Honor Her: The Women Behind the Stories

“So tell me your story.”

Angie Joseph shared that this is one of her favorite things to ask when she meets another veteran. After nearly 35 years of military service, she knows how much can unfold from that simple invitation.

Why someone joined. Where she went. What she experienced. The people she met and the choices that changed her life.

Angie had wanted to bring women veterans’ stories together in a book for years. She wanted future generations to have something they could open, read, and learn from. Something that would help them understand the women who served and the lives they lived.

That wish became the beginning of Honor Her.

How Our Paths Came Together

Angie is a United States Army and Army National Guard veteran and the founder of Hold Your Horses Wellness Farm.

When we met, she saw my Tails of Franklin book, with its portraits and the personal stories accompanying them. As she looked through the pages, she began imagining a book celebrating women veterans.

“Gosh, I would love to do this coffee table book on women veterans.”

Her idea brought together something she had long wanted to do and something I love creating: portraits with personal meaning, gathered into a book people can hold in their hands.

Together, we began working on Honor Her.

What These Women Have Taught Me

Before meeting Angie, I had known very few women veterans. Photographing for Honor Her has introduced me to a whole world of experiences and stories.

In our conversation, I shared how different my own path had been. After high school, I married and started having children. Joining the military had never occurred to me.

Then I began listening to women who had made that choice.

Some wanted an education. Some wanted to leave a small town and see the world. Others were looking for a new beginning or a way out of a difficult situation.

And that was only the beginning of their stories.

Each conversation has helped me understand a little more about the woman in front of my camera. I get to learn about her service, what matters to her, and who she has become along the way.

It has been one of the most meaningful parts of this project.

Celebrating the Woman She Is Today

Honor Her brings portraits and stories together to celebrate women veterans and the journeys that helped shape them.

Your service belongs in that story. So do your personality, your relationships, your interests, and the life you have built.

For your portrait experience, you can bring clothing that makes you feel beautiful and like yourself. Military memorabilia is welcome if you have something meaningful you would enjoy including. You can also bring a loved one or a fur-baby who has been part of your journey.

We’ll create portraits at my Franklin, Tennessee studio, then choose photographs together for your spread in the book.

Every woman who participates will be included, with portraits and her story.

A Purpose That Reaches Beyond the Book

Angie’s care for veterans also led her to create Hold Your Horses Wellness Farm, a nonprofit offering equine-assisted services and wellness programs.

During our conversation, she spoke about wanting a place where veterans could feel safe, slow down, and be themselves. Her work at the farm continues that commitment to caring for people who have served.

Honor Her helps support that work.

The $190 participation fee goes entirely to Hold Your Horses Wellness Farm. I donate my photography time and talent to the project.

Your participation helps preserve your story while supporting programs for other veterans.

Your Story Has a Place Here

Angie spoke about women she has known who rarely identify themselves as veterans, sometimes because they served briefly or during an era when women’s service received little recognition.

Her desire to hear their stories stayed with me.

If you are a woman who has served in the military, you are invited to participate in Honor Her. There is room for your experience, your perspective, and the woman you are today.

Our goal is to bring 100 women together in a book that their families and future generations can open and treasure.

I would love to meet you, hear your story, and create your portraits.

Schedule a Discovery Call to learn more about Honor Her.