Miss S. was a beautiful angel brought to me for a fun shoot day, post Oklahoma City workshop. Not only was she incredibly confident in front of the camera, but had a smile that could light up the room (as you will see in the images below). We didn't have too much time to chat about her life, but I did find out that this babe kills it at cross-fit and loves to eat! The location we were provided for the fun day was a sweet artist's loft in OKC where we not only had access to an open space, but also to the artist's studio and I was deeply inspired to create images in there. At the time, I had just finished watching Dear White People and LOVE the cinematography with it's framing, color tones, and overall vibe, so I threw a bit of that into this session as well. Lastly, the few images of Miss S on the rug inspired me to get a sweet patterned rug for the studio! It's sessions like this that remind me that boudoir or intimate portraits aren't always about looking sexy, pretty, or sensual...sometimes it's just about existing, finding the light and looking like a piece of art. When it comes to designing your session, I want you to think beyond the boudoir, so to speak. Some of my favorite images involve small patches of light and blurred creations that capture movement and emotion.
She's a Damn Rockstar ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Miss D came bouncing through the studio doors, excited for her mini session and I knew we would hit it off right away! Despite it being really early in the morning, she had the energy of 5 espressos and was so excited to show me her thigh high boots that she wanted to rock for her session! As you will see below, she slayed her session and watching her reaction to her slideshow at her reveal was everything. She fell in love with herself, from top to bottom!" There was nothing specific that encouraged me to start taking care of myself. Weight loss was not really the goal, it was just a reaction to me changing my lifestyle and how I thought of myself. I was living in a place that was dark and I often felt ashamed of who I was. Anxiety seemed to follow me everywhere and I decided that I needed to be myself and accept who I was. I knew I shouldn’t be ashamed because I’m a good person with good intentions, so I started to just be mindful of what I was doing to my body physically and mentally and over a year, I was able to feel amazing. Not by my size but by how I feel. My thoughts of myself through the whole process were to stay positive even on the days I didn’t feel like I was a rockstar: At the end of the day I am the only Me and I’m a rockstar!"When we asked her about her boudoir session experience, this is what she had to say:"I love love love all the info provided to me. I knew what to do before the session and after, her business is ran so efficient but so personal. The moment I walked in I felt like family. Warm and welcome. My make up was me. Just with a little oomph. Highlighting all my nice features. Giggles aside getting undressed was so comfortable I felt more at ease without my cloths than in my bathing suit on a beach. Teri’s got something special about her that just makes you love you! Amazing experience and will be doing it again. I think this is an AMAZING gift for your girlfriend or sister. Don’t knock it till you try it. You gotta jump right in and see the beauty of you. "Are you ready to see yourself as a rockstar? If so, shoot us an email and let's get this show on the road!!
Stefania {Chapter 1} ~ New York Editorial
When I reached out to Ms. StefaniaFerrario a year ago via Instagram, I put it into the universe that we would someday meet up and when I didn't hear back instantly (because that's what we expect, right?) I assumed she was busy living the dream of being a model and doing her thang (which she was!). But let me rewind a bit: My first "meeting" with Stefania, was watching her interview in the Embrace documentary and watching her speak so eloquently about what it was like being a "plus" model who is between a size 8 and 10 and explaining about the terrible things that women would do to themselves and their bodies to be accepted into the modeling industry. As soon as I saw her poise and sparkle on camera, I started following her on the Instagram. Now, I had never really had the guts to reach out to professional models before, but for some reason I reached out to her because our dual passion for body neutrality and celebrating the uniqueness in humans was something that connected us. Anywho, fast foward now a YEARish after I sent the original message asking to work together and I commented on one of her insta stories about a book she had found! I guess, in responding to my message, she had seen that I had previously messaged her about working together and messaged me back telling me about the book AND THEN SAYING YES WE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER. I almost dropped my phone....but I tried to play it cool, because I didn't want to scare her off. But in Winnipeg, in my studio, I was fucking FAN-GIRLING. HARD. Anywho, she had just moved to New York to model with IMG Models (she's originally from Australia), so I took literally the only free four days I had off in the last 6 months and booked a flight to NYC. Sometimes, you just gotta take a chance. Now, this sweetheart also let me stay with her, which was freaking incredible, because she, like me, gets inspired at the drop of a hat so we found ourselves shooting throughout the day and even one evening at midnight (as you will see in another chapter later on!). So, the day I flew in, I had a hiccup with my luggage at the airport, but we ended up shooting anyway! Previously, I had found this adorable vintage cotton bra and panty set from the early 80s so I threw it in my bag last minute AND THANK THE GOOD LORD! It fit her like a damn glove. We paired that with her amazingly tiny pink bathroom and set to work on our first editorial! Now, as a she is a professional model, I doubted my skills for a second...especially when I pulled out JUST my camera and she said "You don't have any lights?" and look inquisitively at me. I choked down my fear and replied "Nope, I like shooting with ambient light." but in my brain was like "oh my fuck." But really, what was I going to do? I work best under pressure and have way more fun creating, so somehow we managed to throw together literally one of my favorite editorials EVER because it is lifestyle, but also bad ass. Oh, Stefania is also a big proponent in saying no to Photoshop! So, while her images have been color corrected and color toned, there is no skin retouching on this fierce babe! So, now that you have the low-down on how we met, I am going to let you get to enjoying this delightful session we did! I introduce to you Ms. Stefania - Chapter 1:
Girls Gone Floral Pt II: Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
Last year, I did a creative shoot called Girls Gone Floral featuring the beautiful Chloe Giesbrecht & Jade Michael and if you follow me, you know my taste in imagery ranges from pastel pretties to dark and ominous and everything in between. Well, I wanted to recreate a similar shoot this year featuring 2 babes that I love dearly: Micah Anne Park & Brooke Van Ryssel (owner of My Body Fitness & Nutrition) Paired with the beautiful makeup and hair by Nicole Velasquez, some vintage floral sheets, and a darker, moodier vibe I created Girls Gone Floral Pt II. This one came out much darker than the first time I created it and I think part of that is just kind of where part of my mind has been this year....with extreme highs and lows and perhaps I was editing and shooting this during one of my low times and therefore, it took on more of an ominous tone. When I go through my images there are some where I tried to "force" the softer, more romantic look from the previous year's shoot, but it just looked out of place, so I stopped fighting with what my heart wanted and gave in to creating a darker series. In either case, creatives and art are designed to be therapeutic, so whatever it was that I had to get out, I did and for that I am thankful. Micah's lingerie set is from Adoreme.com and Brooke's is from Forever 21!
