It's not uncommon for me to receive a number of emails leading up to a client's shoot, but Miss J and I corresponded quite frequently. Her, voicing her concerns about how she saw herself, how others saw her, how seeing herself this way would make her feel, should she wait until she lost weight, etc. etc and me, calming her nerves and advised her that her fears shouldn't be strong enough to stop her from doing something epic for herself.
The day of the shoot came and Miss J. soothed her nerves with some Baileys in coffee (hey, it's the holidays!) while my makeup artist Nicole did her hair and makeup. It was during this time, that Miss J and I realized just how much we were alike and loved being within each other's energy fields!
So, Miss J's fears were mostly twofold. First, she advised me, almost everyone knew her as smiley, loud, and happy...but she knows herself deeper than that and within that smiling shell, she houses a woman of strength, sexuality, and deep emotion. THIS was the Miss J she wanted me to capture. So, she took a chance on my Black Friday special (hence all the black and white images) and we made absolute magic in the studio that day. She entertained the parts of her that she had kept hidden from others and she gave me the go ahead to share that side of her with you. She let herself be vulnerable and within that space, we explored beauty in sadness, captured raw sexuality, and reintroduced this mother and wife to all aspects of her being.
There is nothing saying that you can't be all the things. Happy and smiling, while sexually charged and full of emotion. All of these adjectives only describe parts of a person, not their whole being and that is what I love about the challenge of my profession. I get to see ALL the parts of my boudy babes: physically & soulfully and while it's hard for someone women to confront those areas of themselves, it's almost a sense of relief when they realize there is no judgement and there is nothing wrong with being strong and powerful, but raw and emotional at the same time.
I wanted to start the year off with Miss J because I believe that she fully represents the women I see. She had every fear possible before coming to see me, yet she fought through the fear because she knew she needed to explore a side of her that doesn't get out as often as she might like. During her shoot she fully trusted me to do what I do best and let herself be guided by my direction. And after her shoot, when she finally saw the images, she fell in love with herself and all the parts she originally told me she was fearful of exposing. And, ladies and gents, THAT is why I do what I do.
"As a woman, I am many things. A mother, wife, friend, artist, business woman, daughter,...the list goes on. Endlessly. Also...I am extremely sexual. That usually raises a few eyebrows...and quite frankly...I love to raise eyebrows. But what an amazing thing! To be alive and embrace your sexuality without shame or fear of judgement. Teri was not only able to capture my dark, raw sensuality in a beautiful way...but the entire time I felt as though she was cheering me on, encouraging me to love my body with all its lumps and bumps, and channel my sexual ferocity and embrace that power I have as a woman! Own that shit!!! I look forward to shoots with her for decades to come!"~Miss J.~