As 2016 comes to a close, I am looking back at all of the babes that I had the pleasure of photographing, learning from, and empowering. While I haven't been able to share all of their stories due to privacy, I can guarantee you that ALL of them are inspirational, bad ass babes ready to rock 2017! For today's post, I am featuring Miss N, who came out to help me with our promo shoot last summer. Her story and message is extremely inspiring as 2016 was her year to "find herself" and this session was part of that adventure. Miss N describes her experience as "fun and exhilarating. I left the studio on a high. The week I had to wait to see my pictures was painfully long, but in the end so worth the wait. I was blown away. It was a great experience and I get to keep the memories forever."Take a look at her photos below and be sure to check out her interview during our video at the bottom of the post!!
She Finally Saw Herself ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
For years my sister and I have been told we "look so much alike" yet we couldn't be any different if we tried. She is a curvy, petite babe and I am a rectangular, tall babe, she is feisty (we called her Taz when she was little) and stubborn and I give no fucks and am a bit more relaxed. The one thing we do have in common, though, is how much we need each other in our lives. The quote "You keep me wild, I'll keep you safe" is one that resonates for me when it comes to our relationship. I have always been the free-spirited hippie and though she is chronologically younger than me, she acts older, making me eat fruit instead of cookies and all that. Like any sibling relationship, it hasn't always been rosy. There are times when our Barbies would be hurled across the room at each other, she got creative with my Macauly Culkin poster, and I passive aggressively made her do my bidding. I wouldn't change it for the world. As the years have gone by and we both "matured" into the adults we are today, there were times when we definitely didn't understand each other. One of those times includes our views on our bodies. From a young age I was bullied and had to find out who I was and become confident in myself as a PERSON and not just as a BODY, but my sister was popular, had lots of friends and was more stereo-typically pretty...but this led to her own dissatisfaction with her body, comparing herself to other girls, and just not recognizing how awesome or beautiful she truly was. Fast forward to today, where she has birthed 3 children (which are fucking adorable btw) and realized she had to become a different role model. She started to see her body for what it helped her accomplish and that was when she FINALLY let me do a boudoir session for her. Her shoot was awesome for me because I finally got to direct her and take control, whereas normally she conducts the family gatherings, but more importantly, I saw her confidence come out during her session. When asked to describe her session, she chose the following: Powerful, Exhilarating, Out of my comfort zone . Take a look below at her story and images (and yes, yes, we DO look alike...she just got all the bootay in the family.)
I was extremely nervous going into my shoot. I'm a mom of three and have always been self conscious of my body. In the past I've used eating disorders to help combat what I thought was "fat & ugly" (let me interject and say that fat does not = ugly, fyi). After having kids my body was never the same but I knew that I had my kids watching me so eating disorders wasn't something I wanted them to see. Instead I've been trying to accept that my body is beautiful and it has provided me with three healthy babies and I've earned these new curves with hardwork. However, it hasn't been an easy road accepting it. This experience was more than just pictures. It made me realize that just because I'm a curvacious "mom", I'm sexy, I'm beautiful. I'm confident. I saw myself in a light that I have not seen for many years. I feel more beautiful and happy with myself in these photos then I did the day I walked down the aisle 30 lbs lighter. I have given life, I have started a company, I have fun with friends, I live life and that is what I'm finally seeing in myself. This experience helped me see all this and more.
With her remarks about being happier now than 30lbs lighter when she got married, I know what she is talking about because I was there for it all. I remember how stressed she was about her body prior to her wedding and while she looked beautiful, she now has sun shine beaming out of her face and it doesn't come from being a certain size or achieving an unrealistic ideal, it comes from living a life that one could only dream of: She has created a ridiculously successful bakery, a gorgeous, down to earth family and is laughing and loving herself a lot more....I couldn't be more proud of my sister...(I'M NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING).Are you ready to change your life? To appreciate for what it is right now? Then hit me up with an email and let's chat about your dream session!
She Can't Wait To Do It Again ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
By the time Miss S and I got together, I had already photographed a handful of her closest friends, so while she knew what she was getting into, I don't think she kneeeew. This babe (who can look like a variety of celebrities: Taylor Swift, Olivia Munn, Aubrey Plaza, etc.) was trying to come to terms with her new body (which she will talk about below) and I assured her this was the perfect way to start that journey. I am 100% certain the reason we hate our bodies is because while we think we do have control over them, we actually don't. You can put on as much face cream as you want, dye your hair, eat healthy, and so on, but your body is an entity in it's own and it's going to throw you curve balls from time to time. If there's one thing people hate, it's change....and change that they didn't ask for, which is why it is easy for us to fixate on "fixing" or "repairing" our body when in fact, it's going to age, change, and grow. Our body is a living organism, constantly changing and we fight it at every turn...but why? IF we are aging, that means we are living, and if you ask me, that's a pretty good thing. Anywho, here is Miss S to share her story and experience:
This was such a fun experience to have and I highly recommend it to everyone! Teri is amazing at making you feel completely comfortable and like a gorgeous babe while your photos are taken.
