Growing Up Girl began as a personal photography project by artist Lori Pedrick during her studies at New Hampshire Institute of Art. This collection of carefully crafted portraits of women eventually grew into an inspired series, which became her graduate thesis project.

Mission Statement

Growing Up Girl is a collaborative project celebrating individualism, beauty, and the empowerment of women. The basic premise is to promote a healthier, positive message for women of all ages, ethnicities, body types, and backgrounds. Since my portrait sessions are basically my interpretations of each of my subjects, I wanted to find a way where each individual could have a voice too. I’ve invited each participant to write a short personal essay about being a woman. Their stories, coupled with my images, are incredibly powerful. This is a collection of stories from many courageous women, with lived experiences. It is a chance for each participant to share, be seen and be heard. The goal is to inspire young women and girls to feel more confident and self-assured. We all have great perspective in our own individual ways. Considering all that is in flux with our world today, I feel this message is vital. 

Artist Statement

“There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty.” ― Dr. Steve Marble (Behavioral Scientist, Motivational Psychologist)

A portrait is a celebration of an individual, a commitment to slow and careful observation of beauty and uniqueness. The desire for acceptance lives within us all. I seek to embody the spirit of real women, in their glorious, natural state. I aim to capture the strength and confidence in each of my subjects so that she too may see herself in the most positive, healthy light. My portrait sessions are a collaboration, a time of openness shared between women. The culmination of this exchange helps to empower the subject, the viewer, and myself. I am exploring standards of beauty within our culture. 

Artist Biography

Lori Pedrick is an art director and photographer living in New England. She has over 20 years of experience in publishing and design and has recently received her Masters degree in Photography from the New Hampshire Institute of Art (as of January 2017). Her skills include creative direction, graphic design, mixed media, photography (both commercial and fine art) and brand-development. She has worked on publications with a variety of topics, which include: home, food/entertaining, travel, wedding, and both long- and short-form narrative. Her photographic background includes commercial, editorial, and fine art photography. Along with a great attention to detail and strong typographic skills, she is highly organized and has a wonderfully collaborative spirit. This serves her well in client-based endeavors as well as her pursuits as a fine art artist.

Her photographic series entitled Growing Up Girl is a collaborative project, a female-based portrait series accompanied by personal essays written by her subjects. Born from her passion to explore standards of beauty within our society, this project has expanded into areas of empowerment, confidence, and the support of women of all ages, ethnicities, body-types and the like. For inquiries email info@growingupgirl.website or call 215-880-8494.

She is presently the art director at Yankee Magazine and Art New England Magazine, and is available for commissioned work at any time.
To see more of her photography, and a portfolio of her publishing-related work, please visit loripedrick.com.
For publishing related questions, she can be reached at info@loripedrick.com or by phone at 215-880-8494.