Miss D traveled in for her shoot and though it started out as a gift for her fiancee, she quickly realized that it would also be a gift to herself. As per her request, I am only showing anonymous shots, but lemme tell you this babe is super saucy and we kept the good stuff for her now-husband. In any case, I am extremely thankful that Miss D let me share her images and it comes after me having a conversation with another boudy babe that there are not as many middle-aged women in my galleries. While I would love to represent every age group, ethnicity and size, it is not always up to me! I take my client's request for privacy extremely seriously, so I will not post their story if they don't want to share and I find my middle-aged and older clients tend to be more private. Miss D, however, wrote a stunning follow up and was very eager to share (after the wedding, of course!) So without further adieu, here is her take on her boudoir experience:
I am 51 years old and I have wanted to do a boudoir shoot for years but I could never work up the courage; I was too fat, too jiggly, too old, you know! I was going to wait until I lost the weight and toned up. I've had body issues my entire life - even when I was a size 7 so this was something I wanted to do for myself eventually.
When I came across Teri's blog and website I knew this was my time. I had my consultation and upon meeting Teri I instantly felt comfortable and at ease. I booked right then. I was nervous when I arrived but once again, Teri made me feel so at ease. As soon as my makeup and hair were complete she told me which outfit to wear and we got right to it!! Teri's direction is so easy to follow and she encourages every step of the way. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life!!
I had my reveal the next day and I was so nervous to see my photos, way more nervous than I was for the actual shoot. I didn't need to worry - the photos were incredible. I am giving my fiance an album of them for a wedding gift. I've already had my gift - an unforgettable, empowering experience that has stayed with me, making me feel strong and sexy every day since! Thanks Teri, your talent is remarkable! Ladies, book your session now. You will not regret it.I can't say much more than that. Miss D is right...this is an experience that you will never regret and I can tell you that until I am blue in the face, but until you actually do it you won't really know. If you want a peek into how fun it can be, I am doing a fun promo/fundraiser for the month of October! Essentially you get to choose one outfit from our Boudy N' Beauty Wardrobe, get a 20 minute shoot (hair & makeup NOT included), and 2 digital files!! Contact me with your email for more info!!
An Open Letter to Addition-Elle
Dear Addition-Elle,I think it's time we had a chat. You see, I have been frequenting your establishment for quite sometime now and while I have been eagerly spending your fashion dollars and partaking in your plus size fashion, something has been bugging me and I think it's time I got it off my ample bosom.
You see, Dearest AE, while I absolutely love the gorgeous Ashley Graham and all of the other beautiful models you portray in your advertising, I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. As Canada's largest (and possibly only!!) plus size establishment (aside from Penningtons, which you also own) you have the opportunity to do something epic, groundbreaking, and revolutionary. You have the opportunity to provide your clientele with the one thing we ache for the most.....images of women like us, wearing your clothes. Nothing against the babes you showcase as they may fall into the "plus size" category (according to your blog post: http://blog.additionelle.com/2014/07/09/plus-size/), but I bet if I had a look at your main demographic, it would NOT feature a size 14/16 woman. I would bet that your average clientele falls between a size 20 and 24 and does not have that flawless hourglass figure that you tout in your fashion editorials.
Now, don't take this personally, because I love that you provide options for us plussies, where there wasn't any previously, but I think we can make a big difference here. You see, I have taken the liberty to provide you with beautiful imagery showcasing YOUR customers wearing YOUR garments and looking absolutely sexy and fabulous...and more realistic to how your customers look when they put on your lingerie. Seeing as it's 2016, I think we can all agree that it's time to stop marketing focused on getting women to want to be someone else and instead provide them with marketing that speaks to who they already ARE and how great they would look wearing your clothes!!
Now, I know this might sound forward and maybe even a little brash, and you are probably thinking, what the heck does this one girl know about fashion and marketing and OUR business...well, I AM your business. You see, I am an avid customer (I have the receipts to prove it) and I am pretty sure if I feel this way, so do a lot of your other customers (at least that's what I gather from the comments on the social media sites, saying they want to see more "bellies" etc.) And I am sure I can hear your marketing director scoffing at this letter, saying things like "nobody would buy clothes if they were on "REAL" bodies", but just think how we feel when we try your pieces on our REAL bodies and realize that we look NOTHING like Ashley Graham when we put on lingerie?? It would be rather radical (and amazing!!) of you to provide us with a more accurate representation of OUR body types. And yes, I know Penningtons has been featuring the gorgeous Tess Munster, but can we get more of that action in the lingerie department of AE?
Seeing as you essentially have the monopoly on plus size fashion in Canada at the moment, I realize you don't OWE me anything, but I think you have a chance to do something amazing and I promise that you will see a spectacular return on your investments (which, at the end of the day, is the idea, right?)
