We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lindsay Hite a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lindsay, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I began my career as a wedding photographer shortly after studying photography in art school, No longer only about staged portraiture, new wedding photography trends encouraged photographers to use their creative vision to document the couple’s style, their relationship, and their special day in a way that aligned with the couple’s vision and wishes. I could be a creative AND a documentarian at the same time. The combination of fashion, creative storytelling, and documentary photography appealed to me. I was often hired to document destination weddings – which was a dream job throughout my 20s! My wedding photography business took her around the world to amazing places, but away from family. As I entered my 30s, I began to feel a shift.

In 2016, I was feeling worn out and stuck, and  I began to question my next steps as a photographer. I felt a call to serve women in a broader capacity, desiring my work to create a ripple of influence impacting my community, the culture, and the world.

When I was least expecting it, inspiration struck.

During the meditative final round of my favorite cardio kickboxing-inspired workout, Kick it with Eliza, while laying flat on my back, dripping in sweat and reflecting on life, the song Rise Up by Andra Day began to play.

As the song played, I had a very clear vision of a light radiating outward from inside each of us – every person in that room. I began to wonder, “ What if each and every woman could see her light, her spark, take up space unapologetically, and confidently stand in her own unique power? What if we could shine our lights without fear? What world-change would occur if each woman could own their power and their voice?

Realizing I knew how to celebrate people through photography, my new mission began to take shape. I wanted to help women feel seen, beautiful, and special beyond the stress and societal expectations of a wedding day. To feel empowered EVERY day, not just on an occasion pre-ordained as “your special day”. I wanted women to feel confident as they walk down the street, care for their children, lead meetings in a board room, or heck- even go grocery shopping. What if we could live a more authentic, confident, empowered life – unafraid to show up as our beautiful, radiant selves, and to stop trying to dim our light, or make ourselves smaller to fit in. This idea pointed her in a new photographic direction, becoming the founding mission of Show Your Spark and her version of empowerment photography.

Lindsay, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Today, Show Your Spark is a full service, luxury photography studio in Braintree, MA founded on the belief that ALL women deserve to feel confident, and powerful in their own skin – no exceptions. We are on a mission to help women find and celebrate confidence through trauma informed, transformative, and empowering portrait experiences in our studio and through our philanthropic work.

I started slowly, photographing friends and friends of friends in their homes. As a female photographer, I was keenly aware of the “male gaze” throughout the history of fashion photography. Knowing how stereotypes and beauty standards have been imposed upon women throughout art and fashion photography, I wanted to develop my own photographic voice and vision in this new space. I honed in on posing and lighting, drawing inspiration from old world portrait painters such as Carravaggio, Dutch Masters and John Singer Sargent. I was inspired by fashion photographers such as David Lachapelle and Richard Avedon. I wanted to create an aesthitic unique to this style of photography.

As the idea of Show Your Spark grew, I quickly realized I wanted to lean into my love for exceptional experiences by curating a luxurious in-studio experience for her clients where they could feel comfortable, seen, and taken care of. Just as one might feel at a five star resort.

I found what was to become the Show Your Spark studio, a former auto body shop, on Craigslist. The building had lived many lives as various repair shops, yet I saw its potential as a Boston area luxury photography studio. For four months, my family and I designed and renovated the space, prioritizing creating a welcoming aesthetic and top-notch experience for our clients.

Today the space is a complete photography studio with multiple sets, a dressing room, a hair and makeup station, and an office area. Perhaps the most creative transformation is that of a private, mini-movie theater AKA Cinematic Premiere Room, in the former garage bay. This room witnesses the client’s emotions as they see themselves in a new light for the first time. The entire studio space continues to evolve and transform in response to client needs and new creative inspiration.

I firmly believe in bringing together an empowered, talented team who can help execute and achieve the mission together. Together, we help bring to life and empowering, supportive, trauma informed experience for our clients to be able to feel seen, respected and to confidently shine their light in the safety of our judgement free space. We love to witness our clients transform from nervous to powerful and confident as they witness what they never thought was possible- photographs of themselves where they love what they see.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

As the trauma-informed boudoir and empowerment photographer for Show Your Spark, I have the privilege of hearing the deeply personal stories of the women who come into our studio. Narratives of overcoming and becoming reveal past pain, insecurities, and the desire to transform.

Women also share with me their complicated relationship with their bodies. In their stories, shame and sorrow occupy the space I believe should be joy, acceptance, and celebration. Show Your Spark’s mission is to help women feel confident in their current bodies as we collectively release societal beauty standards. I created the transformative and empowering Spark Experience on the belief that ALL women deserve to feel beautiful and confident in their skin, no exceptions – now!

I think many people, myself included, desire to get back there – that place of where we were or who we were before a particular set of experiences brought us where we are today. Others want to rush forward into the future of what could be.

The reality is that life happens now. True peace, freedom, and happiness reside in the present moment.

Now is the timeline in which we most fully live. We live in our bodies now, with the ability to gather information about the world around us. Our bodies are ever-changing, marked, and forever changed by our experiences. We can not expect our current body to look or feel like it once did before these experiences. On the other hand, we must not delay our joy for that moment when we reach a specific goal surrounding our bodies.

As we learn to be present in the current moment through our senses, we can become aware of the sights, sounds, and feelings surrounding us. In doing so, we can live more fully, allowing our souls to come alive.

Wherever you are in life right now, amid challenges or on the other side, take a moment to reflect on how your life mirrors nature’s seasons, practice gratitude, and release both the past and the present. In doing so, I think you might find joy sneaking up on you!

Remember, you are powerful, courageous, and one of a kind.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

In today’s world, we are often witness to everyone else’s “final cut” or highlight reel on social media, while we are living the “b-roll”, outtakes and highlights of our own life all at once. Perfectionism has stopped me in my tracks, thinking an idea has to be polished before I can share it, or even take the first step to make it a reality.

I’ve had ideas and thoughts I’ve wanted to express and share, but have found myself not taking action while waiting for optimal conditions to send an email and make a contact, record a video or write in my journal. Which, ultimately means, that I never sent that email, pressed record, or picked up the pen and notebook!

But I’ve realized lately that life is too short to be living in dress rehearsals. While I’m living my story is the perfect time to share my story. Because if I wait until I know how the story ends, it will be too late.

So here I am, committed to showing up in the messy middle, living in the midst of it, doing the scary thing, putting my voice and my story out there in hopes that you will be inspired to use your voice as well.

I often repeat this affirmation to myself “Even here in the messy middle of life, I can use my voice.”

Contact Info:

• Website: www.showyourspark.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/show.your.spark
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparkbylindsayhite
• Other: Our private women’s only facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1561034230632186

Image Credits
Photos by Lindsay Hite: www.showyourspark.com