Logan (he/him) is a genderqueer person living in Seattle, WA! He’s my best friend from college. He’s officiating my wedding. He’s one of my favorite people on earth. AND he’s the first ever Queer Soul star!!! š
Logan spent most of his out-of-the-closet years focusing on defining his gender, while leaving his sexual orientation to be fluid and more on the back burner. More recently, he’s been experiencing a second wave of self-realization – one that I’ve been going through myself and have seen other queer friends of mine explore as well: when you first come out, it can feel like you have to prove or defend this change in identity. That can lead to leaning into stereotypes. Logan used to force his voice lower than it had already gotten with hormone therapy and dress extra masculine. These days, Logan is feeling safe in exploring more feminine styles of presentation (in clothes, makeup, the tone of his voice, etc) without it challenging the security he has in his masculinity.
When I asked Logan if he’d be willing to help me develop The Queer Soul Experience, he was totally on board. But once we started the process of designing his shoot, he wasn’t sure what he was envisioning. I get it – it’s hard to translate something invisible like a soul/energy/vibe to a shoot which is entirely visual. We went through the Buzzfeed-style quiz I made specifically to guide clients as they hone in on what is aesthetically meaningful to them, and ended up with two distinct concepts.
The first look we did was in my home studio, featuring hyper-femme makeup and accessories with a sugary-sweet pastel twist. It was really fun getting to do his makeup myself and watch his vision come to life!
The second set of photos Logan and I did was all about the journey towards finally feeling at home in your own body. The sheer lacy dress Logan wore was perfect because it shows how the way you present outwardly and the way you are inwardly don’t have to match or be within society’s expectations for you. I also love the way the dress shows off all his tattoos, which he told me are his favorite part of his body. He compared it to decorating your home to make it more comfortable – his tattoos make living in his body more comfortable. We chilled in a big field of daisies and just existed for a while. As much as the concept was kind of serious and emotional, we actually had so much fun! There were also a LOT of good dogs at the park that day, which didn’t hurt. š
I like to talk about legacy a lot, and the impact just one person can make by living loudly and proudly. That’s why The Queer Soul Experience is important. Logan believes (and I agree) that sometimes simple, close to home impact can make a bigger long term difference. He doesn’t plan on revolutionizing the way we live or trying to be super famous; instead, his biggest dream is to be a father and have a family. He genuinely enjoys making connections with people and how just being a kind person can make someone’s day brighter. In the end, isn’t that what we really need more of in the world?
If you want to learn more about Logan, listen to his episode of The Queer Soul Spotlight podcast! We talk about doing things just because they make you happy (not wealthy), queer community, and his #1 piece of advice for LGBTQ+ people at the beginning of their self love journey. If you’re ready for silliness, terrible singing, and a truly relatable queer friend, you’re gonna love this episode.
Interested in getting involved with The Queer Soul Experience? Nominate yourself or someone else (starting June 1st 2022) and get more info HERE:
jennichapmanphotography.com/queer-soul
If you want to make an impact and get involved in a different way, you can donate to The Queer Soul Fund to help me give this life changing experience to three LGBTQ+ people for FREE. Be directly responsible for the widespread education about the incredibly diverse LGBTQ+ community and empower queer people to create the representation they never had – any amount helps!
Donate HERE: https://gofund.me/5fd7e9ff
Read about more Queer Soul stars HERE: jennichapmanphotography.com/blog
