Last month I had the pleasure of visiting the "Big Apple" to meet up with fellow boudy photog, Lindsay Rae Photography. She arranged for us to shoot at 2 hotels and brought her entourage with her, one of those babes being her epic makeup artist and stunner. Miss E and Lindsay had decided upon styling before coming to the city, but I was super excited to see what they had planned, especially since her outfit was exactly one that I had been wanting to stylize for a shoot in Winnipeg! High waisted panties over fishnets? Yes, plz. Anyhow, take a look at this gorgeous city shoot with Miss E! For a lot of women out their, they blame having children on their lack of sex appeal and I call bullshit on all of that. Miss E had a wee one a few months prior to this shoot and she had NO trouble at all bringing out the sass and sexiness. Stop using that as an excuse and accept the fact that you are hot, amazing, and in very many ways, super woman.
Ugh. I love NYC. If you live in an awesome location and would like me to visit, I am available for national and international travel and I usually offer travel-specific pricing! Nowhere is off limits, so shoot me a message as I am always up for an adventure!!
Too Much of This, Not Enough of That ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Trigger Warning: eating disorders, bulimia, etc.Miss C has the features and body that young women on Instagram and other social media platforms, quite literally, die for. But it doesn't come easy and it definitely comes with a price....and that price is her freedom. Miss C has given me permission to share the story of her eating disorder with you, in hopes that it will inspire OTHER young women to face these issues and take them seriously. I am doing my due diligence to learn more about eating disorders and why they happen, how we can combat them, etc. and the research I have found implies that more than 80% of documented cases of eating disorders are genetic, usually following closely to depression, anxiety, and OCD. What does this mean? It means eating disorders are usually the result of a cocktail of brain chemicals and environmental factors and every case is different enough for there to be no "one answer" to fixing the issue.
So, where does Miss C fit in to all of this, aside from just "having" an eating disorder? Well, she came to me in response to one of my casting calls and told me about her progress in her recovery program. I was hesitant to put up images of her on my social media (not just because it would get me banned from Facebook) but because I know the internet is a crappy place and people would say some extremely demeaning things about her petite body. So, before anyone comments on the fact that she "needs to eat a sandwich" or "put some meat on those bones" or implies that "men like women with curves, not bones" please note that you have NO FUCKING CLUE about someone's journey. For Miss C. she has made great strides from where she was a few short months ago and has not only started making gains to get to a healthier weight for her frame, but is also battling with the mental game that eating disorders provide EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
For me, it is extremely important that I represent women of ALL shapes and sizes and journeys because ALL women deserve to feel good about themselves at whatever point they are in their journey and I am very happy to have met Miss C because she can shed some light onto a different part of body image that I have no experience with and hopefully her own journey to self love will help change even one girl's life.
Now, my reason for sharing Miss C's story is not so that you will take pity on her or say "awwww, poor girl" but rather, so you will think twice before wanting to achieve a particular "body type" which is deemed perfect by stupid social media challenges and society and also, so you will think before commenting on a woman's body that she is "too much" of this or "not enough" of that. 
So, even though the casting call for Miss C's session was supposed to be an inspiration session, it ended up being more of an empowerment session. Boudoir sessions for Miss C are a good way for her to express herself and get in touch with her body at whatever stage in her journey she is at. Photos are a fab way to document her life changes and see the progress that she is making, because sometimes it may seem slower than she would like. In any case, Miss C is one hell of a young woman and she is extremely bright, beautiful, strong and full of spark and I will continue to walk beside her in her journey to understand her self. {Ps. scroll down to the bottom to watch our behind the scenes video from this shoot!}
Here is what Miss C'story and experience with boudoir:"During my session I felt on top of the world I felt like the sexiest women alive. Teri made me feel so comfortable with showing off my body that I worked hard for. My fear of seeing my photos was not even that my body was going to look bad, it was that I would have weird facial expressions and be unhappy but when I saw my photos I felt beautiful. I felt perfect I wanted to show them off to everyone. I've been bulimic for half a year and my confidence is at an all time low. There are days when I feel beautiful and confident in the skin I'm in but other days when I want to lay in bed all day and not look at myself. I needed a confidence boost and I knew that Teri always gave me the best ones. And I was right. She made me beautiful and confident just like she did the first time and whenever I'm feeling insecure I look back on those photos she took of me and just smile. Thank you for all your help, Teri!"
She Freed Herself from Negativity {Las Vegas Diaries} ~ International boudoir photographer
NSFW (of course)Maybe it's because I shoot quite often, but I sometimes take for granted the power that a session can have in changing a person's life. Miss A was one of the boudoir babes that allowed me to photograph her whilst in Vegas and as a killer photographer herself, I knew she was going to rock it. Between her strawberry pink hair, gorgeous tattoos, and sassy personality I knew she would deliver. It was after the fact, however, that I realized just how much our short session affected her. Miss A gave me full permission to share her testimonial with you because it is extremely inspirational:"Something in me totally changed. I hate to sound cliche like every other person who posts how seeing photos changed them, but they have. I literally don't think I have ever thought I looked sexy. Every time in my life that I've ever had sex all I could think is about how I must look bad in that position, or how he must be looking at my saggy boobs, the thought made it very hard for me to truly enjoy sex. I even thought it was nasty to actually orgasm. So I got home from Vegas, watched the video {that I had made of the Vegas trip} and then went to dinner. After coming back I had sex, and not just regular sex, but the best freaking sex of my life. For the first time in my life I was not worried about what was going on around me and I just enjoyed the moment. I enjoyed everything about the moment. This said...I am so happy that I was finally able to let me mind free from the negative thoughts and just enjoy the love of my life. XOXO thanks."
