New Woman in the Mirror
Every woman has her own story, traumas, insecurities and worry, and that’s why my job is so special to me. Everyone deserves to be treated like the individual they are, and to see themselves as they really are, without the “flaws” they look for first. We all have them, something that our eyes would go straight towards in a photo to inspect. Those little things that we all have, cellulite, extra skin, blemishes, skin folds, natural SKIN, yeah we all have some version of it. This woman’s testimony is exactly why I love what I do.
Q: What brought you to book a boudoir experience?
A: Every woman has her own story, traumas, insecurities and worry, and that’s why my job is so special to me. Everyone deserves to be treated like the individual they are, and to see themselves as they really are, without the “flaws” they look for first. We all have them, something that our eyes would go straight towards in a photo to inspect. Those little things that we all have, cellulite, extra skin, blemishes, skin folds, natural SKIN, yeah we all have some version of it. This woman’s testimony is exactly why I love what I do.
Q: How did you feel leading up to, and during your experience?
A: I’m typically a very positive outgoing person that will be your biggest hype girl and push you to do anything you want to do. But that isn’t necessarily the case for myself, I feel as though a lot of people can relate to that and for some reason think of the bad/negative things that could possibly come up. So, leading up to my appointment I felt very nervous, anxious, and had lots of worries as to how I would look in the photos, how my extra skin from my weight loss would look, did I choose the best outfits to compliment my body type all those types of thoughts.
Q: Describe your experience to your best friend. Give us the hype!
A: Pull in to the cutest house ever, with horses and a donkey! Nervously walk in through the garage door and down the stairs to the studio, where I’m greeted by Ashley and given a robe to change into. There’s relaxing music playing in the background as we start to go over my vision of how I want my hair and makeup done, I chose to go dark and bold with curled hair. I’ve had my hair/makeup done before for a wedding and this was WAY better. Ashley is amazing. My makeup, lashes, and curls lasted the entire shoot even though we messed with my hair, hands in my hair and everything. And sweating a little in my leather jacket. Halfway through my makeup and hair Amanda came down to join us. I would have thought she would start to talk to me about the photos and that so then we could get started right away, but she didn’t, which was so incredibly awesome because I didn’t feel rushed at all. It truly felt like I was getting pampered and had time to relax and get comfortable talking around them considering I’d soon be undressing in front of Amanda. Once my hair and makeup was complete we went over a few items I had brought and I had the option to view her closet that has everything imaginable for every size and look you could dream of. We planned out a few looks and hung them up in the bathroom and I slipped into my first outfit. Came out into the studio and was honestly shaking a bit from being so nervous. I didn’t know what to expect, how to pose, anything. So many unknowns. Amanda was so genuine, honest, and empowering. I try to joke around at my own cost to deal with my nervousness and I can’t recall exactly what I said, but, Amanda stopped me right there and said that was my last negative comment about myself I was allowed. Amanda did all the poses first to show me what to do, and then when you go to do it, she corrects anything as needed, even fixed my undies at one point. The attention to detail was phenomenal. She took photos at multiple angles and every few photos would turn the camera around so you could see the screen and how you looked. Those images were obviously unedited and Oh. My. Gosh. The first photo I saw on the screen, my nerves and anxiety went away. I almost started tearing up as that is not how I envisioned myself to look. I looked hot AF. Between that moment and the energy radiating from Amanda every setup/outfit got better and better and my confidence grew with every pose. I cannot tell you how many times Amanda said “look at you!” “Yes Queen!” And so many other wonderful things while taking my photos and hyped me up the entire time, truly made me feel like a badass I try to be. She makes you feel amazing, so professional and makes you so comfortable to capture your true potential in your photos.
Q: How did seeing your final images at viewing make you feel?
A: The days leading up to viewing my final photos were just like the days leading up to the photoshoot. Nervous of what they would turn out like. I got to view them with a zoom call where Amanda shared her screen and started with a slideshow of all my final photos. It was so hard not to get emotional over them, I have come so far and struggle with my body image almost daily, the weight loss has brought so many positive things to my life and good health nonetheless, but the extra skin is a constant reminder of these things and is my biggest concern. I believe we ended up with 80 some final photos. And honestly, trying to narrow them down to 45ish for my photo album/book was so incredibly hard because I love EVERY SINGLE ONE. Seeing all the photos, every angle, every outfit, and I loved every single one. Was not expecting to look like the girl in MY PHOTOS. It is a very empowering experience.
Q: Has your experience impacted your personal life, self esteem, confidence, relationships, etc. in a way you’d like to share?
A: I’m still in disbelief that the girl in my photos is actually me. The time between my photoshoot and the final viewing, I think I looked at my two “teaser” preview photos I received in my email, a thousand times. Like Holy S**t, that’s ME! My confidence has grown and so has my self esteem because I now see what my friends and family see in the changes I’ve gone through in the last few years.
Q: Anything you’d like to add in your blog feature?
A: What doesn’t challenge you, doesn’t change you. If you’re on the fence about this experience, take the leap, I can assure you it is worth it. The experience alone was empowering in itself, beyond anything I can describe let alone getting your final products. Amanda is a Godsend, she is definitely where she needs to be, I cannot say enough good things about her and what she does. It’s more than photography, truly life changing for me and has changed my prospective. 10/10 highly recommend.
