Underwater Transformation About Face Underwater Transformation About Face

Stop by this Saturday – UCSF cancer event, Taste for the Cure

about, art show
September 29, 2016/by
Taste for the Cure: A Taste of Science I'm excited to announce that I'm a part of UCSF event on Saturday, 10/1. I'll be showing Underwater Healer About Face to cancer survivors, fighters and supporters at the table . Please stop by and say hello!  Click here to find out! In Honor of Debby Hamolsky, RN, MS In the spirit of Debby’s decades of commitment to emotional and educational support for women with breast cancer, our panel topics will focus on personalized screening and treatment and living well during and after cancer. Between panels, join us for science demonstrations, healthy food tastings, and updates on trials and programs available through the Breast Care Center. This educational event is free and open to all. After nearly 30 years at UCSF, nurse coordinator Debby Hamolsky is leaving us for her next adventure. Please join the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center in honoring her legacy with a day exploring food, science, and breast...
Read Full Story

Meet Sara, a breast cancer survivor

Underwater Healer About Face
August 11, 2016/by
I had an amazing day working with an adorable couple who wanted to celebrate their 10 anniversary under water and after that, I got to work with a beautiful breast cancer survivor, Sara. She was born and grew up in the south bay, and have been living in San Francisco most of her adult life, other than going to Berkeley for undergrad and UCLA for law school.She was iagnosed breast cancer in December 2015, when she was 38. After the photo shoot, she said, "I totally would recommend underwater portrait to other survivors! For survivors, I think it's an experience that can help you feel strong and confident again, especially because Erena was so warm and encouraging. It is a nice escape from thinking about cancer. It also is a moment where you can feel like you're in control and you're guiding the concept and deciding what to do, instead of being told what's happening to you and your body by doctors. It's a fun "appointment," instead of all the mandatory doctor appointments that poke and prod you. I think it also would be a great experience for anyone, not just survivors. It is such a unique, artistic experience and different way of seeing yourself." Thank you so much, Sara for being a part of this beautiful project to inspire other survivors and everyone in the world. Her underwater transformative images are stunning! I can't wait to show them to you...
Read Full Story

My Survival Story

Underwater Healer About Face
July 18, 2016/by
My Survival Story I was so happy to meet Martin and Katarina from Switzerland last week! They are traveling the world to capture cancer survival stories for their project, My Survival Story. They contacted me several months ago through Skype. They wanted me to be a part of their project to inspire other survivors. One of the survivors, Tina said, "Survivors need survivors to survive." I was excited to share my story, beautiful images of survivors and how underwater portrait photography heals survivors' emotional scars. I loved hanging out with them. It's been awhile... to be interviewed... since the NBC show! We met a breast cancer survivor, Betsy from San Jose, CA. She is a NP at Stanford hospital. This is also my 3rd breast cancer survivor with a nurse background. May be their work schedule and stress caused cancer...  Martin and Katarina interviewed her before the photo shoot. Betsy told me she doesn't usually wear make up. She is beautiful with or without it :) She did amazing work under water!! After underwater photo shoot with Betsy, I asked her how she felt underwater... Pictures are coming soon!! Then I took a photo of Martin and Katarina! Photos are coming soon! They were fascinated by how dreamy the photos look :) Before they came to San Francisco, they were in San Diego to meet Scott and Mandy! I met them in March for my Underwater Healer project. Scott is a 2 time testicular cancer survivors and he froze his perm when he was 21 yrs old. His...
Read Full Story

One FREE Underwater Portrait Couple Shoot this Saturday!



Uncategorized
May 19, 2016/by
Are you and your partner in, near, or can get to San Jose THIS Saturday (May 21st, 2016) at 11 AM? If so, I have one FREE underwater portrait session for ONE COUPLE! I'm looking for a couple who wants to improve the communication, connection, teamwork and confidence through underwater portrait photography. The underwater portrait session includes one Skype consultation, one 30 minute pool photo shoot and requires one short testimonial (written Q&A and video) after the fact. You'll receive one image and by agreeing to this free shoot the image will be used by me on my website and on my social media channels. This opportunity does not come around often, I would jump on this if I were in your shoes!

