By LanaRus

Miki Turner, an award-winning photojournalist, came up with the idea of this book six years ago. There is a popular saying that you can’t truly love anyone else until you learn to love yourself. Miki Turner went on a journey to ask a variety of fascinating and exceptional women just one question: at what point did you fall in love with yourself?

The answers were as diverse as the women she asked but no matter how different each journey is or if not everyone had an answer, this book reminds us that we all are making this journey to recognize our worth, our potential and our inner and outer beauty.

At the launch party Miki gave a short speech, thanking several friends for being there with her on that journey, pushing her to work hard and finish the book. One of those friends was Laurel Holloman who Miki met at a press event a few years ago and who became a strong force behind getting the book published.

Miki had a little story behind each shot that ended up in the book and here’s the story of Laurel’s photo that Miki used. “Laurel and I met at a press event and soon discovered we had some things in common. About four months later I approached her people about the book and was told she’d meet me in Malibu. We got so engrossed in girl talk during our first meeting that we never got around to shooting. A week later we met at little dune beach but I didn’t really think those shots captured her. A year later, however, we were shooting headshots at her home in the hills and that stuff was just incredible. I was going to use one of those until I shot her painting at her studio near Venice beach. This shot, albeit a happy accident as she was looking down in between frames, was actually used as the promotional photo for her art exhibit in Venice, Italy in July, 2012. It was a hard decision but I opted to swap the other one out for this one as she has moved on from that period in her life. This is who she is today.”

All of the stories are incredible and the answers to Miki’s question give us a deeper insight into the women’s journeys to love themselves. No matter if they are celebrities, activists, or businesswomen, they all share a familiar but unique experiences as women, mothers, and human beings.

The book “Journey to the women I’ve come to love” is coming out late November so be sure to check it out for the amazing black & white photos and fascinating stories behind them.