Happy mothers day to all the mothers out there. We love you and thank you for all you have done.

This is mother, Paula. I asked her to volunteer for me so I could get this type of lighting. She agreed and asked for me to make her look pretty. "Hide my wrinkles and sun spots" she said.

My mom has been a private person for as long as I can remember. She did not have too many friends and the ones that she did have were very kind and loving.

She would make a big pot of Atole, a Spanish rice water with cinnamon sticks and sugar. She would make enough to last the entire week, and enough for me to indulge myself with this fantastic dessert. I used to put some in a plastic cup, typically from Tupperware, and use a Popsicle stick or spoon and put it in the freezer. A frozen rock shaped like a cup, it would last for days. We would recycle the lump of frozen Atole , put it back into the cup and freeze it for later enjoyment.

She is a very gifted and caring Mother. I later discovered as I got older that we were extremely poor, but she always made sure we had our daily essentials of food, water and milk.

Mom would work two jobs as a seamstress in downtown, Los Angles. An immigrant, she has been here at 21 years of age; a young women married to my father. She only knew Spanish, yet she managed to find a job in sweatshop working as a seamstress. She would get home late, exhausted, ready to pass out and sleep. Mom would catch her 3rd or 4Th wind and start dinner, get us in the shower, and ready for the next day.
I told my Mom during the photo shoot, "You are going to see yourself through my eyes, Mom". She gave me a confused look and kept talking, and I kept adjusting my strobe lights and camera speed.

I explained to her the urge and need to do this photo. I told her how I felt, and the memories of her when I was young. I can recall vivid memories of her talking or doing things around the house and making dinner. The way she would scrub our heads with shampoo fiercely as though it was teaming with some sort of infestation. I wanted to thank her but I could not figure out how. So I told her why this photo meant so much to me.

When I see her deep wrinkles and sun spots, I know it was due to hard work, sacrifice and pain. The meaning of what my mother means to me, true beauty.