Well, shit....It's December. When the heck did that happen??? It feels like we were just finishing up our New Years Eve shoot that finished off 2015...phew! The holiday season is interesting because as much as it is filled with "joy", diet culture has also told us to be full of "guilt" over what we eat & drink and that is no way to live a body positive lifestyle, let me tell you!! This whole "I hate myself because I ate a piece of pie" bullshit that starts in Thanksgiving and pretty much carries over until you purchase a too expensive gym membership that you will use quite a bit for two weeks, but then fall back into old habits, is getting pretty old if you ask me. Now, I am not bashing those who want to maintain a balance with their body, but it shouldn't be such a love/hate/guilt/shame relationship that many of us have....it should be a "I ate and drank quite a bit last night. My body deserves better because I don't want to get sick this holiday season, so I will take it easy until the next party comes along." This sounds like a healthier conversation than the one where we are crying about our weight into sticky toffee pudding. Maybe it's just me.....but if it's not, I wanted to throw together a body positive advent calendar to kind of keep those negative conversations at bay and help you truly have a joyful holiday season and give thanks for the kick ass body you do have, whatever point in your journey you are at!
I urge you to do some of, if not all of these things to keep you in a positive mindset when it comes to our body relationships. Like everything else around the holidays, traditions are incredibly common, but one tradition I hope to change is the one where we shame ourselves into feeling like a bag of shit because we ate 3 Turtles! I hope you laugh, cry, hug, kiss, and appreciate the time you have this holiday season and my team and I wish you the very best! I am off to a sunny destination for the first week of December, but I will be back after that and I hope to see many of you bad ass babes feeling strong, beautiful, and empowered! Happy December!
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!
Taylor {Ottawa Diaries} ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
I first met Taylor when I went to a workshop hosted by the epic duo of The Last Forty Percent and I had the pleasure of photographing her among the other attendees. While I had some gorgeous photos of her then, I was really looking forward to photographing her in her Ottawa apartment while I was there! Little did I know, how talented this babe was. Not only does she model, bend all the ways, but she is also an extremely talented videographer & photographer at Taylor Oakes Productions. We added a little saucy edge to her styling with basic attire and some GORGEOUS harnesses and cuffs from Uncuffed. Without further adieu, feast your eyes on this little beauty.
Cherry {inspiration session} ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
This session was shot back in May (I think....?) when Jill and I rented a room at the Capri Motel on Pembina. From the outside it had all the aesthetic I needed and I was a little sad to find out they had renovated the rooms to look relatively nice. I was hoping for the red, pleather couch and wood paneling that is featured on the internet under their name, but alas, they have done a good job on making it look nice for actual clientele. Therefore, I had to make it look a little trashier. I brought my gold satin sheets, my ring light with a red gel to mimic neon lights, a bottle of Jack Daniels, and a stack of vintage Playboys....you know, keepin' it classy. Oh yah. And a jar of maraschino cherries. I got Kelly from the Sapphire Hair Lounge and Nicole from Envy Beauty to throw in their creative awesomeness and we styled this sassy vintage-inspired, retro motel shoot!
Sassy {inspiration session} ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
{I have featured Chloe before on my blog in regards to her eating disorder so before anyone comments about thinness and starts to skinny shame, I am going to nip it in the bud. You don't know her journey, therefore you have no idea how hard she works to maintain a balance in her life. Doing photoshoots helps her build up her confidence and empowers her to see herself differently (which is exactly why I do what I do!!) so keep it to yourself. We are here to build up ALL women and promote a body inclusive environment. Also...there will be lots of nipples...so if you don't like that, byeeeee. }
I have had this vision in my head for awhile, so I got my stellar team together: Kelly Marie Woodford of Sapphire Hair Lounge, Nicole Velasquez of Envy Beauty & Makeup Services, and Miss Chloe whom you've seen before! Since getting my new studio I wanted to shoot something vintage, romantic, and free flowing, but once we had the hair & makeup done, I had so many other things I wanted to do as well! So I challenged Chloe (who previously has only modeled traditional boudoir styles with me) to get a little crazy, a little free and REALLY model and she KILLLLLLLLED IT. I used our time together to test out new techniques and really have fun with the styling and session all together. Again, this is how I treat myself...by creating without boundaries.
For booking in January, you will have the opportunity to get a free large, processed filmstrip like the images below!! Yay! So the above images were just an inspiration that happened the day of the shoot, but here's what the actual shoot entailed: 
