Henry and I (Patreon)

I met Henry about 3 years ago. It was the first time I'd ever been to Seattle and I only knew one living soul in the area; freelance model, Justine Marie. Henry was one of her only friends with a car, so I had the pleasure of being driven around by him on more than one occasion. His smile totally got me. I loved his style and his attitude. Above all, he made me laugh like crazy. I mean he still does. I feel like I've been laughing for 3 years.I wanted to kiss him on my last night, but I got too nervous and kissed him on the cheek. Lucky for him, I saw him 2 days later in Portland and the same can not be said about that night. Lol

Henry was a cook at a local bar in Seattle, and I did freelance modeling/burlesque and stripped part time in Raleigh, NC. He wanted something to be passionate about and I wanted to find my creative voice. I always felt all over the place and didn't know what I wanted.

We kept in touch after meeting on the west coast. Absolutely no expectation for our experience to be any more than a fun night with a cool person. I went to visit him (I liked to tell myself it was for work). He came to visit me.

I started letting him take dirty Polaroids of me. It was super fun and completely unlike any of the modeling I do. Mostly as a fun foreplay thing. Eventually, I noticed Henry paying attention to the lighting and composition of these filthy shots we were literally taking for ourselves. I asked him what was going on and he said "Babe, I think I like photography". I'm not going to lie. I totally didn't take him seriously. 

The next time I saw him, he told me he spent part of his savings on camera equipment and had started taking classes. Not going to lie, still skeptical. Lol But completely supportive! My next visit, we shot the whole time and messed around with different post processing.

After a year and a half of visiting each other from across the country, I decided to move to Seattle. INCREDIBLY difficult decision, but I wasn't happy. I wanted something different. I wanted to be inspired. What's the harm in taking a chance or trying something new?

I've lived in Seattle for almost 2 years. Henry and I inspire each other every day. I've never felt so in touch with who I am and what I want. Henry found his passion, and it's something we can be passionate about together. Having this kind of relationship with someone is unlike any life experience I've ever had. Creatively, I'd always been motivated when I was angry or depressed; fueled by something unhealthy or abusive. This is the first time I can say I'm genuinely happy with an abundance of creativity and motivation.

Corwin Prescott has been a good friend for a hot minute. When he came through town last month, I knew I wanted to ask him to take photos of Henry and I. I've really been loving his series "Ask The Dust", and am super inspired by his ability to capture genuine moments of intimacy.

While this project was a little out of Henry's comfort zone, I'm so happy that he had and open mind and posed in these beautiful images with me. And thank you so much to Corwin for taking them! I hope we all keep inspiring each other forever. <3 <3 <3 

Full gallery HERE