I don't know how many of you are familiar with the wonderful work of { Joyce Tenneson }, but insert your favorite whomever into the signature line of this letter and you'll appreciate how psyched I was to receive it:

Dear Abigail,
I am writing to recommend a wonderful intern to you. I recently had the pleasure of working with DeShelia Spann in my portrait workshop at the Maine Photographic Workshops. She is a fine photographer, but more importantly, a very pleasant and upbeat person to have around the studio. She has good management skills as well as great people and marketing skills. She is in the midst of a career change and would very much like the opportunity to intern at your studio. She admires your work, and I think this could be a good fit for all! Please don't hesitate to call me if you have any further questions.
Yours sincerely,
Joyce Tenneson

Whoa. You can bet that I couldn't wait to meet this mysterious friend-of-Joyce, and when I did, DeShelia immediately eclipsed even Ms. Tenneson's long shadow with her wonderful personality and energy. That was two years ago, and DeShelia has become a good friend and colleague, and has gone on to build her own { photography business }. I was so honored when she asked me to photograph her new headshot a few weeks ago. Because she emits such an inner glow, I decided to backlight her, and I love how it turned out. Thank you, DeShelia, and thank you Joyce Tenneson!