I received an email from Miss J that started with the following:
Her harmony came not throughthe complete absence of chaos,but in the realisationthat she was resilient enoughto come back stronger than anythingthat she would endure.~ Becca Lee
Miss J has frequented my blog on a few occasions, but I think this session was the one that took her to new depths of her soul. We always have fun shooting together, but when she came in for her consult this time, I told her that I wanted her to realize that she is more than just a comedian or a "funny gal". I wanted her to realize how sexy, strong, feminine and amazing she is and the humor just adds to the amazing cocktail that is Miss J. Here's Miss J's take on her boudoir session:
This was not my first photo session with Teri: we met at the style-off competition last winter, then she took some hilarious and fun headshots for me, and finally she was there capturing the precious moments of my haircut for cancer.
Strangely enough, I hadn’t yet booked myself a true boudoir session. I jumped on one of the fabulous monthly promos, and the excitement began. When I met with Teri she made an effort to push me into a real, raw boudoir shoot. She saw that I am more comfortable playing a role than being myself, and I am so grateful she could see that in me, because I realized afterwards how satisfying it was to see ME in every photo. Boudoir has a way like nothing else to look at ourselves and celebrate our bodies, our beauty, our sensuality, our womanness.
I noticed a lot of people comment on my photos saying they could NEVER do a boudoir shoot. I stand in front of these amazing, beautiful, breathtaking women with my mouth agape as they pinch at fat and carefully deconstruct their faces until I’m not entirely sure whose face they are talking about anymore. Do they think I have not done the same to myself? Of course I have. A million times over. But I just got tired of it. I got tired of always finding something wrong in my reflection, and it started transferring into every interaction in my life. I became an expert at misery. I spent my life thinking my nose entered the room before I did, until I let my guard down and listened when people told me that my eyes often shone the brightest in a room, how my laughter was contagious, how my story inspired them.
This boudoir session allowed me to be vulnerable AND empowered. Our lives, our bodies, are so precious, and we spend so much precious effort on loathing our “flaws.” The cold hard fact that I have learned in the last few years is that you can’t take “beauty” with you, “beauty” is fleeting and worthless without a big heart, passion, ambition, and love for your life and your world.
Strip down, in whatever sense of the word that suits you best, let the world see the cracks in the facade, and don’t be afraid to shine as bright as you can.
Jessica quickly became, like many boudy babes do, a good friend of mine and it is so exciting for me to watch her come into her own. Also, she always brings me baked goods which doesn't hurt! You can check one of Miss J's talent for writing here: 50 First Swipes and if you want to follow her life in comedy, I would assume you can hit her up on Facebook! Once you have done all of those things and are ridiculously inspired by this babe, I would assume you would want to book your own life changing session, so head on over to the Contact page and send me a note!
I have no words for this session with Miss S. She is a fighter, a bad ass babe, a super sexy woman....but she never saw it and barely believed it. The first time I met Miss S I knew she had some concerns and hesitations about doing a boudoir session...so much so that we had TWO consultations and her session was a year in the making. I won't say anymore, however, but rather, give way to Miss S's powerful story. She is taking over the blog for today and you are not going to want to miss this! (Also, how fucking amazing are her outfits?? LOVED the colors!)
"My body has changed so much over the years, I gained 100 lbs and I had no control over it. I have a brain tumor which caused me to gain weight and gave me physical side effects in which I have no control over. I have had 2 brain surgeries and while my disease is still a contributing factor to my daily life I knew in order to be happy in my everyday life I had to except and start loving the body I am in as it may never change. About a year ago, I saw some of Teri’s pictures and specifically Nikita’s. I was mesmerized by how a plus size woman’s beauty was so flawless she is absolutely stunning. Thus began my relationship with Teri.
I initially had a consultation in 2015…where Teri explained to me the process, and began the transformation of how I saw myself. Something so simple as I said I want to feel beautiful for a day and she said HUN you are beautiful every day. I mentioned I hated my stomach and she called me on it and had me looking at it with an accepting attitude. Then I had another consultation and we discussed what I would wear and what she would have me doing and I was SOOOO nervous I thought I would puke. We made my appointment, and from that moment until the day it arrived I almost cancelled, and sent a half dozen emails with questions.
The day of my appointment I was nauseous , she let me relax on the couch and Nicole showed up and music was going and we just talked about music and our weekend plans Nicole and Teri just made me feel comfortable. I wasn’t a stranger ..Nicole’s makeup was AMAZING (I kept it on for 2 days). She did my hair which was simple and the way I do it and I was like "why does it feel so different?" Then it began. 
I was so unsure about my smile and my posture and Teri told me I was stunning and gorgeous just kept going ….By the 2nd outfit I said to Teri "Wow! This is so liberating …." It was like I didn’t feel like I was this overweight mom of 3 kids, I was a beautiful mom of 3 kids…by the end of our shoot I was changing in front of Teri I wasn’t hiding in the corner of the studio and I was smiling and laughing a lot …and not just while she was taking the pictures. I was on a high for the rest of the day, I felt completely comfortable with who I was, and the increased amount of selfie’s where proof. Lol.
Then came time for the reveal and I was sitting at Teri’s computer and I was looking, not at the computer, but at Teri with tears in my eyes…I was scared, so very scared that everything I felt was going to come crashing down the moment I saw myself...the very shell of me on screen with no protection, and she said "look at those pictures and when you do look at them as you would someone else like your mom or your sister or a friend, NOT yourself" …and I did. 