Unsure what you might be getting yourself into? Here is a testimonial from one couple that has participated in an underwater portrait shoot with me: How was the communications for the photo shoot and during the session? “Initially, we were going to just ‘go with the flow’. I did do some research on different poses as a back up (in case I felt unsure what to do with my body). It was a tremendous amount of teamwork and understanding to be able to carry (this) out underwater. So much multi-tasking goes on…. its a task to execute sometimes. However, its gets easier when someone shares the same goal and view.” Did you guys talk about the photo session after? What did you talk about?
 “How we enjoyed ourselves. It was true quality...
Read Full Story

Nou Magazine

Uncategorized
May 12, 2016/by
Happy Thursday! This week has just flown by. It’s been another fantastic week - I’m so happy to share with you all that NOU Magazine, an online cancer magazine for cancer survivors, featured my work! I submitted an essay entitled “Healing Effects of Water – One Cancer Survivor’s Way of Helping Others Heal” and was thrilled when the contacted me to tell me they had chosen it to publish! NOU Magazine is part of the Women Survivors Alliance, and event who’s mission is to establish a network where women affected by cancer can find their voice, improve their quality of life, and embrace their 2nd Acts. They empower, educate, and connect women whose lives have been touched by cancer. Their publication, NOU Magazine, is not just an online magazine or blog, it’s a digital community that gives cancer survivorship a voice - written and spoken - all over the world. It’s a wonderful place that shares motivational stories of female survivors sharing their gifts of life and experience with the world. They want to move people. They want to amuse people. But most of all, they want to motivate. They motivate others to find themselves again after cancer. It was very much a perfect fit to share my story with NOU Magazine. My aim is to help cancer survivors experience the healing effects of water immersion and to encourage survivors to see themselves as beautiful through portraits. I assist them with their own transformation, just as NOU Magazine aims to assist...
Read Full Story

Sign Up Now For an Underwater Transformative Daycation!

Uncategorized
April 20, 2016/by
Join us Saturday, May 14th, in San Jose for a half day dedicated to transforming your body, mind and soul - all while having a fun time - the Underwater Transformative Daycation! I’m excited to be teaming up with a personal trainer, body builder and nutritionist, who will work with you to start a change both inside and out. Then, we’ll rediscover your beauty, heal emotional scars, and improve self-esteem through an underwater photo therapy session. Start the Transformative Daycation at noon with an introduction and then at 12:30 we’ll dive in with a hour body sculpt transformation class. After a break and some healthy snacks, we’ll jump into an emotional transformation with an underwater photography shoot with yours truly! All participants will receive one group shot and one individual portrait. We will then end the day with a nutritional education class for maximum wellness. We then will all enjoy a delicious vegetarian meal with wine together before parting ways. It’s sure to be a fun, engaging and enlightening experience not to be missed! Spots for this Transformational Daycation are extremely limited - only eight slots are available! Sign up now to ensure you participation and lock in the early bird price of $275. Please contact me with any questions. And as an added bonus, proceeds go towards my Underwater Healer About Face Project! No cancer survivor pays for their transformational underwater portrait shoot - attending one of my events or booking a portrait shoot yourself helps support my work. I...
Read Full Story

Wigs for Kids

Uncategorized
April 13, 2016/by
As some of you may know, I just celebrated a birthday! I spent it with many people I hold dear and loved every moment of it. Thank you to every one of my family and friends who sent lovely birthday wishes or helped me celebrate. It was a wonderful day and this year is going to be the best one yet! For this birthday, I wanted to do something extra special - something that would make a difference. A friend of mine suggested I look into Wigs for Kids, an awesome organization that creates wigs for children that suffer from hair loss due to illness. Wigs and hair replacement treatment is always covered 100% at no cost to the families. There are many ways you can support a child through their organization - either through sponsoring a child’s hair replacement treatment for a year, a monetary donation or a hair donation. It’s a wonderful charity and I was so moved by their mission that I decided I would donate my own hair for a child’s wig!  See my dramatic birthday transformation below! Change is wonderful and I’m thrilled that I was able to help make a difference in a child’s life. The hairpieces and treatments Wigs for Kids obtain for children in need help boost their self-esteem and not feel self conscious about being “different”. Growing up is hard enough, and battling a difficult illness is something no child should ever have to go through. I am happy to go through my...
Read Full Story

Inspiring Young Minds

Underwater Healer About Face
April 5, 2016/by
As you may remember, one of my resolutions for 2016, is to increase my speaking engagement frequency - and yes, still aiming for that TED Talk! I’m so excited to tell you that am speaking at not one, but two, college photography classes this month! First, I’ll be speaking at City College San Francisco in mid-April, and shortly thereafter at City College San Jose. I’m excited to share my passion with young, budding photographers. My work, and my Underwater Healer project, has evolved so much over the years. I’ve learned and grown so much. I’m excited to share a few of the lessons I’ve learned and hopefully inspire THEM to tell their own empowering stories. Hopefully this is a great opportunity for me and the students alike and that they will also find an interest in my project sharing survivor stories. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll find myself leading them in a workshop because they discovered an interest in underwater photography! The possibilities are endless. I’m also happy to try out some of my new-found presentation skills and tips I learned at a public speaking workshop I attended earlier this year! I am taking my resolution very seriously and am proud at myself for accomplishing what I have so far this year. I have a few more surprises in the works that will bring me even closer to my goal. Stay tuned, only good things are...
Read Full Story

Announcing The Transformative Daycation!

Uncategorized
March 23, 2016/by
The Empowering Transformative DAYCATION I’m very excited to let you all in on a secret project I’ve been working on! I’m thrilled to share I will be co-hosting a Transformative Daycation with Chelsea Good! Join us for a day dedicated to transforming your body, mind and soul - all while having a fun time! Start the Transformative Daycation with Chelsea, who will lead us in an empowering body sculpt class. Chelsea - a personal trainer, body builder and nutritionist - will work with you to start a change both inside and out. After the body workout we jump into underwater transformation with an underwater healing photography with yours truly! Rediscover your beauty, heal emotional scars, and improve self-esteem through this mini underwater photo therapy session. All participants will receive one group shot and one individual portrait. We will then end the day with a nutritional education class, led by Chelsea, for maximum wellness. It’s sure to be a fun, engaging and enlightening experience not to be missed! Spots for this Transformative Daycation are extremely limited - only eight slots available! Sign up now to ensure your participation and lock in the early bird price of $275. Be sure to stay tuned for more details on this first-of-its-kind event! I look forward to hosting this event and many...
Read Full Story

San Diego Trip Recap!

Travel
March 17, 2016/by
I’m back in San Francisco after an amazing, whirlwind trip to San Diego to shoot three beautiful and strong cancer survivors.  As you may remember, this trip included working with two tattooed mastectomy survivors in collaboration with Shane Wallin, founder of Mastectomy Tattoo! It was incredible to meet him and see his work in person. In addition, I also was blessed to document a happy couple, one of which is a two time testicular cancer survivor, expecting their first child in May! It truly was an incredible weekend. Photos are coming soon, but in the meantime please read and watch their testimonials! JUANITA SAYS: It was my father’s birthday yesterday and this is dedicated to him and all cancer survivors. My underwater photo shoot was a great experience! I felt so free, happy and relaxed - to be underwater my soul was at peace. Underwater I was able to find joy. Having this experience alongside two other survivors was incredible; I am happy I was able to share that moment with them. Erena made me feel so comfortable and at ease, she is a great photographer. I would recommend anybody who survives anything traumatic to go for it - there’s peace in the water! Also, thank you Tony and Shane, my great tattoo artists, for helping me find my “sexy” back. There is beauty after breast cancer! I am a survivor hear me roar! 

TINA SAYS: I felt it was harder than it sounds! In turn, it was more fun than...
Read Full Story