What if “it’s too late” is just something we tell ourselves?
I love telling my kids that they can “do hard.”
And then there are people in your life who don’t just listen to you say those words—they go out and live them.
Teena is one of those people.
She is my hero in so many ways. She is funny, kind, ridiculously talented, an amazing friend, and one of those moms who is truly present for her kids. She also owns her own screen-printing business, so she’s no stranger to hard work.
So when Teena decided to go back to school and pursue her bachelor’s degree in Human Resources from Grand Canyon University, I was incredibly proud of her.
And maybe a little surprised.
Not because I didn’t think she could do it. Quite the opposite.
But because going back to school as an adult—while running a business, managing a home, being a mom, and navigating all the things life throws at you—is no small thing.
With her son in the military and her daughter away at college, the timing made sense. Her kids were becoming more independent, and it opened up a little more room for Teena to pursue something for herself.
But that didn’t make it easy.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older, it’s that life doesn’t exactly slow down when you do.
If anything, it seems to come at you from every direction and somehow faster than you expected.
Or maybe I’m just slowing down.
LOL.
Either way, Teena figured it out.
She balanced school, family, her business, and life. She kept going when it was hard. And eventually, she walked across that stage as a college graduate.
She did hard.
And that’s one of the reasons I’m so proud to call her my friend.
A Graduation Photoshoot With a Story Behind It
Teena reached out to me about doing graduation photos because another friend of ours had given her a pretty epic graduation stole.
And when I say epic, I mean personally epic.
It was filled with photographs and memories that meant something to Teena. It told part of her story.
It was the kind of thing that needed to be photographed.
Unfortunately, Teena had also thrown out her back the week before our session.
Because apparently graduating from college as a mom wasn’t enough of a challenge. We needed to add a back injury to the storyline.
Naturally, Teena decided we were doing the photos anyway.
So we adjusted.
We slowed down.
We made sure we didn’t overdo it.
And we laughed. A lot.
Adult Graduation Photography at Grand Canyon University
We decided to photograph her at Grand Canyon University, but I didn’t want to simply take the obvious “I graduated from GCU!” photo in front of the most recognizable campus landmark.
I wanted the photographs to feel like Teena.
So we explored the campus, looked for the little pockets of light and architecture that gave us the feeling of the university, and let her personality take center stage.
And this is one of the things I love about photographing milestones.
I love senior photography. I love photographing teenagers who are standing on the edge of everything that comes next.
But photographing an adult woman who has already lived a whole lot of life—and then decided to go back to school and earn a degree in something she loves?
That’s different.
There is a confidence that comes from knowing how hard you worked to get there.
There is a story behind the smile.
And there is something incredibly powerful about watching a woman celebrate an accomplishment that belongs entirely to her.
Moms Deserve to Be in the Spotlight, Too
As moms, we’re usually the ones behind the lens.
We’re taking the pictures.
We’re documenting the birthday parties.
We’re grabbing the phone to capture the first day of school.
We’re taking the selfies because apparently if Mom isn’t in the picture, Mom didn’t exist that day.
And yes, I am absolutely guilty of this too.
But every once in a while, we deserve to be the one in front of the camera.
Not because we’re celebrating someone else’s accomplishment.
Not because we’re documenting what our kids are doing.
But because we have accomplished something, too.
For Teena, that meant celebrating her bachelor’s degree.
For someone else, it might be a new business.
A career change.
A milestone birthday.
A new chapter after the kids leave home.
Or maybe it’s simply celebrating the woman you’ve become after years of putting everyone else first.
That’s worth photographing.
Teena and I spent our session laughing, talking about life, taking photographs, and making sure we didn’t push that back too far. We photographed that incredible stole. And most importantly, we photographed her.
Her gorgeous smile.
Her accomplishment.
Her determination.
Her next chapter.
And I couldn’t be prouder of her.
It’s Never Too Late for Your Next Chapter
Teena’s story is a pretty great reminder that there isn’t an expiration date on becoming who you want to be.
You can start again.
You can go back to school.
You can change careers.
You can build something new.
You can decide that there’s something you’ve always wanted to do—and finally do it.
And you can celebrate the hell out of it when you get there.
So if you’re a mom in the Phoenix West Valley and you’re celebrating a milestone of your own, I hope you’ll let me photograph it.
Maybe you’re welcoming a baby.
Maybe your little one is turning six months old.
Maybe your teenager is graduating high school.
Or maybe you’re graduating from college in your 50s, just like Teena.
Whatever your next chapter looks like, don’t wait until it’s over to document it.
Don’t blink.
You never know what the next chapter will hold.
When you are ready to document your story I’m here to cheer you on and take the photos.
-Kim
