A boudoir shoot is something I never gave too much thought to. I’ve always been very critical of my body and more about hiding it than showing it. I was added to Stephanie’s Facebook group probably close to a year and a half ago. I enjoyed seeing these beautiful and empowered women loving themselves and found it so inspiring.
One day I was visiting my cousin at her house when she pulls out this album of her session with Steph from the previous fall (she’s always been the rebel of the family so it wasn’t shocking that she would have a shoot done). I looked at each and every page and was in awe of how flawless each pose looked and how my cousin radiated in each photo. At that point, I knew I wanted to have a session with Steph but I had a lot going on with my dad so I put it on the back burner.
Fast forward to December/January of this year, I was very intrigued by the 4K Session giveaway (Who wouldn’t be?). I entered but didn’t win. Then she had the discount on the session fee and I thought “it’s now or never” and booked the session! I was so excited and so nervous all at the same time! All I could think was “I need to lose weight” “I need to find a makeup I can wear without having a reaction” “I need to find lingerie I’m not going to look awful in”. I read the guide Steph sent (multiple times) and followed it the best I could. Knowing what to expect helps me with my anxiety so the details were very much appreciated!
I procrastinated like I always do. I didn’t book Lindsey and Ashlee until one month before my session and luckily they were working the session before me. I told Lindsey about my concerns with makeup and she gave me suggestions on what to try before my session. As far as lingerie goes, I had a subscription to Adore Me. I liked their variety in sizes and styles. I had been buying from them for about 6-8 months before I did a serious haul for the shoot. I spent about $125-150 for what I wore during my shoot. I explained to Steph that I was at my highest weight I had ever been and that made me nervous about being half (if not fully) nude. She assured me that it was normal to have those concerns about weight but that she would make sure I looked gorgeous.
When it came to the day of the shoot, I was honestly ready to get it over with. I had been worrying about trying to lose weight (and failing), I was worried about spending this much money on just myself (a single mom who didn’t practice self-care and mainly spent money on everyone else without a thought) and at the last minute I just lost all confidence. I got to Steph’s house and was greeted by Ashlee’s contagious energy and Lindsey’s hilarious quips! These ladies are so fun to be around and my favorite comment from Ashlee was on my “wig quality” hair lol. I loosened a bit as these women are a joy to be around. Then Steph came upstairs as the ladies were finishing their last touches.
Steph takes me into the studio and it was like walking into another dimension. It was beautiful and secluded (just us obviously, but this did make me way more comfortable as I’m so much better in a one-on-one setting). She asked me to show her what I brought for wardrobe and I expressed my concern about how I thought I just “didn’t look good” in anything. She asked if I would show her what I didn’t like and I agreed as I just wanted everything to be perfect as I had waited months for this day. This chick knows how to hype a girl up. By the end of me just trying on my outfits I felt like a solid 10!
The shoot went by so fast because we were chatting and laughing so much. Everything just came easy once I was comfortable in my own skin. For the first time in 33 years I wasn’t comparing myself to anyone and it felt indescribable. Steph definitely knows how to make you see yourself in the best light possible!
Next was seeing the images and making decisions on what images I wanted to keep. I’m going to be completely honest, when I first started looking through them, my mind (being the jerk it is) started right in on the negative self-talk. I picked images I thought I looked the best in and then came the images where you start thinking “Dang! Is that me? I’m looking hot!” I have never ever thought that about myself. My whole mood changed and the self-talk took a turn for the better and then when we went back through the images to narrow it down I loved them all!
As soon as I got my images, I was ecstatic! I started showing all of my friends and coworkers that had been asking me about the shoot and the process. They were in awe of my photos (as I was) and loved the confidence I exuded in them. This whole experience is one I will never forget and I will definitely have another session with Steph in the future. Feeling our best is what we strive for, why not have someone capture it?
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