Susannah confided in me that her summer held a few tough lessons and some painful losses.  Times seemed dark as she repaired parts of her life, and one of the few things that cheered her up was simply riding her bike around San Francisco. This allowed her to appreciate, in her own words, “so many little vignettes of creativity and joy around SF.” The background for many of these scenes included colorful graffiti. So Susannah’s ILYB is for her bike and for her city!

When she came to me with her idea she didn’t know how she wanted to spell it out in the photo. I immediately thought of actually painting it on a wall. A friend graciously agreed to help us realize our vision because neither of us is too handy with an aerosol can! He went and painted it on a Friday night and we showed up on Saturday morning and shot the image.

After the shoot, she told me how bashful and grateful she was to have these words, which she dreamed up, splattered on a wall. But, honestly, I feel like the lucky one. To be let into someone’s world and to be trusted with vulnerabilities is a real gift. As I continue with this project I like the surprise I get as people bring me their ideas. Many of them I never could have conceived of when I started four months ago. That’s the beauty of collaboration and that’s what excites me and helps me grow; I get to see perspectives that aren’t my own. I’m glad Susannah was re-vitalized by our city and our street art and I’m happy she got to express it.

Click here to see a portrait of Susannah