Courtney Dellafiora » xocourtney.com

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There are so many love stories that I adore. But I’m not going to lie, the story between Edward and Bella is truly one of my favorites for many reasons. I’ll admit when the Twilight craze first began, I was not interested at all. I didn’t see the first movie until several months after it was released and even then I wasn’t that interested. It wasn’t until I went to see it a second time and gave it my complete and full attention that I fell in love with them! It wasn’t the way the movie was filmed, the actors who played the roles, or the fact that it’s complete fantasy about a vampire loving a human. It was the story of intense love and passion that drew me into this particular story. I love that they were instantly drawn to each other and had an undeniable connection even though they were worlds apart. The love they shared was so deep and intense that hardly any words had to be exchanged for them to know that they were deeply in love with each other. It didn’t matter to them that maybe the world would look down on them for being together – they truly and passionately loved each other and that’s all that mattered. Edward’s natural instinct to protect Bella is the thing I most love about the story. If he could he would give his own life for her if it meant protecting her and keeping her safe. He would do anything for her and be there for her whenever she needed him. That’s the kind of love that I am IN LOVE with!! That is why I love this story so much. I’ve been wanting to do a shoot for quite a while now that was inspired by their love. I asked Jewel and Phillip if they would mind modeling for me and letting me capture the mood of Bella and Edward’s love through my lens. I was honored when they obliged and I’m not sure I could have picked a better couple. They are so awesome and were so easy to work with. We had a lot of fun and below you will see a FEW of my favorites. I loved every single shot taken that day so it was extremely difficult to pick a few for the blog. If you know me at all, I hardly ever change my photographs to black and white… but several of the following are because I just felt they went so well with the mood of this shoot.

One of the reasons I love what I do so much is because I am able to express my inner soul and heart through photographs of other people. This photo shoot represents a very deep and vulnerable part of who I am on the inside. Every photograph you look at, you see a part of me. I hope you like what you see…

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Jewel, you are exquisite!

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Phillip, thank you for showing such beautiful love to Jewel.

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I am SO lucky to be able to work with such amazing people. I have to pinch myself everyday to remind myself that I’m not dreaming!! Thank you Jewel and Phillip for completely rockin this shoot with me. I heart you both!!!

Last night as I was watching my favorite TV show, Grey’s Anatomy… something was said in the script that truly captivated me. Thank goodness I was DVRing it because I rewound it over 10 times just to listen to this particular part over and over again. Never has anything been said on that show that inspired me so much. It’s a great show full of edgy drama that keeps you wanting more and more, yes. But this time it was different. One of their patients (who happens to also be on their staff at the hospital), was just about to be put under for surgery on an inoperable tumor in his spine when he looks up at his doubtful and worried surgeon (Dr. Shepherd) and tells him something that shook my inner core. It reminded me that sometimes we are going to face difficulties in our lives that may seem at times impossible to get through. Hardships that are so painful we don’t think we’ll even survive until tomorrow. There’s just no way we’ll make it to the other side. But the character Isaac in the show spoke the most beautiful words that are so incredibly true. He said:beinspiredInspiration can come from facing something hard in your life. Every time a storm comes your way, you have a decision to make. You can take the easy way out and surrender yourself to it, risking the chance of losing a part of yourself. Or you can take it head on and say, “you know what? This won’t be easy, but I am determined that no matter what happens, I will fight til the very end and not give up. I will BE INSPIRED by this obstacle and use it for good in my life.” I want to always be that person. I know that life will not always be perfect, but I want to remember that no matter what comes my way, I CAN be inspired by it. Life is what you make it – I believe that with all of my being. I want to be inspired by the good AND the bad.

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