Oh, and PS. if you could get ring lights on your mirrors in the fitting room, I GUARANTEE an increase in sales. Downward lighting from pot-lights is flattering on no one.
XOXO,Your Customer Who Is Built Less Like An Hour Glass and More Like a Brick
(All of these babes are wearing lingerie purchased at Addition-Elle....as you can see, we all look fab as hell)
Body Image Boot Camp ~ Winnipeg Empowerment Photographer
Ermagerd, you guys. Yesterday I was driving to work and had a major epiphany which evolved into me staying up until 2am buzzing with ideas about this!! I want to talk to you about Body Image Bootcamp!! My newest brainchild since our last Body Talk! Just like we attend fitness bootcamps and after hours educational classes, I feel there is a need to offer something incredible to help people improve their body image!! Therefore, Body Image Bootcamp became a thing. Click below to find out more!!
If you decided NOT to click on the link and want to follow along here, that's totally cool. Essentially, Body Image Bootcamp is a 6 week course designed to help you improve your relationship with your body in a group setting. You will be provided with a bag of awesome stuff upon the first night and every week after that you will be put to the test to get vulnerable, open up, share, and get out all your feelings. There are a variety of exercises (again, click the link above to get ALL the details) that I will put you through to help you come to terms with who you are as a human and provide you with guidance to achieving a healthier outlook on yourself. If you are excited about changing your view to change your life, then hit me up with an email and let's get you registered!!
These Years Are About Them, But This Day Was About Her ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Miss J traveled in for her Classy Session and we had a lot to chat about as she currently lives in the hometown where I grew up. This beautiful farm girl has a gaggle of her own and hasn't had a chance to acknowledge her womanhood in quite sometime, so she was excited to have the chance to feel pampered and have the spotlight on her for a bit. She brought some amazing heels covered in sequin which I couldn't pass up and I also found out that she does MMA! How cool is that? This little beauty is a perfect example of the quote "Though she be but little, she is fierce." Ps. check out how well our new rug photographs!!!!
Everything about my experience with Teri was amazing. I'm a stay at home mom to 3 and a farm wife. My kids leave the house all looking like superstars and I follow behind in sweats, a bun and no make up. That's always been okay for me because these years are about them. But being at Teri's, I got to be the attention. I was pampered and got to step out of my mommy shoes and just be a women again. I needed to remind myself that even though all my focus is on them it's okay if sometimes it's on me. And my husband will be very happy with the outcome!
I wholeheartedly agree. Her husband will be VERY pleased with these images, but more importantly Miss J was very pleased with her images and the overall experience. I think it's really easy for babes to forget they are women when they are focusing on just keeping their babies alive and healthy! So many of my clients are moms and wives, used to putting themselves last, but it is also important to take a few hours a week to remember who you are a woman and human. That may mean hiring a babysitter, locking yourself in the bathroom, putting on mascara while you are in the car parked outside your kids' school...SOMETHING. And when you have a few more hours, come see us and we will get you feeling all sexy, glammed up, feminine, and what not.
Unforgettably Life Altering ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
The first time I met Miss A was a few years ago when I was casting for a fashion photo shoot and it has been awhile since we last shot together. This time around, she contacted me because she wanted to do a boudoir session and she took advantage of my July 24-hour promo, giving herself a classy session. You see, Miss A worked as a model (you probably saw her in Warehouse One ads back in the day) so you would think doing "another photoshoot" wouldn't be special for her, but this was totally different. I have come to find that sometimes models are harder to work with because they are trained to be whatever the photographer, art director or agency wants and they have a hard time connecting with themselves. We even chatted about this prior to her shoot while she was getting her hair & make up done. I told her to leave her "modeling shit" behind and to get vulnerable with me today (I get bossy when I need to be.). Miss A brought it...she was sensual, feminine, sexy as hell, and natural. Her reveal was interesting to me. I was nervous. Would she see the photos, just like every other photoshoot? Or would she see herself as a woman?
Well, here is Miss A's recount of her boudoir experience with us:
As a model; I'm always working hard to appeal to what all the others want for their photo and outcome; but with Teri we were able to solely work on what I wanted. I'm so excited to have pictures that remind me how strong, fearless and beautiful I really am. She always makes me comfortable (maybe too comfortable -I didn't even wear bottoms most of the shoot hehe) and her direction is just as helpful to achieving a beautiful photo. I LOVED my wet TShirt outfit!
She went on to say that her experience was "unforgettably life altering" and I would have to agree. Many of the beauties that strip down emotionally and physically in front of my lens tend to change their lives in one way or another. Perhaps they realize who they were all along or they learn something new about themselves! In either case, I like to think that every client who does something amazing for themselves is rewarded with knowledge about their awesomeness!
