First, thank you so much Ori for letting me couchsurf & adventures w/ you & for this photography … not sure how you do it, but you have this ability to really see me & get it out of me in a picture. That weekend was exactly what I needed … and finally having pics of me looking like *myself* makes me happy!

(weird to see all those older pics of me in that slideshow, some of the before's I look so 2-dimensional)

We went through my clothes & you rejected everything I owned & said you were making me wear a t-shirt … it was so bizarre to stand in front of a mirror & slip that first t-shirt over my head. Like putting on youth. What a small thing that made a huge shift of state.

As I said in my post-weekend blog post http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com/austin – letting myself just trust in you & do whatever you said (clothes, props, expressions, etc.) was such a big deal for me. But what an amazing way to free myself at the same time.

Dear person who is reading this comment – if you have an opportunity for Ori to take your pictures (and even better, also adventure/couchsurf w/ him), take it. He will create something that is more than what you wanted and is exactly what you needed.

Thanks so much Ori. You freaking rock.

#thatisall

Great job Ori! Super big difference

OK, I'm going to be contrary, but not just to be contrary: I think some of the “befores” are great. Like the one of EPW holding her kid and feeding a goat? (I think it's a goat.) Lovely. As are a bunch of them. In the “afters” you have the benefit of a pretty big weight loss, too. Not that they aren't fun and natural and great, but that's a significant edge right there.

I agree the goat one is awesome indeed. It sort of ruins my thesis, and I almost didn't include it… as it is more 3 dimensional and alive than the rest of her old pics. But if you go through EPW's FB photos, the majority of them are (as EPW said) 2 dimensional.

Any photo of a person is a good photo… in the regard that it at least captured a moment in time, and can be shared. It tells a story. Except for that goat picture, the story that was being told was not representing EPW accurately.

When I travel through cali again, I'm sure we'll get a photo shoot with EPW & Gracie, and that will be intensely fun.

One of the interesting things is that my good “before” pictures are ones w/ my daughter. She's able to get the real me out of me too.

And yes, I've lost 40 lbs since the earliest pictures!

Remember how I talked about epic being an absolute? This is epic. Freakin' and absolutely epic. And all I can think of is “I am so lucky to be friends IRL with these people!!!”
xoxo Alli

We're pretty damn lucky to know you too

EPW has become an adventure junkie She's starting to top my adventure efforts. The best part is that SHE can relate to adventure EPW more too

photo elitist