I first met Miss M when I moved into my studio and held a body positive "support group" and I was immediately captured by her stunning eyes, but more importantly her willingness to share her story and I could feel some sadness behind her. After that meeting we kept in touch via the social media and I saw this babe accomplish some killer shit....she's amazing at organizing events where people could be themselves without fear. She makes people feel included and gives them space to not only exist, but to be seen and live their best lives. In addition to that, she just recently ran a marathon in Vegas I believe and I totally tip my hat to anyone who can run without being chased. In any case, I asked her to write her story for the blog because I feel she is amazingly motivational and sassy af:I was 28, and had always thought about doing a sassy Boudoir shoot. I wanted to do it for myself, to See myself in a light that I hadn't before. And I had the Idea to plan one for my 30th birthday as a gift to myself. I googled "Boudoir photography Winnipeg" and upon looking at a few different photographer's sites and portfolios, Found Teri. I sent her an email to book a consult, and so begins my journey to finding myself. To finding myself in front of her lens, to finding myself sitting anxiously for my reveal, to finding myself looking at myself in not only the light I'd hoped, but in one I didn't expect.During the 2 years leading up to my shoot, I joined Teri's Facebook group, and found SO many great women to connect with that empower each other and lean on each other. I worked with Teri on a couple of her projects and started to enjoy being in front of her camera, preparing myself for my official shoot. Her "Too much" project helped me see some of the bullshit we're fed in being told to be 'less' of what we are, to fit someone else's ideals. And Her open letter to Additionelle was an eyeopener as well in showing body diversity in lingerie and clothing. I did a mini body positivity workshop, and it showed me how Media affects body image and diet culture in subtle and sinister ways, and where my own body issues started.I took advantage of Teri's payment plan to pay for my session, and made monthly payments for a collection. By the time My shoot date rolled around, I just had to show up, and that was it. It was truly an amazing way to make my shoot worry free (less the anxiety of actually getting in front of the camera!)The morning of my shoot, I made my way to Teri's Studio. Let me tell you, I was real close to turning around, cancelling the entire thing, and going home to hide under my covers. But I am SO glad that I didn't, as this turned into one of the best experiences of my life, and one of the biggest turning points in how I look at myself. Hair and makeup with Nicole was super relaxing and pampering and made me feel like a million bucks before starting my shoot. After a few relaxation exercises and loosening up a bit, we picked outfits and were off to the races! I felt sassy, and sexy, and like a completely different person. I was definitely sore after from all of the booty popping, and back arching, but I was SO excited to see how my images looked.A week or so later was my reveal. Sitting there Waiting for my images to appear, I was probably more nervous than I was for the shoot itself, because I always looked at images of myself and picked them apart. One of the rules in reveals is to look at images as if they are of someone else. This was easier than I expected and as I saw my images scroll through on the screen, I was completely in awe at myself. I saw beauty in myself, I saw my cheekbones, and my lips, and the different colours in my eyes. I saw the sassiness I felt on my shoot day, and I fell in love with what myself more with every image.Now here I sit, a year after my reveal, and I am Still in Love with my images. I am able to see positives in every image I see of myself, as opposed to negatives. I see the image as a whole, and the overall beauty in that moment in time. Was that one shoot a magic fix? No. I Have bad body image days like everyone else does, and I have days where I pick an image apart and see "flaws". But those days are fewer and farther between, and I cannot WAIT to do another shoot with Teri.If you are considering a shoot with Teri, and are unsure, Take the leap, You won't regret it. This has had a profound and lasting effect on me, and I truly am a different person and have different perceptions since doing my shoot.Is 2019 the year that you want to see yourself in a new light? Perhaps show that body of yours some love and realize it's not as bad as you think it is? Then hit us up with an email and get the low down on the empowerment sessions we offer!
Bringing Back the 80s {Portland Diaries Pt 1: Ella Unsual} ~ International Boudoir Photographer
So, my Portland trip seems like it was forever ago, but it was only in January! I went down to Portland with my bestie to explore and to meet up with some other photographers and models and create some magic! When Beth Olsen, you will see her a few times later on, from Alchemy Portraits suggested renting the "Deco Dreams" house on Airbnb I didn't even hesitate! It was like the 70s and 80s threw up all over in there. So I knew I had to find the perfect outfits for this aesthetic. I mean...if you are gonna go over the top, GO OVER THE TOP, mmmiright? So Miss Ella Unusual, Kristin, and Lauren came to model for us in this epic Airbnb. Prepare yourself for the colors, the vibrancy, the patterns, and the urge to examine EVERYTHING in the photos! If you get a chance to go to Portland, I highly recommend staying at this airbnb....plus the owner is super chill and he has a cute little doggo. First up, is miss Ella in all her glory!
: Gab
Empowering Emerald {curvy inspiration session} ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
EEEEE!!! I am beyond stoked for everything that is coming down the pipe for 2017! One of the coolest things, is that myself and my cohort Lindsay Rae of Lindsay Rae Photography in New York are co-hosting a variety of workshops specializing in photographing women with curves and creating curves for those babes who are more athletically built! A side effect of our awesome niche, is that we also both utilize the same premium album company to provide our clients with gorgeous, long lasting products for our clients to preserve their gorgeous images and therefore, we have created our own album line coming out next year called Confident Curves. To get one of the samples made, I threw together a kick ass shoot with the gorgeous Miss C (who has been featured a few times on the site!) to celebrate our Empowering Emerald cover - a gorgeous "crocodile" looking leather cover in emerald.
This is only ONE of a multitude of gorgeous covers that will be coming in the new year with a variety of confidence-inspiring names! But anyhow, let's get to the goods! Check out this epic inspiration session shoot with Miss C, inspired by the dark hues of the winter season: burgundy, eggplant, and emerald. A lot of the outfits you will see come from Adore Me!! PS. You will also see Miss C as the cover girl of our 2017 Welcome Packages!!
