Miss A & I had the pleasure of meeting at a workshop in San Francisco last year, so I was really excited when she wanted to shoot with me! Shooting other photographers is a great compliment, but also a ton of fun. I told her that I would be in Portland so if it wasn't too much trouble she should come there (she runs the amazing nine23 photography studio in Indiana) and we could play in the AirBNB that I stayed at. So, she bopped on over to Portland with her man-friend and came in to my cute little space to have her session. Things I knew from the workshop: Miss A is a bundle of energy and loves to laugh. Things I learned from her session: she is able to work her eyes like nobody's business and her fierceness and take no shit attitude is extremely evident and refreshing.
The last time I saw Miss A, her hair was down to her shoulders and like most women, she changed her hair when she had a change in her life and now she rocks this kick ass pixie cut! I think she looks like a modern day Tinkerbell, but with a little more ferocity.
But with that ferocity, Miss A also has a gentle, kind, and compassionate soul that will do whatever it takes to take care of her family and those closest to her. She does what is right: for her, for her family, and for her life.
I think it's important for photographer's to "get shot" so they know what their clients will feel like, and I hope that Miss A will have this experience to look back on and show her clients that regardless of what is going on in your life, you sometimes need to put yourself first, because dammit, you are worth it! Anywho, I hope to see Miss A again in the future and I am sure we will meet up at workshops or conferences going forward!
Become a Beau-Tee ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Get excited, babes! February's promo sessions involve wearing nothing but a cute pair of panties and your favorite sexy, tight fitting tees/tanks! I am a huge fan of lounging around in minimal clothing and comfy shirts and if you have checked out any images of me, usually I am wearing shirts that have sayings or images that are highly representative of me! I wanted to offer a promo session that gives you a chance to get your hair and makeup done, but still stay relaxed, sexy, and chill in your favorite tees.
Also, it's winter and we have been wearing a thousand different layers for the past few months. Strip down, bring in a wardrobe you already own, and let's get this no pants party started!
If you need help finding a t-shirt that is representative of you, I am more than happy to scour the internet and shops to help you find a shirt in time for your session, but places I recommend would be Etsy, Forever 21 (they have lots in stock right now for both straight and plus size!), Urban Planet, and Urban Outfitters. Now, to keep your tees super sexy, I may recommend cutting them to showcase a bit of underboob, so make sure it's one that is okay! Something I recommend for the smaller babes, is to also check out shirts made for 10-12 year old boys, because they are a bit bigger than girl sizes, but sometimes you can get some pretty sweet graphics and sayings that you wouldn't find on adult tees.
Finally, if you are a sports fan or want some images for one, this is a good opportunity to incorporate a favorite team. I don't shoot jerseys and all that jazz in my regular sessions anymore, so this is a good opportunity to score a few shots for yourself or your lover.
Now that all of these beauties have proven why wearing a cut off tee is sexy AF, you may want to book your promo session. So here's what you need to know (oh! and there are only 5 spaces available!!) :
And Then She Saw Her Worth ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Miss A. was another of my brilliant Regina boudy babes and my last shoot of 2015! We had an incredible time together and Miss A was full of energy, excitement and brought ALL the lingerie to her session! She had a surprising amount of confidence for someone who was doing a boudoir session for the first time and I found out later, that she followed the ol' adage of "fake it 'til ya make it"! Regardless, she jumped into her session full force and I was not aware of the huge difference this session made for Miss A's confidence in herself. For someone as young as she is, she is very much an old soul who eloquently shared her feelings about her session with me.
"In all my wildest dreams i could never see myself doing something as crazy and unexpected as a boudoir shoot. I came across your images on Facebook, and could not believe how beautiful all the different shapes and colours of girls you were able to capture. I was mesmerized. When i dug deeper into your Facebook wall, i noticed you were coming to Regina soon and my excitement grew, i knew instantly that you were the one for me (kind of like seeing that pair of shoes in the store window, and knowing you just had to have them).. after further discussing with my partner (who of course was ALL FOR IT), i took the plunge and put my deposit down. Instantly after doing so i had this incredibly nervous feeling. I had just signed up to stand butt naked in front of a stranger (WHO AM I, and WHAT had i done with Alii.... was all i could think).. as time passed, i followed your FB and kept seeing all the gloriously pictures. I kept thinking to myself that there was no way mine could turn out as good as those ones.
The morning of the shoot, I went and got my hair and make up done (by Amanda Gibson, Pure Beauty Regina) and instantly felt pretty (she did an amazing job).... however, i only got more nervous as i knew it was show time soon. When i arrived, Terri... instantly made me feel comfortable. I knew right away I had made the right choice in asking you to be apart of something that would change my outlook on myself... forever.
I dove into the shoot as if I wasn't nervous.. I changed in front of Teri, noting I would soon be posing naked (minus we'll get the naked out of the way early on)... and the shoot came natural. Teri helped me with my horrible "open mouth" poses... and my not so arched back... in the end I was empowered and felt so comfortable!!
As I left, I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I knew their was no way my images would turn out like the ones I seen on her FB. I patiently waited for the pictures... UNTIL... I seen them. My goodness, I was not looking at myself when I first glanced through the pictures. Some, I instantly fell in love with, and till today I still love them.
Getting to show my significant other pictures that I called myself beautiful in was a whole new experience for me. Together, him and I picked 60 favourite pictures, eventually narrowing them down to 40 (which was extremely difficult.. which is so unlikely for me... I'm lucky if I usually like half of a picture of myself).... SOOO, after this, I have nothing left to say but thank you. Teri was able to make me see myself as no other had, I hold my head high, and feel more confident in my daily activities. I no long want to be like the girls I see on tv, rather, I am so extremely content with the beautiful I have created all on my own."
