Like many woman who come to me for a boudoir shoot, Ms. L was looking for a boost. As a fellow working mom to a toddler only slightly older than my own I could COMPLETELY understand the need to take a day off to focus on yourself - and I give Ms. L major kudos for taking the initiative and doing just that. She decided on a boudoir shoot to celebrate herself, boost her morale and to help her feel sexy again.
We decided to shoot at the McKibben Lofts in Bushwick, a swanky little photo studio with great light and some excellent props (a piano AND an interior swing?! Yes please!). Ms. L stepped into the studio with an awesomely positive energy, TONS of sexy wardrobe options, and a lot of ideas. My fabulous hair & makeup artist Tara Z pampered Ms. L in the hair & makeup chair while we got to know each other better over some Blue Bottle coffee. It was a hot day and the AC was struggling to keep up with us, but Ms. L kept her energy high as we shot out SIX different sets & outfits (about twice what I normally shoot!) Our shoot was a true collaboration and I'm just over the moon with the results.
Said Ms. L about her experience:
I'm so glad I did this -- I think all women should do this! As women we compare ourselves to each other all the time, pick ourselves apart, and this was a great way to feel sexy, not feel like you need compare yourself to anyone, and just love yourself. The whole experience changed the way I feel - it made me appreciate myself and my curves and believe that I can still be sexy.
Hearing this from Ms. L nearly brought me to tears. Beyond the beautiful photos, meeting Ms. L was a reminder of why I love shooting boudoir so much. I get to meet many women, all of whom are coming to me for different reasons, but one thing everyone has in common is that that whatever their reason for doing a shoot in the first place, they get something more out the experience than what they had originally counted on. Beyond beautiful photos of themselves (which, of course, is an amazing thing to have), nearly everyone I photograph tells me that after their boudoir experience they get back that little *something* ... that pep in their step, that rush of doing something exhilarating, being brave, facing your insecurities and most of all remembering they are more than a wife/mother/professional -- they are a WOMAN and that alone deserves to be celebrated!
So THANK YOU to Ms L for trusting me with this experience! I commend her for doing something for herself and am so honored that I could help her remember who she is and feel great about herself just as she is now -- an absolutely incredible woman and fantastic mom, and a woman I now consider a friend.
xoxo, Stephanie