Insecurities are pesky little bitches, aren't they?! One of the best compliments I get from my clients is that all of those little nagging insecurities that they have every single time they look in the mirror… they don't see them when they look at their photos.
They see themselves the way their partner does, the way I do! They see a strong, amazing, gorgeous woman! I recently read this passage on Cup of Jo, a blog I read on the daily, and it really stuck with me:
It doesn’t make sense to call ourselves ugly, because we don’t really see ourselves. We don’t watch ourselves sleeping in bed, curled up and silent with chests rising and falling with our own rhythm. We don’t see ourselves reading a book, eyes fluttering and glowing. You don’t see yourself looking at someone with love and care inside your heart. There’s no mirror in your way when you’re laughing and smiling and happiness is leaking out of you. You would know exactly how bright and beautiful you are if you saw yourself in the moments where you are truly yourself.
I love that, don’t you?
Ms. T’s experience
It’s not unusual to feel nervous and a little insecure before a boudoir shoot, but Ms. T here was EXTRA nervous. She was gifted a boudoir shoot by her bridal party, who knew how much this COVID bride needed it after all the stress and reschedules of trying to plan a wedding during quarantine. How sweet is that?
And I suspect Ms. T needed the push to take the plunge. But let me tell you I am SO HAPPY that she did. Over the course of our bridal boudoir photoshoot, I watched Ms. T go from nervous, questioning, and over-thinking to feeling it and having fun. It was incredible to witness.
In her own words:
“I was so, so nervous about getting the photos done for a variety of reasons and I couldn't be happier that I did! They're gorgeous and a nice confidence boost pre-wedding post-COVID weight gain. :) Stephanie was so much fun to work with and really captured the aesthetic I was hoping for. The entire experience was very fun, comfortable, and empowering.”
Still feeling insecure about a bridal boudoir photoshoot?
Nearly everyone is always critical of this or that on their body. Everyone always thinks, I need to be a certain weight/shape/size/personality/whatever to do something like a boudoir shoot and let me just say - no, you don't, you just need to be YOU.
There is never any reason NOT to celebrate the present, as Ms. T goes on to say:
“Just do it! I feel like all women should do this type of shoot every few years, and I wish I would have known to do one when I was younger. In this moment I weigh the most I ever have and was feeling pretty down on myself; the experience and pictures helped me see myself the way others do. This is honestly one of the best things I've ever done for myself.”
I am so happy to have met Ms. T and loved to have been a part of her celebration. Watching her come out of her shell was one of those moments that makes me so grateful to be a boudoir photographer. By letting go of our insecurities and gaining confidence, we are changing the world one woman at a time!
Also a side note that Ms. T loves the color teal, and went for a peacock colored velvet cover for her album. I wasn’t sure about this at first but when it came in… WOW. It was SO BEAUTIFUL I added velvet cover options to my offerings. They are STUNNING.
xoxo, Stephanie