“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people”
— Annie Leibovitz
I know its hard to feel confident in an age of perfect magazine covers and unrealistic image expectations.
I know how it feels to battle with your own mind, with your own body. I know how it feels to not feel 'good enough' or 'skinny enough' or 'pretty enough'.
But you are.
You don't think you are, but if I were to ask any of your family and friends, they would say you are, 1000%.
And I know how to capture that, and its my favourite thing in the whole world to do!
I know its so hard to put yourself out there.
On a more personal level…
I am an odd sausage. My tattoos are extensive, my humour is dark and my heart is huge.
I am a 45 year old Mum to two humans (Mia, 23, and Ethan, 15) and one fur baby rescue dog called Mavis (10), wife to a beautiful long haired Irishman, I am obsessed with RuPaul's Drag Race, Professional wrestling (AEW/GCW for the initiated!) and love a good meme. I love gory and gross horror movies and TV but have a lifelong love of anything Shonda Rhimes makes (Grey's Anatomy for life, yo!) I listen to a stupidly wide range of music (from classical to rap to blues through to death metal) and my biggest hobbies outside of photography are crochet and gaming. In my spare time I volunteer for Remember My Baby, a charity where photographers provide portrait photography for families who have lost their babies before, during or shortly after birth. i consider it a great honour to be able to do this and am thankful I have the right temperament to be able to use my camera talent to help others.
I am a lifelong depression and anxiety sufferer, deal with three chronic illnesses (fibromyalgia, Elhers Danlos syndrome and chronic migraine), am diagnosed with ADHD and beaten a 15 year long battle with bulimia. I am a legal medicinal cannabis patient which has been life changing for me, and am on PIP so even the government believes I’m sick haha!
I am always struggling with imposter syndrome and a lack of self-worth and am in a never-ending battle with my weight thanks to my eating disorder history, but I'll never stop trying to better myself and love myself more. I am honest and open about all this (some say to a fault, especially on social media) but I don't want people to think my life is amazing, that its all glamour and gorgeousness. Its a battle, and one that I share openly so others might find small comfort in knowing that someone out there feels the same way. On a related note, the most powerful thing I have ever done for myself is undertake my self portrait project
I identify as queer/bi (despite being in a hetero relationship) and my pronouns are she/her. I support my trans sisters and brothers, sex workers of all types and believe Black Lives Matter. Just in case the tattoos and funny hair colour didn’t give it away!
So, Hi! I'm Donna.
Thoroughly messed up, glorious, flawed and loved human being just like you.
Come bare your soul for me!
