Miss Cella came to SLAAAAY her shoot. We decided on a mod-styled/60s-esque/dame styled shoot that brought life to her character, Polly! I love editorials because they allow babes to explore these inner personas that are itching to come to the surface. Cella's session was strictly shot portrait style and we made use of the fact that she "gives good face" and isn't afraid to look silly. If you come in for an editorial session, please know that not all your images are going to be "perfectly beautiful" (whatever the fuck that means) because we want to play up a character, which can feel silly....but also freeing. If you aren't prepared to bring some attitude, editorials may NOT be for you. Take a look below and see how Cella describes her inner "Polly":
"Miss Polly is daring and darling, wanting nothing more than to escape her small town and make it on the 1950s big screen as a classic horror movie damsel-in-distress. 1950s schoolgirl meets wannabe Hollywood superstar meets ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ dame meets a young girl with a dream that needs life to be bigger than she ever will be."
Chill Vibes with Jade {Mexico Diaries} - Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
Prepare yourselves. I have pretty much finished all of the images from our Mexico trip back in February, so there will be an onslaught of tropical beauties coming your way! First up is Miss Jade whom you've seen a number of times before. She is what we like to refer to as a "muse". This girl is a beautiful chameleon as you will see in all of her posts, able to become any character at any moment! For this particular look, I wanted to go for a comfy, natural look and when we arrived to our "home" for the week and saw we had our own private tiki bar, I knew it was the perfect set for it! My babe Kylie Smith did Jade's beautiful natural makeup, making sure this doll glowed in the light.
Bryce Canyon {Travel Diaries} ~ International Boudoir Photographer
Prior to Christmas, I took a fun trip down to Salt Lake City, Utah to visit some friends of mine and to partake in some photographic adventures! I first hung out with my friend Hailey whom I had met in NYC this past year at the Babetown workshop and we got along famously. We had an amazing time just chilling, eating American junk food, watching Glee, and visiting Target (TWICE!). It was good to just relax and Hailey even took me to the Reflection pond at the Joseph Smith Memorial in downtown SLC where we oohed and aaaahed at the twinkle lights. After drinking fish bowls of mojitos and eating our weight in tacos with Hailey's neighbor, I headed to hangout with my other buddy Chad of Faces Photography, also whom I had met in NYC at the Babetown workshop! Chad and I took a bit of a roadtrip outside of SLC to Bryce Canyon. We rented a cute airbnb (the selling factor for me was the ladder!) in the heart of the mountains, did some Facebook Live-ing for the Babetown crew, drank some Fireball (first time for me!), and enjoyed a gourmet meal of boxed taquitos. The next day, we met up with Chad's friend Kyle and our model KJ. They first stopped at our airbnb so we could partake in some of my usual style boudoir, but then we took to the red rocks of Bryce Canyon where we evaded tourists, braved the cold weather, and got some amazing shots. I am quite excited to go back to Utah (maybe in the spring or summer instead) so I can explore other gorgeous landscapes, but for my first visit it was quite amazing! I can now check Salt Lake City and Utah off the list of places I have never been before and that's pretty cool! Next time you see Chad and I getting into shenanigans will either be when I head to Atlanta or when we get together for the next Babetown workshop in Idaho! You can check out the brief video I made of our adventures, below:
She Got Her Shit Together ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
Miss J came to me ready to have some epic fun for the weekend and FUN was definitely what we had. This woman has overcome a lot and still has a smile that doesn't quit and the most adventurous spirit I have seen in quite some time! For her session, Miss J brought some outfits, but she was also up for playing with what we had in the studio...I don't think she knew what she was in for when she let myself and her bestie pick out her outfit....in any case, I am going to let Miss J tell you about her experience with us because while it was fun, it was a lot more than JUST fun and photos for her.
"The past few years have been difficult, 2 years ago I was dealing with an alcoholic husband, stressed the max, didn't know where my life was heading and having to make really hard decisions that would effect me and my children for the rest of our lives.
I finally chose happiness and left him. It took me a while to get my shit together, but finally did. Financially, mentally, emotionally. I booked this session as I am finally happy again. I finally found my spark again, fell in love with myself again.
This session was a treat for me as I deserve to be celebrated! I look at my images daily and see a gorgeous, strong woman. Thanks Teri for capturing my inner goddess, Roar!"
And ROAR she did!! Miss J it was immense pleasure and hopefully we will cross paths again (perhaps when your bestie Miss D is ready to feel like the fox she is)! If you want to channel your inner goddess, inner tigress, and overall reunite with your spark again, hit me up with an email and wait no more!
2016 Wrap Up ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
Last day of 2016 and I am, not shockingly, hanging out in my studio writing this bad ass post. I procrastinated it a bit this year, but a lot of things changed in 2016, so should this tradition, I guess! Instead of recapping every single session that I did this year (there were WAAAAY too many to put into a blog post) I wanted to highlight the sessions and experiences that refocused me, challenged me, excited me and helped propel my business to where it is today! So, let's get going on this bad boy. (Just a reminder that if I DON'T mention your session here, it's not that it didn't mean anything to me, because every woman and client has their own stories that tear at my heart. These are just the ones that stand out the most in this moment!)1)The Session that affected me the most: She Fell In Love With Herself with Miss S.
This beauty's session affected me by showing me just how powerful a session (and my persistence) could be. Not one, but 2 consultations later this babe found herself showing off her glorious bits in my studio, but it was during her reveal that I remember just how much her session had impacted her. She was afraid to look at the images, fearful that she might hate what she saw, but instead she fell in love with herself all over again. Miss S reminded me of why I do what I do and who I do it for. From our first meeting where her arms were crossed to her reveal where she hugged me almost 5 times, we both were changed, realizing that she was capable of being so fucking sexy this whole time. Since then, she has done another session with us and is one of the most empowering, fearless, confident, strong women I know and I am extremely proud to call her my friend.2) The Boudy Babe responsible for inspiring me to do more: She Hated Her Photos with Miss S.
