Present Practices was never meant to be just photography.
The name grew from years standing behind the camera and teaching yoga watching how people arrive not only with ideas about how they look, but with busy minds, tension in the body, and quiet self-criticism running in the background.
Before a shoot begins, many people carry the same thoughts.
“I’m not photogenic.”
“I don’t feel confident.”
“I don’t like my body.”
Those thoughts don’t disappear because someone tells you to relax. They soften when the body feels safer.
Presence changes the body first
Yoga taught me something essential. The nervous system leads the way. When the body settles, the mind follows.
Photography showed me this truth from another angle.
When a shoot is rushed, performative, or overly focused on results, tension stays high. But when you slow down, breathe, and stay present, the body begins to release. Shoulders drop. Breathing deepens. The face softens.
This isn’t therapy.
But it is a shift.
And that shift changes how you experience yourself in front of the camera.
A new direction for my work
Next year, I’m bringing this understanding even more intentionally into my shoots.
My vision is not to “fix” how you look, but to create an environment where stress reduces and self-awareness increases. Where you’re guided moment by moment, so your energy can settle instead of spiral.
From that place, you don’t just get photographs.
You leave with a different perspective.
Many people tell me after a shoot that they feel lighter. More at ease. More connected to themselves than they expected. That they see themselves differently in the images, but also in how they felt during the experience.
That matters to me.
Why Present Practices
Present Practices is about repetition, not perfection.
Practicing presence.
Practicing kindness towards yourself.
Practicing being seen without armour.
Photography becomes powerful when it’s not about forcing confidence, but allowing it to emerge naturally.
That’s the work I’m stepping into more fully next year.
As this year comes to an end, I’m deeply grateful for everyone who trusted me with their presence. Every quiet pause. Every moment of courage.
If you feel drawn to a photoshoot that offers more than images, one that might gently change how you see yourself, I’d love to hold that space when you’re ready.
Kris
