I am the type of person that still listens to CDs (now, some of you may be asking what is...CD? It's a round disc, smaller than a recor- never mind....) and when I go on roadtrips, I will stop by whatever Wal Mart is in the area, scour the increasingly diminishing racks of CDs and purchase 1 from an artist that I know of, and 1 solely based on the cover art. It's kind of a fun game to see if the feelings evoked by the cover match the music. Anywho, that got me thinking about album covers and photography. Musicians will usually have art that matches their music and their music is a documentation of where they are in their lives/career/etc. therefore the cover art is just a representation of how they felt, existed, were during that moment in their legacy. Here's a collage of T-Swift album covers to give you an example:They are all of her, at different stages of her life, when different things were important to her - we see her go from big floofy princess dresses, to more of a polished vintage look, to dark and gritty, to pastel and glittery. Every album represents a collection of stories/experiences in her life and while you may think that one album is better than another for whatever reason, what you can't do, is deny that it was HERS. Regardless of what other people thought, Taylor decided that this music (and these images) were representative of the NOW (at that time) and worthy of showing the world. It's not good or bad, it's just a memory to live on.If we can start to look at photos of ourselves in the same way: each photo just being a documentation of who you were/what you were going through/how you were existing/what was important to you etc. and recognizing it as a marker on path to you evolving as a human, INSTEAD of hating what you see, I think you will enjoy our photographic experience more. If we could see our life experiences as just that - experiences - that hold no moral value of good or bad, perhaps we would shed some of the shame we feel around certain parts of our life story. Now, of course there are people out there who do things and hold no remorse, but if you have shame, chances are you have remorse about something you have or have not done in your life.But let's get back to this idea that IF you focused on the now. If you didn't wait until you lost 50 lbs before having a photo taken and IF you didn't wait until you have a significant other and IF you didn't wait until your tan lines disappear and you had your album cover photographed today - What would it look like? How would you want to be portrayed at this point in your life? Don't think about who you've been in the past or how you will be viewed in the future - who are you RIGHT NOW? What would you wear? nothing, a latex jumpsuit, a fur coat with bedazzled panties, a turtleneck and high waisted jeans, a vintage gown? What location would you be in? Would it just be you and a white wall? Against a wall of neon lights? Lying down in a bed of flowers? Perhaps coming out of a river? Lying on a bed of satin sheets? What would your makeup look like?How would your hair be styled? How would it be lit? What colors would be important to you?THIS is how I want you to prepare for your session with me (if traditional boudoir is not what you are looking for). The beauty of EMPOWERMENT PHOTOGRAPHY is that it can be anything and everything we want it to be as long as the end result is YOU, feeling empowered. You feeling like you've just released an album that represents a part of your life that will help you leave a legacy of who you were. This means going beyond JUST looking sexy and hot (though we can do that too!), it can be about showing your feminine side (regardless of your gender), it can be channeling your sadness and grief into emotive, raw images that translate the pain, or it can be celebrating your feminist rage at the patriarchy! Like, how awesome would it be to find images of your relatively conservative grandmother protesting the war and living out of a van in the 60s? All of a sudden, she becomes a much more rounded human. How cool will it be for future generations to see photos of you and know exactly what you were feeling/doing/living your life as? It just gets me so excited!The thing is, you ARE going to change. You ARE going to grow, adapt, move, shift, change shape and size, go through hardships, go through celebrations, experience loss, experience love, experience every little thing that makes up the human condition - EVERY stage of it has beauty, EVERY stage of it is worthy of being photographed, because YOU, my dear, are worthy of being photographed. So, I will ask you: What will your album cover look like?
Stephanie {Pittsburgh Travel Diaries} ~ International Boudoir Photographer
Every now and then you meet the people that are just....your people, you know? Well, little did I know when I went to a Boudoir Retreat in San Fransisco that I would meet 2 of my kindred spirits. I have already introduced you to Paige, so today I will be sharing the other bad ass babe with you, but I want to start with our initial in person meeting because it's super cute. So, I had arrived to Denise Birdsong's Modern Love studio for my photoshoot the same day that Stephanie and Paige were also having their sessions done, so I had quickly met Paige while she was in makeup and Stephanie was just wrapping up her session when she walked past me in the waiting area. All I heard was "Omigodiloveyourposingguidehiiiiiiiiii" and with a little hand wave she disappeared. We joke that her fangirling over me was one of the funniest moments we shared together and I know I will definitely never forget it. Throughout the weekend, however, Stephanie, Paige and I just bonded with each other. We had similar sense of humour, we vibed with each others' energy, and we managed to get our poor male model to wear nothing but a hand towel (#handtowelheroes). We were so sad when the weekend came to an end and as soon as we got home we started making plans for our next meet up and before you know it, August was here and we all met at Stephanie's house for a few days. We had such an incredible time hanging out, drinking wine, photographing models and then photographing each other (oh! and they took me to Target, yay!) We laughed until our tums hurt, we cried about our life experiences and we helped build each other up. This is what I love about #communityovercompetition in photography. When you find your people, hang onto them and hold them tight because entrepreneurship is lonely as fuck and you will need some trustworthy peeps in your corner when you need to have a bit of a breakdown. So, for Stephanie's shoot we decided to channel more of a retro vibe and styling, thanks to Dessa Marie Artistry, and while we started in her studio, I wasn't about to leave her gorgeous character home without shooting in it, so we pulled together a few amazing looks for there as well. So, without further adieu, here is Miss Stephanie in all her beauty, glory, and magnificance. I love her sooooo much.