Ever since I had my daughter I've been very self conscious of my new body(endless stretch marks) and this was a great step for me in accepting that my body has changed but is still beautiful . I was really nervous before my reveal because I thought that I would hate to see all of my imperfections laid out for me to pick apart in every photo, but that wasn't the case!
I had a huge smile on my face looking at all of the pictures and I couldn't believe these were my photos! I've gained confidence and enjoyed this entire experience from start to finish and I can't wait to do it again! My favorite outfit was definitely the sweater and socks! I couldn't decide which ones to pick and it was impossible for me to narrow them down.
I am so happy that we were able to help Miss S see the beauty in her accomplishments. Why we think stretch marks are the worst thing on the world is beyond me (stay tuned for an upcoming project about this). Stretch marks are quite literally a signal of GROWTH. I mean, she grew a human life...that's incredible (motherhood baffles me btw...the human body is ridiculous). So embrace the bits of you that are symbols of your hard work, challenges, experiences throughout this journey we call life.
Her Life Was Never the Same ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
You may recognize this babely babe from a previous shoot (as well as our sample album in the studio!). We invited Miss S back into the studio to help with our latest video because she is a perfect example of how a photoshoot can change your life and affect the way you see yourself in the world (that, and she is a stunner, so that's fun!) One thing Miss S taught myself (as well as the other boudy babes) is that you can use swimsuit bottoms as panties for your shoot!! They are usually higher waisted, can come in some awesome colors and patterns, and bit better than panties for curvy babes. What did I teach Miss S? Well, she might say things like how to take a selfie, or to love yourself, but really, I also taught her about the awesome clothing selection at Boohoo.com for us plus size chikkas (sorry for your bank account, Miss S.)
But seriously, while I may have inspired Miss S in regards to body positivity, ultimately it is her decision to choose love for herself every day. She speaks openly in our video about her affirmation cards and her journey to continually falling in love with herself. Here's what she has to say about her experience through boudoir:Teri is your own personal affirmation card, she builds you up , she shows you how to see yourself as others see you NOT how you see yourself through judgment .
In the entire process of your shoot from consultation to reveal she teaches you how to love yourself believe in your self and gives you the confidence to see and believe your beauty in whichever shape or size it comes in . Teri is a beautiful soul and everyone needs to have a Teri experience your life will never be the same , you will never see yourself the same way again.
You can check out Miss S' story and video below:
She Was Floored ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
When I put out a call for some babes to tell me why they needed an empowerment experience, I had NO idea the stories that I would receive. After much deliberation (I sound like Tyra from America's Next Top Model), Jill & I narrowed it down to 3 incredibly inspirational, well written stories. Miss J was one of those bad ass babes, who wrote out her vulnerability for us and when she came in for her consultation, I knew this was exactly what she needed.
She brought some gorgeous lingerie and we paired it with some fun stuff from the studio and while all of that was gorgeous, what was even more shining, was the way Miss J spoke, held herself, and talked about her "love story" with herself. Read on to see how this experience affected miss J.
I would describe it as a landmark moment in my adult life (no exaggeration). The fact that [Teri] does this for women every single day makes her SO MUCH MORE THAN OPRAH! She doesn't give a gift that can be used up. Even a car will only last so long, but this is something that women will look in the mirror (and their albums) and be changed by for the rest of their lives.
While I very much enjoyed getting my hair and makeup professionally done (and despite the fact that taking my everyday makeup off somehow made me feel MORE vulnerable than being naked, lol), it was 100% Teri (as well as Jill, especially at the reveal) who MADE this experience. Even though I know they do this every day, they came across as SO FUCKING GENUINE. Every compliment, every encouragement, and even every laugh, was 100% pure, and never felt repetitious or rehearsed. Looking back on it, that really floored me. These incredible women made me feel more special (as corny as that word seems, it's truly the perfect one) in my time with them than I've ever felt, even on my wedding day. Teri Hofford Photography is a gift, and one I truly wish every woman could be given.
To see why we chose Miss J's story out of the pile of submissions, watch the video here: