Here are 10 images from my 52 week "Nude in Nature" Project. Click below to buy the book that includes all of the uncensored images, journal entries, behind the scenes info, and metadata from my camera for each shoot! Edition limited to 500 copies and each sale I will be donating $1 to Planned Parenthood. 

These images are a part of a larger body of work that I completed in 2016. I challenged myself to do 52 weeks of being Nude in Nature. This project started with being inspired by the work of Katie West and Faye Daniels who focus on the female nude and many times they are out and about in the environment. I’ve always been a plus size woman so stepping outside of the societal norms for this project was extremely hard at first. What I achieved with this project is to not only help myself see the beauty in my body, but also to help others see the beauty in theirs as well. There is no flaws on our bodies, there is merely something that shows we have lived. Our bodies are the vessels we are contained by and regardless of the size we are able to achieve great things. I’ve taken my ultimate weakness and insecurities and turned them into a beautiful project that got me outside, hiking, and enjoying my body.

I think it's important to highlight nudity for plus-size women specifically because since the '50s and '60s our society has been in the mindset that the most ideal body shape is something that is pretty much unattainable. I think highlighting the bodies of plus-size women (and of all genders) will help to 'normalize' this standard that society has placed into our minds. There's a lot of stigmatized ideals around people that are plus-size and there's really no reason for it.

I definitely walked away feeling much more in love with my body and WAY more confident with my hiking skills. At first I was timid with both things. I would find the most secluded spots along easy hikes. Towards the end of the project I was doing pretty difficult hikes and I was photographing myself in semi-public spaces. ... The main thing that I learned from this experience is that so much of our self worth relies on what other people think of us. Once we are able to let that go it's MUCH easier to love ourselves. It's terrifying to put yourself out there if you don't fit the 'norm.