“My name is Michael Albany and I freeze time. What’s your superpower?”

At networking events this is how I introduce myself. Quite often I am met with stares and disbelief. On occasion I am met by someone with a quick witty response but more often than not I have to add that I am a photographer and then people get it. Everyone has a superpower, its inside of all of us. Some people can cook amazing meals (not me), others can talk to almost anyone and make them feel special, a select few can translate data into meaningful information. No matter what your superpower is the chances are that A) its not your only one, B) you don’t even know what they may be!

A few years ago I met just such a person, Jade. Even her name represents a stone that comes from two separate gems. Obviously not a singularly faceted person (sorry. I couldn’t resist that). However, Jade felt she didn’t fit in, she wasn’t your average person and that much she knows. The problem was that it made her feel uncomfortable in social situations. She knew she had inner strengths but they just didn’t fit with what she thought was expected of her. When I met jade it didn’t take me long to see those inner strengths, that inner power that is apart of her superpower.

When I decided to do a Super Hero shoot I knew who I needed in that shoot, Jade. I wasn’t sure exactly how to portray her inner strength. The idea of having her play the part of the Black Widow actually came from her hair of all places. Though she is a strawberry blonde by nature, Jade once mentioned that she thought dying her hair red made her feel bolder, brazen even. That is when I got it!

After dying and styling her hair, having her makeup done, and having her full body painted, thats when the hidden superpowers began to emerge. Jade herself says, “this shoot with Michael Albany gave me a safe and comfortable place to explore that inner strength and empowered me to be my inner Super Hero…” You can read what she had to say on the testimonials page.

Not only did we get to see Jade’s inner strength but her inner softness too. In the gallery below I will only share a couple of those with you. The rest are only for the eyes of her partner Alisha.