Aging Gracefully

Embracing Your Age is Embracing Your Strength | 50 Over 50 | Columbus, OH Photographer

This beauty is one of our latest 50 Over 50 clients, and we were so thrilled when she agreed to be a part of this.

Raynea has been through a lot of storms over the past few years, and what a FIGHTER she is. Her story is one of perseverance and strength through the storm.

This is what she had to say:

“I believe that when we have walked through trauma and we have fought so hard for ourselves that we absolutely should document who we came out as on the other side of the storm.  That is exactly why I chose to have portraits done by Whitney.  I want nothing more in life than for my children to look at their mom and see a women that fought through it all; a strong, determined, resilient warrior.  I also want women to know that they are worth fighting for.  I absolutely love being in my 50’s.  I’m stronger, healthier and fiercer than ever before.  I encourage you to embrace your age.  Embrace your strength.  You are a powerhouse.“

The Best Thing About Being Over 50… is Being Over 50. | Dayton, OH Photographer | Aging Gracefully | Portraits for Women

The women who have graced our studio for this project have brought with them the greatest wealth of knowledge and experience. Their take on self-love, aging gracefully, and life in general has been such an honor for us to witness at WDP. Carrie is no exception to that. She has such a carefree vibe about her that makes her energy completely contagious. She walked through the doors, fully trusting our process – and our studio wardrobe lol, without a single item of clothing and said, “I’m not getting any younger, this is who I am… let’s do this.”

This is what she had to say:

“How can you succeed at aging gracefully? For me… aging gracefully begins with giving myself grace, accepting how old I am, owning it, and loving who I have become over the years. I find loving myself is the springboard to everything else.

I find loving myself is the springboard to everything else.

The best thing about being over 50… is being over 50. I have five decades of experiences, good and bad, that have shaped who I am, how I think, what I take seriously and what I don’t. Each decade has made me stronger and taught me something valuable. I know I am a better person at 50 than I was at 40 or 30 or even 20. I have always been about living a healthy lifestyle and spending time with family and friends; both make me feel terrific. Feeling terrific sparks energy. Energy transcends into beauty, defined not by the wrinkles on my face, but instead by the twinkle in my eye, glow in my smile, and the pep in my step.

Energy transcends into beauty, defined not by the wrinkles on my face, but instead the twinkle in my eye, glow in my smile, and the pep in my step.

Maty Jean May (my mother) once said, “It’s better to be looked over than overlooked” but I have learned not to let my looks define me. Instead, I focus on the best of what is yet to come.

Aging Gracefully & Gratefully | Dayton, OH Photographer | Women’s Portraiture

This beautiful tribute to age and beauty was written by one of our incredible 50 Over 50 women. Keri is stunning, which you can clearly see in these images, but what stands out to me the most about her is that she doesn’t let anyone tell her who she can be based on the number of years she’s graced this earth. She becomes more and more independent and true to who she is every single year, and that’s one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever witnessed. I’m honored to have her as a part of this project.

This is what she had to say:

“I decided way back that I would embrace my age and rewrite what “older” would look and feel like. The best is yet to come and it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. I think there are a few layers with aging gracefully. The first is how we take care of ourselves, our skin, our minds, and our beautiful bodies. The second is the way we show up to the world, how we present ourselves and dress. What we choose to wear is an outward expression of how we feel about ourselves and who we truly are.  For me, I love fashion, so wearing something I love, that makes me feel good is an easy way to inject a little fun and self-love into my day.  I ignore most of the fashion beliefs that I’ve been told all these years as to how we should or shouldn’t look at a certain age; how we should style our hair, when we should stop wearing something that would show our legs off, or when to wear less makeup… WHO makes these rules? My philosophy on fashion is if it makes you feel good, wear it! We need to be so confident in who are are at ANY age, that no one’s opinion, judgement or rejection can rock us. Our life isn’t our life if we care what others think.

We need to be so confident in who we are at ANY age, that no one’s opinion, judgement, or rejection can rock us. 

As women, our health and self-care is so important; it’s not selfish.  For me, this means focusing more on Pilates and resistance training, more water, a diet that includes healthy fats and protein, with a lower carb ratio. Even though I don’t live my life in fear of getting older, I do fear losing my health and that is one thing I won’t compromise on. I try every day to do my best with my diet and overall health. We have to keeping nourishing and moving our bodies.

Finally the mental aspect of age, and probably the most important comes down to gratitude. I wake up every day grateful for another day; another day to be better and to do better. Age is just a number, and as women we need to inspire one another to be the badasses we were meant to be. A glowing woman can help another woman glow and still be lit.

Age is just a number and as women we need to inspire one another to be the badasses we were meant to be.

This is 64. I am proud of it, the wrinkles, the scars. I have lived and I have earned it all.”

50 Over 50 Project: NOW BOOKING

This year I set out on a mission. A mission of empowerment and celebration of life, age, and all things beauty.

In turning 35, I’ve found myself with a false sense of belief that these, my 30’s, are my best years, and that if I don’t act now – enjoy them to the fullest now, that I’m going to miss out on something in life. None of that is true. There is no perfect time frame, or specific season of your life in which to love yourself and enjoy life more. That time is now… 20lbs up or 20lbs down, 35 or 65 years young. This moment right now is still a part of your life regardless of the number of years you’ve been blessed with. It deserves its own honor, love, and much earned respect. I believe women truly do get more beautiful with age.

The women I’ve been meeting during this project have a confidence in them that only age and life experience can bring. They’re fierce… POWERFUL in their own right, and they are PROOF that life over 50 can be a sexy time of celebration, thriving, success, and fun. 🖤

NOW BOOKING the FIFTY OVER FIFTY Project for 2022. The project is a special one, and will end in an exhibition style gallery event and magazine with excerpts on age and beauty from each powerful woman who was a part of it. If you, or someone you know would be a perfect fit for this project, reach out to me at whitneydaniellephotography@gmail.com for more information.