The Goddess Photoshoot started five years ago as a simple idea. During the pandemic, I did some “just for fun” photoshoots with my sisters, my grandmas, and a few family members. It was a way to pass the time and get dolled up, but I didn’t expect the internet to lose their minds over the photos of my grandmas! Women of all ages, all over the world, were crying happy tears seeing older women having fun and being celebrated. During a time when the world craved joy, I decided to do as many Goddess photoshoots as I could, eventually retiring from wedding photography, and focusing on Goddess photoshoots full time.

Since then, I’ve done many free photoshoots for women over 70, including an event at a nursing home where my sister worked. In addition, women were hiring me and flying from across the country to Maine to have a Goddess photoshoot of their own. In 2025, I officially launched The Goddess Project, and crowdfunding allowed me to provide 12 free shoots across Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, and Washington state. Hundreds of women applied or were nominated from across the U.S. and even internationally for a chance at a free session.

Each shoot included extra fun, like being interviewed about their life story, special video features on social media, a page in the Goddess of the Month calendar, and being a special guest at the year-end Goddess Project Gala, where participants were part of a short film screened at the event. Each shoot is about more than photos, it’s about telling stories, celebrating accomplishments, and making women feel seen and celebrated.

Meet Some of This Year’s Goddesses

This year’s women were incredible, each bringing their own spark and story to the shoot.

• Joan: Photographed on top of Mount Rainier, is 92 and navigated the roots and rocks on the hiking trail with just her cane and ballet flats. She even brought her sister’s wig as a joke, but completely rocked it.
• Bonnie: Always dreamed of being photographed with a sword, so I tracked one down just for her.
• Natalie: Bought a dream home in Maine, with the most beautiful backyard where she tends to her garden. She was determined to recreate my popular lily pad photos in her own backyard lily pad pond.
• Anna: An immigrant from Czechoslovakia, who was full of life and spunk, despite dealing with multiple heath struggles. I met her and a group of her friends and family at the rehab facility she was at in Florida. This experience was especially meaningful, as Anna passed just a few months later.

The women I’ve photographed come from every walk of life: A funeral director, a wedding dress sales woman, a journalist, two physical therapists, dancers, a black belt in karate, beauty pageant participants, foster parents, business owners, and so many more. Some are quiet and thoughtful, others bold and daring, but each one left a mark on me, and anyone who heard their stories.

Every shoot is about capturing their personality and the life they’ve lived, showing that growing older is not something that needs to be feared.

The Goddess Project Gala

The Goddess Project Gala was created as a way to bring something that had lived mostly online into a real-life space. I didn’t want it to feel like a formal art opening or a quiet gallery night. I wanted it to feel like a party!

The gala included a full photo gallery, a Goddess photo booth with my signature robes and crowns, snacks, a raffle, glitter freckles, and plenty of time for connection. The women featured in the project were invited as special guests, and it became a night where they could be celebrated by a whole community of people who supported the project.

One of the highlights of the evening was screening a short film featuring the Goddesses and their stories. Seeing these women on screen, surrounded by friends, family, and supporters, who laughed, and cried along with the women featured was so special.

What’s Next for The Goddess Project

Moving forward, The Goddess Project will include all clients age 70 and over who want to participate, whether they are receiving a scholarship or booking a session on their own. The project has grown into something bigger than a single year or a single format, and I want it to be something women can opt into as part of their photoshoot experience.

Participation in The Goddess Project includes added elements that go beyond the photoshoot itself, such as the interview, inclusion in a coffee table book and calendar, the gala, and occasionally interviews for local news and other media, which are not part of my standard photoshoot experience.

Scholarships will remain an important part of the project. Funding allows me to continue offering free sessions to women who would not otherwise be able to participate, expand into more states, and bring the experience to places like care homes and community spaces with limited budgets.

At its core, The Goddess Project is about storytelling, visibility, and celebration of older women who can often feel invisible in today’s youth obsessed society.

Explore More from The Goddess Project

If you’d like to see more of the women, stories, and moments from The Goddess Project, you can explore the links below:

Featured Videos

• Joan on Mount Rainier
• Bonnie’s sword photoshoot
• Natalie’s lily pond session
• Anna’s Florida celebration
• Show-Jen in the Washington woods
• Judy’s lupine field photoshoot

Press & Media

• Portland Press Herald Article
• College spotlight article
• Fox Bangor News Story

Films & Publications

• The Goddess Project short film
• Goddess of the Month calendar & Coffee Table Book

Support

• To donate to the Goddess Project scholarship fund, please visit my crowdfunding page