After having my very own boudoir session (which I’m sure I will blog about later), I decided that I wanted to share the different stages of the Blush & Tease experience with my blog followers! I learned so much from being on the other side of the camera so I decided to find a client who would be totally open to sharing her Blush & Tease experience from day 1.
Insert the stunning Paige. I met Paige a couple of years ago while photographing an amazing dance team. I fell in love with her at once and was always hoping that one day I would get her in front of my camera again. Her smile is so contagious its lights up a room, her heart is so sincere it makes you want to nuzzle up and stay forever.
Although we talked about her boudoir session from that day on…life happens, time flies and now 2 years later…here we are. So much has changed in her life since then and we can hear time nudging us, “DO IT NOW! THERE IS NEVER A BETTER TIME!”. I always say, if not now, then when? The answers I hear vary from “When I lose X amount of lbs.” or “When I have someone to give the pictures to.” but honestly, if we, as women, take a step back and look at where we are in our lives, we learn to appreciate the here and now. This moment is important, and in this moment you should adore yourself! I love when I have a client who is wanting to document a piece in a big journey…whether that’s the middle of a divorce, weight lose or just an age that once terrified them. But I especially love when I have a client that knows right away, she wants this boudoir experience just for herself. And at this point in Paige’s life…this is for her.
One of the questions I ask during our planning meeting is “What makes you ready for this?” Lets be honest…if you’re reading this blog you’ve probably been thinking about a boudoir session for yourself for some time. So maybe it didn’t happen 2 years ago when you found out about boudoir, and maybe you don’t want to wait 2 more years. So what makes you ready now?
Paige is a dancer. Let me just take off my hat and give a little bow to any of you who have been a part of this lifestyle. Between “suck it in” and “you’re too short”, dancers have their fair share of critiques. How can that not start to ware on your self confidence, your self worth and your self love? Although the expectation for dancers may be on the (wrong) side of perfection, let me be very very clear that mine is not.
“Perfectionism is a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it’s the thing that’s really preventing us from taking flight.” Brene Brown
During your Blush & Tease experience my hope for you is that you learn self love. I want you to see your images and think…how could you NOT love that woman!? I want you to fall in love with your scars and what you see as ‘flaws’ because that’s exactly what makes you who you are.
So what was Paige’s answer? What makes you ready? After explaining what she’s been through in the last few years of her life, thinking that she will never be the perfect girl because of those dance coaches and judges in her face, these words spoke a clear vision of what this shoot was all about…
Paige – “I want to prove myself wrong.”
Me – “Oh honey…you are about to see exactly what I see when I look at you.” She is ready.
I don’t want to give away all of the secrets about what makes a Blush & Tease session turn from a photoshoot to an experience, but in the next few months I will be sharing the highlights of Paige’s story. Please follow along, fall in love with her (like I already have), and watch her fall in love with herself.
PS. If you haven’t tried The Bluegrass Coffee & Bourbon Lounge in Olde Town Arvada, you’re missing out! You can find me there a few times a week…client meetings, editing, or just because coffee. So good.