I fell in love with myself. I have never felt so beautiful in all my life. I looked at the photos and it was my clothes and my body …It was just me and Teri and her camera and I was beautiful. I have been smiling and on a cloud for 2 days since my reveal and I even showed my mother.
Every woman regardless of age, shape or size should do this. Have the opportunity to fall in love with themselves. Teri has given me pictures and but much more than that. SHE gave me the opportunity to appreciate and love the body that I have been given. I may have things I cannot control on the inside but I sure as hell can Love the outside. Thank you Teri ..you have really changed my life xoxoxo "
I am going to assume that you have noticed the changes on my website, since you are here reading this blog, but what you don't know is why the heck did I change my site...again?? If you have been following me for awhile you will know I am no stranger to rebranding and the more I follow this amazing path to empowerment for women, I feel growth and change happen, therefore I feel that my site and branding must reflect this. So, I am here to answer some fun questions about the current site because I want to look back in a few years and laugh at why I thought this was a good idea (#alwayschanging).
First up, is the Classy vs. Sassy galleries that I have put up to display my work. Why 2 galleries? Because they are 2 very distinct styles and I feel that when people come in for a session they usually have a particular reason for it. If it is a first session and to explore a woman's sexuality, confidence, and to see herself as the fine art Goddess she is, then I would highly recommend the Classy Sessions. These are what I would consider to be me "typical" boudoir session. Minimalist in the lingerie department, darker, moodier, and more emotional, and perfect for someone wanting to get vulnerable and reconnect with their femininity. On the other hand, we have our Sassy Sessions and these are designed with fun, fearlessness, and play in mind. The Sassy Sessions are the complete opposite of the Classy Sessions in that they are standardly over the top with styling, creating characters, and playing with epic sets and styles. These sessions push the boundaries with evocative, sexy, playful and fierce posing and energy and you will be asked to do some crazy shit and make some fun faces. The Sassy Sessions are the ones that would be similar to an editorial shot for a magazine. So, you can see why I wouldn't interwine the two in one session. They are complete opposites and achieve completely different results and it is very difficult to change moods, sets, etc. What if you want both? Awesome, if you have shot with me before, you already know what to expect so I would recommend either/or, but if this is your first time with me (unless you have a particular theme in mind) I highly recommend starting with a Classy Session and then pushing yourself further for a Sassy Session later on down the line.
Next up, let's talk about the homepage, the one with all the prints and my lovely, sparkly shirt. Why? Well, I wanted something represent the way my brain feels when I am in the "creative zone" and it looks very much like that front page, slightly chaotic, sparkly, but ALWAYS positive. I also have to address why I have curse words on the very first page, my very first introduction into the world. Well, for me, it is important to let prospective clients know exactly who I am. I swear passionately, but like a sailor. I love to use the work Fuck (as in Fucking Awesome) and I love to throw bad ass around in there too. The last thing I want is for someone to have a different opinion of me, come down to the studio and see that I am not a representation of who I claim to be online. I am not in the business to catfish anyone....it wastes their time, and it wastes mine. You best know that if you are working with me, it won't be fun....it will be FUCKING fun (because sometimes only a curse word can exaggerate enough to get your point across.). *side note: it literally took me 2 days to sort out the prints the proper way to take a photograph for the background.*
Up until this month, I have been doing 
The third thing I want to address is the number of babes that you will come across on my website. I wanted to create a clean website, but I wanted to put the focus on the inspirational babes who come in for their sessions and give me permission to photograph & share their stories! I have always said that I am the drop in the ocean and it is these women and their stories and help to inspire other women, so I figured who better the represent what I do at Teri Hofford Photography, than the women who have lived it, loved it, and are here to tell their story! The website layout is similar to how I would lay out an album, with white space to put the attention on the women in the images. As a body positivity activist, I have made it my mission to show every woman that every body is beautiful, sexy, and fearless, so as you peruse the website you will see women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and so on. So, take a poke around and see if you recognize anyone!!
Lastly, I couldn't finish up without adding a touch of glitter...it just wouldn't be me if there wasn't a bit of sparkle! So, I updated ye olde logo & watermark to reflect my currently sparkly (yet classic) addiction! I always say if you leave my studio and have no glitter on you when you get home, I clearly didn't do my job. The fonts I chose as well are representative of my brand and myself as a person. I found that a lot of scripts out there are very pretty, flirty, and swirly and just weren't....edgy or raw enough for me, until I found this script. It's still nice, but has a bit of a roughness to it that I enjoy and in fact this is the same font that I used for my Empower tattoo on my wrist!! As for the font used for Teri Hofford portion of it, that is my standard "magazine" style font because I want you all to feel like bad ass supermodels. Lastly, you can see my script goes out of the boxes. Why? you may ask. Well, if you know me, I am always thinking outside the box, but more importantly, I love to push the envelope and I REALLY love to push people outside their comfort zone, so this was indicitive of that mission.
So, yep, that's pretty much it (for now!) Take a look around and if you notice any problems, shoot me an email and I will get it fixed asap! OR, even better, now that you know EXACTLY what you are in for (a kick ass time of fun, empowerment, and incredibly hot photos of yourself!!!) then let's 
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!"
It is no doubt that Miss Nikita is a force to be reckoned with and when I combined her personality with my attraction to a fun style of shooting inspired by Ellen Von Unwerth, we create magic. Fierce magic. Throw some animal prints at this blue eyed babe who gave me some of the best faces I could ask for and you get this killer shoot! Sometimes (all the time) it's fun to play, to make mistakes, and to enjoy the pursuit of something new.
