“When I was 11 years old, my mother passed away from cancer. This was, understandably, the darkest moment of my life. It felt impossible to find beauty anywhere — loss and grief consumed me.

But a few years later, in a middle-school photography class, something shifted. We were given an assignment I can’t even remember now, but on a family vacation I found myself waking up early, picking up my camera, and stepping outside into the sunrise.

I was probably 14 years old, and for the first time, the world illuminated again.

I dropped into the moment and saw beauty everywhere I looked. I noticed the sun resting on buildings, the glow on a single grain of sand. I felt a quietness in my heart and mind.

With my camera in hand, I saw beauty again. That day sparked a lifelong love affair with photography.

Years later, after leaving my corporate job, I became a professional photographer for over seven years. I made great money, had a lot of fun, and grew immensely as an artist. But aspects of that life burned me out.

Something I loved so deeply — something that had once been my therapy — had become my job. The two couldn’t coexist, and I knew I needed to step away. I needed space to reevaluate how I wanted photography to be in my life again.

After giving myself that distance, and still being gentle with myself, I’ve found a corner of photography that feels genuinely aligned with who I am now.

I’ve decided I want to share the moments when everything stops and I see beauty. When — amid all the swirling chaos, sadness, happiness, and gratitude — the world briefly freezes, and I get to capture what is always around us if we just take a moment to notice.

Each of these photographs is rooted in the belief that no matter what life brings us, this world — and its tiny, fleeting moments — are stunningly beautiful.

The way the light casts a glow and a shadow on a leaf is worth pausing for. I believe my mother speaks to me through light. Her light illuminates the world around me and reminds me that even without her, life is still beautiful and worth living.

My mother is my maker. She is my god. Whoever your guide is, they are in every photograph I take — whether it’s on an ethereal beach in Bali, in the sunsets of Big Sur, or in the punk-rock scenes of Los Angeles — each moment shows us the beauty of a life worth living.”

— Polly Cannella