She Found Toxicity Addicting {Guest Post} ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Apparently it’s shocking when a “feminized” woman likes other women, I’m not allowed to have long hair or !? I was already well-aware my body was changing and was working very hard with my doctors trying to pinpoint my overly-fast metabolism and low-energy levels. I was put on a regiment of high calorie intake every 2 hours just so I wouldn’t faint! (Forget working out, I had zero energy!) With troubles in my relationships, everything just seemed to fall apart after I left the toxic work place. Isn’t it interesting how toxicity can be addictive? Because I sure felt my purpose in life dwindled completely after so much was taken away from me, and out of my control.I spent weeks lurking under my covers wondering if I’d ever feel confident again, as everyone looked at me as if I way laying on my death bed - I began to do the same. It’s hard to regain one’s self worth when your whole life you hear from one important figure,“WHAT IS THIS?”, grabbing my hips, “YOUR BODY HANGS OUT OF YOUR PANTS!”To that same person quoting,“OH MY GOODNESS, YOUR FACE LOOKS LIKE A SKELETON!” I couldn’t take the pain every time I looked in the mirror anymore, I feel as if though my aesthetics were the only way people offered help. I turned to social media to post sad things in hopes for guidance, and luckily for me; Teri got ahold of me.Like I said before, I was nervous as all hell to see these photos as it’s been over a year since I modeled, I have never been this thin in my life nor have I never not been able to recognize myself.I was nervous I wasn’t going to like what I saw, I was nervous for the feeling of disappointment my heart would carry if I stared into my own reflection and heard voices in the back of my mind ask if I was “OK”. BUT then I got the Dropbox. With sweaty palms and about two hours of convincing myself “fuck everyone else” over and over, I dove into the album. And ladies;It Was Glorious. That’s probably the first time I’ve taken pictures at this stage in my life (yes even selfies) and didn’t feel absolutely horrified to look at them! I even got a laugh out of a certain shot, because I’m so focused on my diameters I never even noticed the small beauty mark resting slightly above my knuckle on my middle finger. It’s like my SKIN is even saying “fuck everyone else”!As a model it’s my job to work with the team to create their masterpiece, and you can lose yourself (or your aesthetic) in those moments but I find it rewarding to make the vision a reality.Sometimes it’s crazy seeing yourself and being unrecognizable to your own reflection; but you end up learning new things to appreciate about your ever changing body, and it’s great to have this shoot and Teri to continue to burn that into our brains.I hope others are just as willing to see me as “Attieh who’s a wee bit thin right now” and not “Attieh is running to the bathroom to void the lunch she just ate”.If you haven’t already, link up with Teri. Even a few hours of her time can reopen your eyes.If you are interested in telling your story through powerful imagery and an empowering experience, send me an email!
You know how when your expecting a phone call with some “news” but you’re really unsure whether it’ll be “good” or “bad”?Well that’s exactly the kind of anxiety my stomach pitted into waiting for these photos...A quick tidbit - Teri and I have worked together for years and she’s ALWAYS made me beyond comfortable and ecstatic for the outcome. Being a part of her team gave me opportunities that I’d definitely shy away from without her previous support. I even began loving my birthday-suit over anything else I own, thanks to the #BoudyBabes!Anywhoo, back to before...For over a year I’ve been struggling towards the path of a healthy mentality. My previous job wore me down to feeling absolutely worthless, I began putting my boss’ needs above my own: all while being belittled for my efforts, ridiculed for having a mental illness, and mocked at my “lack of weight gain” (just to name a few).Even clients were starting to get super invasive and ask me things along the lines of “Oh my, you’re nothing! What does your doctor have to say??”(Guess what? My employer would just shrug it off.)So, young Attieh who’s already going through major changes in her life, (I finally came out to my family and the world in October!) is starting to feel the pressures of “looking healthy”.