When I finished my shoot with this Miss S, I was creatively exhausted which is the sign of amazingness in a shoot. As I edited her images, I was blown away by how awesome she did. I was so excited to do her reveal. During her reveal she was quieter than most (which isn't completely uncommon), but her husby was there and he was fucking blown away by her gorgeousness. It wasn't until I got her shoot follow up questionnaire back that I found out the whole truth. She had hated what she saw in the photos...and while she stated it had nothing to do with the images, it had everything to do with the relationship she had with herself it still hurt my heart. Now, I am confident enough in my work to know this was one of my best shoots to date, but I realized that SOME clients (probably 3-5%) require more than just ONE photoshoot to help them see themselves as the bad ass babes that everyone else does. This was the shoot that was the driving force behind Body Image Bootcamp and our new Empowered Education site: iammorethanjustabody.com where we provide resources, education, talks, and a variety of other things for babes to work on healing their relationships with themselves. So, thank you to Miss S, for sharing her truth with me and an update, since getting her album Miss S has started to see what everyone else knew all along. By looking at herself a little bit every day until gifting the album to her husby at his birthday party, she saw her beauty.3)The shoot that pushed me creatively: When in Vegas with Miss A & Miss J
Oh man, Vegas was aaaaamazing. I love surrounding myself with like-minded people and it was during my time in Vegas, that I got to explore my Sassy-Ellen Von Unwerth-inspired-style of shooting! This shoot pushed me creatively because we were running out of light and I had to make due with what I had, but I also had to use my off camera flash (which I haven't really used except for weddings) which was new for me. We styled up this entire session and it was the first time I incorporated any types of sex toy props which was actually a lot of fun (and now I have a fancy collection of floggers, whips, handcuffs, etc.). After doing this session, I realized I needed to do fun stuff like this more often just to push the boundaries a little bit. Ps. I am heading back to Vegas in February if anyone wants to do a kick ass shoot!4) The shoot that exhausted me creatively: Get Outside with Miss J.
For this session, Jill and I headed out to our friend Tamara's gorgeous acreage to explore, do some sessions, and talk to her about some ideas we had. We literally spent the entire day shooting outside, exploring the fabulous variety and lush natural beauty of Tamara's place. We shot a number of different outfits and by the end of the day, both of us were extremely exhausted, but it reminded me of the importance of being inspired by a new environment and the utter joy that comes with looking for new ways of shooting on the spot. This entire day is one of the highlights of 2016.5) The session I finally did: Cherry with Miss J.
Since we are on the topic of Jill, I figured we would land on this one. I have had this idea in my head for at least 2 years and kept making excuses as to why I "couldn't" do it. Since 2016 was my year of "take a chance and just fucking do it", I finally made it happen. Jill and I scoped out the sketchiest motel we could find, grabbed the outfits, collaborated with Nicole & Kelly to make the style perfect.6) The client who made me see the other side: Too Much of This, Not Enough of That with Miss C.
Miss C came to me over a year ago, but working with her through 2016 I became more aware of eating disorders and how it can affect someone. She brought me the perspective of someone on the opposite end of the spectrum of myself, showcasing that regardless of someone's size they still can experience dissatisfaction with their bodies. I always knew this, but it's important to showcase it. You never know what someone is experiencing so before you pass judgement, say anything critical, maybe think twice and consider your own circumstances.7) The project that let me get something off my well endowed chest: An Open Letter to Addition-Elle
The fabulous babes that came out to help me showcase that the dolls who ACTUALLY wear Addition-Elle lingerie, looking fucking fierce so why are we being shown size 12-14 models, helped me tick this one off my photoshoot checklist! I felt better just meeting these ladies and talking about their feels about the marketing.8) All the traveling sessions!!
2016 took me a lot of places: Portland, Las Vegas, Calgary, Vancouver, Omaha, the Carribean, New York, Regina, Ottawa & Toronto to name a few. I am excited on expanding upon this list in 2017 as I travel, doing photoshoots, teaching workshops, attending workshops, and attending conferences and learning ALL the things!! Any place you think I should go?
So, darling lovelies! Thank you for sticking with me yet another year and supporting the work I do! My goals and desires for 2017 include:Photographing & empowering 100 bad ass babesDonating $5000 to FGWRCImproving & expanding the iammorethanjustabody.com website & empowered education siteTravel to: Las Vegas, Regina, Montreal, Chicago, Omaha, New York, San Fran, San Diego, Vancouver, and Texas.....Teach 3-5 workshops alongside Lindsay Rae PhotographyFinish my bookFind balance between work & my health by delegating to my amazing teamLive fearlessly and try everything that I want to....stop talking about it and actually DO IT.Public speak at at least 2 gigs
I am sure as the year goes on I will add to this list, but my biggest wish for 2017 is that I empower women who will go on to empower women and help create a global movement of bad ass babes who want to focus on their goals and dreams instead of spending their energy on hating themselves. I would love to hear what your dreams, ideas, and plans for the New Year! If you want to share, tag me in your FB posts or instagram posts!! In the meantime, I wish all of you bad ass babes a happy New Years day and I cannot stress how amazed I am at the fearlessness demonstrated by every gorgeous woman that stripped down both physically and emotionally for me during 2016. I can't wait to meet new babes in 2017 and see past babes as they top up their confidence cup with future shoots! Stay tuned for the next blog post outlining what you can look forward to from Teri Hofford Photography in 2017!!