The Power of Positive Self Esteem And How Portraits Can Play A Powerful Role in That

In John Maxwell’s latest book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, Maxwell states that many people don’t reach their full potential because they lack belief in themselves. They don’t see the possibilities that God put in them. Maxwell quotes Nathaniel Branden, psychiatrist and expert on the subject of self-esteem who says, “No factor is more important in people’s psychological development and motivations than the value judgments they make about themselves. Every aspect of their lives is impacted by the way they see themselves.”

Portraits can have an enormous impact on how people see themselves. For owners, Kim and Paul Jew, portraits taken of them as teenagers left indelible scars on them that have forever impacted their views on photography. Kim says, “When I first saw my high school senior portrait, my first thought was how boring I looked. This perception only heightened my feelings of insecurity about being Chinese, left handed and having a round face. A school portrait that Paul had taken as a 10th Grader also had the same effect. Paul says, “When I got my pictures back, I hid them in a drawer. The pictures made me look and feel dorky and ugly. I had very little confidence in myself.” Because of these negative experiences, we have made it our life’s work to create portraits that bolster a person’s positive self esteem as opposed to damaging it.

Creating a portrait that enhances a person’s self esteem involves proper planning, sensitivity, positive interaction, artistry, creativity and skill. It involves being a student of lighting, posing and camera technology. In addition, what we cannot capture in the camera, we have the expertise to enhance portraits through the magic of digital retouching technology. We leave no stone unturned when it comes to creating portraits that will make you feel good about you or your family.

If we have done our jobs well, you should look at the portraits that we create for you and say to yourself, “I like that person. That person is attractive, confident and capable of doing great things.” Our joy comes when we can play a role in contributing to your positive self esteem. We don’t consider ourselves to be in the photography business. We consider ourselves to be in the positive self esteem business. “No factor is more important in people’s psychological development and motivations than the value judgments they make about themselves. Every aspect of their lives is impacted by the way they see themselves.”

-Dr. Nathaniel Branden, Pyschotherapist and Self Esteem