"I had the privilege of meeting Teri at a workshop and was instantly attracted to her fizzy fuzzy bubbly personality. I’ve followed her work and each and every time, I have found myself impressed if not in total awe. Her work is incredibly sexy and raw. She was so much fun to be with that I could see her models not even spending a moment in their heads. By the close of the workshop we had made plans to collaborate further.
It is quite the faux pas as a boudoir photographer to have not put yourself in your clients shoes. Just like my own clients, my fears and my insecurities about my body run deep. My session with Teri wasn’t about fear or insecurity. It felt an awful lot like Teri herself, fizzy fuzzy and bubbly.When I hold the finished product in my hand,I literally can’t even :)I look at these photos and I can hardly believe it is me!
I was there, I remember getting all dolled up, I remember posing but what I don’t remember is any concern about my body. Not a fear about how I looked or most importantly, as a photographer; not a worry about the actual photograph. There wasn’t any time to worry about my body because I was already having too much fun. Teri’s energy and direction easily overrode my insecurities.
Now I get to look at images of myself and see sexy and raw. It isn’t just something reserved for someone else. That feeling, that experience and the pride is now mine as well. And I can’t stop staring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dayum, Teri.
Over 40 And Feeling Fine ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Another of our babely 40+ women came in as part of the casting call and KILLED her session. This babe had non-stop energy, was super flirty, and had some of the best wardrobe pieces (including an epic Hot Sauce bodysuit from Forever 21)! This saucy little minx came out to play and man, did we have a ton of fun doing her boudoir session. She definitely left feeling more empowered & hungry for more! Here is Miss L. slaying her session.
Her Body Was A Means To An End {Las Vegas Diaries} ~ International Boudoir Photographer
One of the best parts of my profession is meeting other boudoir photographers and connecting with them. Miss S of I Am Boudoir came to our Confident Curves workshop in Las Vegas and also did a mini session with me! After her session, she filled me in on why doing a session and why boudoir was so important to her and I knew it was a story that I had to share...
My body was a means to an end. 
Growing up I experienced several instances of sexual assault, both as a child and as a teen. I had grown men fondle me and attempt to assault me. My high school years were ruined when a classmate tried to rape me, yet he was never disciplined. Those instances turned me into an object. As such, I have never really trusted anyone with my body. I always felt like my body was the means to the end. Men just wanted my body to get what THEY wanted in the end. 
I grew to hate my body. The more I gained weight, the safer I felt. No one wants the “fat” girl right? I would go to a car lot to look at cars and no one would approach me. No one held doors for me, no one said hello or acknowledged me walking down the street. I was invisible and society told me I was undesirable at my size. 
I met my husband at 19 years old. He loved me for me and tolerated all my craziness. When we would fight and argue he would fight dirty. Even in the dirtiest of fights and the nastiest of words, he never once mentioned my weight or called me fat. I respected that. It made me feel like he loved me the way I was. We were together for twenty years. In 2011 I had weight loss surgery. I was never comfortable with my body and wanted to make a change. We were having issues in our marriage and sex wasn’t ever on the menu, so hey, if he’s more attracted to me, bonus! I lost approximately 80 pounds and was feeling AMAZING physically! I was thinner than I was in high school and yet, I was more self-conscious than ever. Suddenly I wasn’t invisible anymore and I was getting attention, which made me uncomfortable. I started nit-picking every single pudge here, or crease there. 
It was at this time I discovered by husband of twenty years was cheating on me. And not just cheating on me, but cheating on me with PROSTITUTES. I was embarrassed and disgusted. Was I that gross to make him pay for sex instead of pursuing me? Were that pudge and that crease the reason? I was devastated and turned to my best friend for support, food! Eight months later, I packed up my things while he was at work and I left. I had also gained about 40 pounds back at that point. I realize now that I slowly packed on pounds again as a protection mechanism to keep myself from getting hurt again. 
So where am I today? Today I have gained all 80 pounds back and weigh exactly the same as I did the day I had surgery. I am in a different space now. Yes, I still mindlessly snack, but I don’t feel like I medicate with food anymore. I also embrace my body the way it is. I no longer have this innate desire to chase thinness. I don’t care about my cellulite, or my rolls. My body is mine. It wakes me up every day, it hugs and squeezes my kids, and its my means to MY own end.
Having my own boudoir photos done was a way for me to embrace my body again. It was a way to MAKE me see myself as a sexual being. It was a way for me to feel proud of who I am today and how much I have grown emotionally. My body is not perfect, it never will be, but its MINE and I’m so proud I can look at it today and embrace it just the way it is – all 216 pounds of it.
Kintsukuroi ~ Winnipeg Empowerment Photography
For the month of November, I did an Empowerment Project featuring babes and the stories that are imprinted upon their skin in the form of scars, stretch marks, and so on. I came up with this concept after coming across a meme about the Japanese art of repair, using gold to fuse the broken pieces together, thus making it more beautiful.
I invited these babes into the studio and while I painted over their skin, they told me their stories about what brought them in and that is what you will see below. You can also check out our other Empowerment Projects here!
