Ashley writes:
I had saved the nature composition photos like this one, "Steve Stamen," for last, and when I finally showed them to Steve, I was not disappointed. He was silent for a moment, and then said, "Well, I like those a lot." This, I felt, was a triumph for us both, myself because I had shown Steve the beauty of his body, and Steve because he had managed to accept it. I feel the Steve Series is a lesson in self-esteem—that we are all beautiful because we are all human, and therefore a product of nature like any other.

Ashley Lorenz lives and works in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she owns and operates her own full-time photography business, Lorenz Photography. She loves to photograph everything from brides to real estate, but she also enjoys gardening, ballroom dancing, and being with her family, Holly, Dennis, and Steele, as well as her grandparents, Lumpy and Grumpy. Her website can be viewed at LorenzPhotography.net, and she can be reached via email at LorenzPhotography@yahoo.com.