Wow. If that isn't powerful, I don't know what is!! Sex is one of those things that women are supposed to remain hush, hush about and not something to be talked about, but I say "fuck it, let's talk about sex." I AM GIVING YOU PERMISSION TO HAVE GREAT SEX! (If you want it) You should never settle for mediocre activity between the sheets, and whether its with a partner or yourself, you deserve to be in the moment and experience every touch and every sensation without negative thoughts getting in your way. Getting out of your head and turning those negative thoughts away before they can distract you from the act at hand is not something that will happen overnight, but it is something worth working towards and if you are in a relationship where you can communicate all these feels to your partner, it will be that much better.
Even though I don't believe a boudoir session is the only answer to amping up a sex life, I do believe it can play a big part in that. Not only because you will, of course, walk away with sexy, empowering, sexually charged photos of yourself, but also because of the confidence it takes to get naked in front of a stranger. ESPECIALLY, if you are usually a lights off kinda gal. I love putting my babes into provocative positions and shooting with a voyeuristic feel because I believe that it gives the women the feeling that she is in control of her sexual experience (which she is). Sensual photos of a woman...BY HERSELF....ENJOYING HERSELF....is extremely intimate, beautiful, and more often than not, a big turn on because it shows a confidence and independence that she doesn't NEED a partner to satisfy her, but rather she CHOOSES to have a partner (and that partner is f*ing lucky.)
Hands up if you have thought about your appearance whilst in the middle of an intimate moment with your partner. I am assuming there are a few of you nodding or actually putting your hand up, because it's silly to think that we wouldn't, especially when the average woman thinks about her appearance 252 times a week. And it's silly to think that those mental blocks hold us back from one of the biggest perks that come with being human. Get out of your head and in between the sheets. Liz from Eat Pray Love says it best when it comes to men and what THEY think about during sex:Liz: I’m in love. I’m having a relationship with my pizza. You look like you’re breaking up with your pizza. What’s the matter? Sofi: I can’t. Liz: What do you mean you can’t? This is Pizza Margherita in Napoli, it is imperative to eat and enjoy that pizza. Sofi: I want to, but I’ve gained like ten pounds. I mean, I’ve got this. . .right here in my tummy, you know this. . .what’s it called? What’s the word for it? Liz: A muffin top. I have one too. Sofi: I unbuttoned my jeans like five minutes ago just looking at this. Liz: Lemme ask you a question, in all the years you’ve ever undressed for a gentleman– Sofi: —it hasn’t been that many. Liz: Alright. Has he ever asked you to leave? Has he ever walked out, left? Sofi: No. Liz: Because he doesn’t care. He’s in a room with a naked girl. He’s won the lottery. I’m so tired of saying no and waking up in the morning and recalling every single thing I ate the day before. Counting every calorie I consumed so I know exactly how much self-loathing to take into the shower. I’m going for it. I have no interest in being obese; I’m just through with the guilt. So this is what I’m going to do, I’m going to finish this pizza and then we’re going to go watch the soccer game and tomorrow we’re going to go on a little date and buy ourselves some bigger jeans.
And as for Miss A? "My sex life is going to be amazing from here on out.....and I'll finally walk around with my head up." That's good to hear, Miss A, because every time you lower your head, your crown falls a bit lower. So raise up that chin, walk with the fierceness that being a sexually empowered woman entails, and own the Queen that you are!
When In Vegas {Las Vegas Diaries}~ International Boudoir Photography
I knew when I got to Vegas that I wanted to do some shoots that really pushed me creatively. Most of my traditional, classy boudoir sessions are very minimalist in nature and rarely do I ever use props, however, I have a sassy side and that means ALL the things come out to play and we go waaaaaay over the top! I had stumbled across this fringe bra/panty set at La Vie En Rose and knew it was perfect for a crazy ass shoot in Vegas. I contacted my boudy friend Amy and told her what I wanted her to do. She brought a kick ass military hat, pair with a pair of sexy gloves from my friend Lindsay, and my sparkly flogger and you have this sexually charged, fierce photoshoot. Not to mention I got to shoot in Amy's beautiful room at the Palms hotel....which I will look at staying in next year. It's amazing. Anywho, Amy brought it in her shoot, giving me the best faces a girl could ever ask for. The sassy shoots are about being over the top, exaggerating expressions and actions and being fucking sexy whilst doing so. I am now offering sassy sessions as part of my menu, so if you have a crazy ass idea you want to throw together let me know and we will create it! Without further adieu, check out Amy doing her thang in Vegas. Damn, she's a hottie!!
Storm Chaser {Las Vegas Diaries} ~ International Boudoir Photographer
The first day we trekked to the desert we were greeted with the beautiful sun and some incredible wind, the second time, however, we were met with gorgeous blue storm clouds at the dry lake bed, just outside of Las Vegas. A handful of us piled into the SUV I rented (which was a real treat to go and get, btw) and headed out to Boulder, Nevada and played until the sun went down. We had 2 beautiful babes fly in specifically for this occasion to shoot with myself and Jana Roller, so we were excited to get them into nature. In addition to those 2 glamazons, there were other photographers and models that came along to play as well! Over all, we had killer photo shoots and everyone had fun playing in the stormy weather. I cannot wait to go back next year....SO MANY IDEAS!!!
