Uplifting Photos in the Wake of the Corona Virus, Day 8 | Jenn Terrell Photography

Uplift Blog Series: I wanted to help be a part of online positivity in the wake of the coronavirus and social distancing measures. I have had the honor of working with some amazing people who have such interesting and uplifting stories. ❤️I think now is the perfect time to share some of those. At first, I was going to put them all into one post but I think they are each so strong they deserve their own post and it will give me something to look forward to sharing with the world each day.

DAY 8

This photoshoot with Dominique Green has brought me so much joy even a couple years later and so has she. ❤️Dominique realized from a young age that although she was born biologically male, she was truly a woman. She has told me horror stories of being bullied and stared at often in middle school and high school. She also told me that she would limit her water intake in high school so she could avoid going to the restroom since they would not let her use the women’s. Today, she is allowed to be 100% herself wherever she goes.

About the photos: This was her first professional photoshoot. I had a beautiful dress I brought for her to wear for the shoot. At first she was apprehensive because she had never worn a dress like that so we started with her in a t-shirt and leggings. I included those photos first. Then after photographing for a bit, she warmed up a bit and decided she was ready to try the dress. As soon as she walked out me and my team all teared up. We told her how beautiful she looked and she started to glow. Her confidence grew so much in that moment. From then on she was in her element throughout the rest of the photoshoot. She danced, twirled and posed. Her energy was magnetic and it came through in each image.

Photos from this set are some of my most published pieces. Dominique’s story and photos have been published in Amber Magazine in the UK (Clips from the magazine are at the bottom of this post ❤️) and on the cover and inside of Bentonville Living Magazine. The first photo below was also published in an article online for National Geographic. Two of her photos was also accepted on Vogue Italia online and one of her photos was published in The Idle Class magazine.

Dominique gave me more on that day than I ever gave her. She showed me, over and over again, the power of photography, support and the importance of storytelling.