Sunday morning and asked what she was doing all day. We both were working, her on homework and myself on paperwork. Neither wanted to be doing those chores, so I asked her to go throw some outfits together and come back. The next hour was one of the most amazing shooting experiences of my career.

Exhausting • Exhilarating

I just got back from the experience of a lifetime - Seniors Ignite Event 2014. I've been going to conventions, seminars, workshops and events for two decades. As a member of Senior Portrait Artists, the events I went to were superb learning and social hangouts. Most memorable were clearly the years I had a winning senior model who traveled to the events with me, representing myself and our Cheshire High School community. Courtney Malloy in Tuscon '08. Abby Erhlich in San Diego '10 and Anna Morse in Palm Springs '11. 

This year, with our young organization Seniors Ignite, our event was above and beyond anything I could have imagined. First and foremost, I am honored to be a member of the SI Crew. The brains and braun of the organization. When we had our staff meetings and nightly debriefs during the event, I couldn't help but look around the room in awe of the talent and wisdom that I am in the company of. It is simply humbling. These loveable, genius artists and entrepreneurs are my extended family. The devotion to our industry and eagerness to share and educate among this group is unprecedented. None of us are commissioned speakers and educators at the event. We are volunteers, starting a revolution in photography and business education. I went eight days of going non-stop on three hours sleep a night and although I am absolutely exhausted now, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I wasn't going to enter any seniors in the model competition this year. I was simply going to go and enjoy the event and immerse myself in mentoring and in education for myself as well. I am so thankful that my friend talked me into it because I ended up with the perfect winning senior in Allie Rosadino. I had warned Allie that she had HUGE shoes to fill, following in the footsteps of our former CHS winners. Man, did she ever go above and beyond. Allie and her mom Cheryl made this one of the most memorable experiences of my career and represented me and Cheshire High with grace, levity, energy and raw beauty. There wasn't a single moment where we weren't laughing and enjoying the ride with new friends from across the country. Such a joy. I couldn't ask for better representatives than any member of the Rosadino family. The images Allie and I created are simply stunning, as are those of my friends and colleagues she collaborated with. Great job kiddo.

Finally, the most important reason this year's event was destined to be a high point in my career, was having Morgan Dent by my side. When I opened my first studio, I made a conscious decision that my career would be centered around mentoring the next generation of photographers as well as pursuing creative excellence within my own work. I have hosted dozens of interns and countless job shadows through the high school over the years. Morgan is Allie's classmate, a co-editor of their yearbook and a photography student. Morgan will be heading off to college in the fall pursuing a career in fashion photography. I first met Morgan through the school's Job Shadow program and I was immediately inspired by her eagerness for learning. Since then she has helped me with everything from location sessions to post production and her strong work ethic is unlike most adults. I asked if she would like to attend the conference both as my assistant and a student because I wanted her to experience and learn about the business side of what we do. You see, they don't teach business in art schools. They teach you how to be a great artist but now how to earn a living at it. At her first professional conference, she not only assisted me on shoots but sat and learned with some of the most brilliant artists and business women in the country. Superior role models for a young lady with a world of success ahead of her. She reworked my own program that I was slated to address, within an hour of my stage time, because my Keynote program was done on an older version and wouldn't work with the house projection system. My program? Mentoring through interns and paying it forward on behalf of those who have helped us. Since she put it together for me, and since I have a severe fear of public speaking, she came on stage with me and worked the slides and videos. Having her by my side on stage got me through it and I cannot thank her enough. As a seventeen year old artist, she gained the respect and admiration of the photographers that I admire and respect. We took the Job Shadow program to a whole new level. And what would an educational trip be without a little school work? Allie modeled for her during downtime so she could add to her college portrait portfolio. She also had to create landscapes as part of her Photography II class so we flew into the desert a day early and stayed a day later so she could work on her landscape homework. We walked for MILES in Las Vegas at night (Cheryl wore a FitBit) creating cityscapes, spent time in the Mohave Desert and Red Rock Canyon, and even met up with my nephew Jonathan at Nellis Air Force Base. He brought us out onto the flight line and we were standing right next to F-15E fighter jets as the pilots and his fellow tech crew prepared for a mission. That was sick. Had we stayed an extra day, I would have been able to reconnect with another CHS grad, USAF Pilot Mike Vallone, who contacted me after seeing that I was there. Mike had just flown his B-52 into Nellis for training missions this week. Small world. USA!

So thank you Cheryl and Allie Rosadino. Thank you Morgan Dent. Thank you fellow SI Masterminds. Thank you attendees as well. The fact that you chose to invest in yourself at the event is inspiring. The knowledge I gained myself this year is brilliant and the feedback from fellow photographers who I met has been wonderful. I'm grateful that I could share my own knowledge and inspire a few new artists as well. TTFN, until next year – San Diego 2015.

Congratulations goes out to Allie 'Rosie' Rosadino on being selected a winner in the 2013 Seniors Ignite Model competition. I had the pleasure of creating Allie's senior portraits back in August and now she will join myself and my senior assistant (classmate) Morgan Dent at the Seniors Ignite Event at the Westin Lake Las Vegas in February.

Allie is active very in her school community. She plays Forward on the Field Hockey team and Attack on the Lacrosse team. She is a member of Best Buddies, a non-profit organization with a mission to help integrate people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with non-disabled peers. Allie serves on her school's Link Crew, selected as a student role model to welcome incoming freshman into the high school and provide guidance. She also works with Peer Advocates, elected as a rep to promote smart decisions for her peers, both inside and outside of school. She works at a local ice cream parlor and does a lot of babysitting as well. Allie will be studying early childhood education in college though as of yet has not decided on which one between a number of schools including UConn, URI, Delaware and Sienna.

I have been a mentor to Morgan Dent for about a year now. I first met her as a high school Junior through the Job Shadow program and was immediately impressed with her enthusiasm for learning. As I grew to know Morgan better, I became equally impressed with her skill sets and more importantly her work ethic. She has now been assisting me through the school year. She is the co-editor of her high school yearbook, a second degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, and an emerging photography talent. Morgan consistently demonstrates a dedication to success. She is confident and determined with core characteristics and maturity that are refreshing to see in a young woman of her generation.

Aside from her work with me, Morgan is an anchor among her friends and school community. She is a person her classmates turn to for support and leadership on any number of school and personal matters. With a carefree spirit, she gives of herself without the prospect of reward and has a deep understanding and sense of community. Morgan has a well developed value system and she is well respected for her perseverance in doing the right thing. She is simply a joy to be around.

I am beyond thrilled to have these two incredible young ladies join me at the Seniors Ignite Event 2014 as a model and photography student–assistant. I will again be a mentor, educator and lead photographer at the event along with my SI Mastermind friends.