Women comparing themselves to others on social media, TV, or anywhere is a huge waste of energy when we could spend that time loving and embracing the uniqueness that makes each of use individually beautiful. Acknowledging another woman's beauty does not take away from your own and I think this is an important thing people need to understand. We need to stop trying to achieve J Lo's ass, Kendell Jenner's lips, and other body parts that A) are not meant to be ours or we would have them and B) are probably fake. Dr. Seuss said it best when he said:“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
And Miss A, I am extremely proud that you have come to realize the beauty and strength that comes from owning and appreciating your youest you!
She Is Strong ~ Regina boudoir photography
Miss N and I go waaaaaay back to when I used to live in Regina, but we connected on a deeper level because she had relatives from my hometown! What are the chances? Anyhow, I have done photos for her on numerous occasions, but ever since I have known her I have been immensely impressed by her strength and resilience. She is not one to back down easily (which might be why loves husky dogs...she can relate to them), she is always strengthening herself, whether it be physically, mentally, or creatively.
When we first met, I think her "thing" at the time was triathalons, which took so much dedication and more recently she has lost herself in dance. Not only does she professionally dance herself, but she also teaches clients in Regina. More than that, though, she has found yet another outlet for her soul.
Miss N is one of those girls, that if you looked at her you would say she has the "perfect body", "gorgeous hair", etc. but she has endured so much more than just her kick ass looks and her strength comes from a place deeper than her tightly toned muscles.
The past year hasn't been the best too Miss N, but it really hasn't slowed her down. In fact, she has used it to fuel her passions and her dreams and is moving on and moving forward.
The type of stuff that has plagued Miss N's life is the type of shit that happens to a lot of people and while I don't need to share the details of her personal life, I can tell you that it doesn't matter WHAT the scenario is, but if it drags you down, makes you feel like shit, and puts you in a dark place, it is not a place that you should dwell. It's never easy to get out of what we know for fear of what other people will think, it's comfortable, it has become the new "normal", whatever, but you need to take a chapter from Miss N's book and move into the light. Shitty job? Start planning your escape! Horrible relationship that is not doing either of you any good? Get the f* out! (ps. it's not love if either of you are suffering internally) No money? What are you doing to change? You get what I am saying.
Move on, and don't look back.
And Then She Became Unstoppable ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Miss V. was one of my Christmas boudy babes, who came to me wanting to do a shoot for herself, but also as a gift for her husby. She was referred to me by my epic hairstylist, Miss Kelly O, so I knew she was awesome to begin with, but after chatting with Miss V. I realized that this woman also had big dreams, hopes, and aspirations. Doing a Boudy Babe shoot was just one of the many things on her bucket list.
However, Miss V. had her doubts (like most women) about whether or not she could do this. I mean, really do this. She sent me a few emails going back and forth about her concerns and having cold feet, but I messaged back reassuring her that it was completely normal. This went on a few days up until her session, and then it was like she had been doing this her whole life! Miss V. lit up the camera and her inner sex-kitten came roaring out!
This bombshell was absolutely amazing during her session, but it wasn't until AFTER her session that I realized just how much it had meant to her. I received, in total, 3 emails telling me how much her life had been changed from her session and each message brought me to tears. She carried her confidence with her for days after her shoot and when she came to pick out her images, she was once again revitalized after seeing herself!
The amazing thing about Miss V, however, is that I think she used the confidence gained from facing her fear of doing something like this to start planning an epic, dream filled life for herself. After leaving the studio, I sent her on her way with some inspirational reading material to get her thinking about striving for an amazing life and what that would mean to her.
Here's what she had to say about her session:"Teri’s photography services were recommended to me by a friend. I checked out Teri’s social media sitesand loved what I was seeing. It had been a year of transition for me and I vowed to take more risks andpush myself out of my comfort zone. I had recently created a “bucket list” of sorts and getting boudoirphotos done was on that list. One day I noticed on my social media feed that Teri was offering a sessiondeal and just in time for the holidays. My gut said “let’s do this”. So I contacted Teri and we set up a dateand time to meet.From the minute I met Teri I knew I had made the right decision. Teri greeted me with a warm smile andenthusiasm that was infectious. Teri is so down to earth and genuine. She is so easy to be with that I feltcomfortable immediately. We discussed ideas and details for my session and then booked the date.I should mention that Teri is very prompt to respond to any of your questions or concerns and I reallyappreciated that. I left our first meeting completely excited about our session. The ideas and creativitywas flowing. What should I wear? What are flattering poses? What props could I use to personalize myshoot? Teri emailed me right away confirming my booking along with great information and suggestionsfor our upcoming sessions (the information answered almost all of my questions). A few days later thatterrible feeling “doubt” kicked in and I started to get cold feet. I sent Teri an email to let her know as Iwas quite surprised by how nervous I felt. Teri was completely reassuring. She let me know I was in goodhands and this was going to be an amazing, even life changing experience and you know what?.....I trulybelieved her.
On the weekend before my shoot I was just full of excitement and had completely got over my nerves.Teri’s Boudoir photography is so much more than beautiful photos, it’s an experience. I arrived in themorning for my session and was greeted again by Teri’s warm smile and this time she had cookies too.We chatted and listened to music as my hair and make-up was done. I felt completely relaxed andready!It’s amazing to watch Teri getting ready to be creative too. She set up the studio and already had a planof the furniture and props she was going to use. Teri was excellent at providing direction and praiseduring the shoot. She made me feel completely empowered and beautiful! I left the shoot feeling oncloud nine!!!A week later I returned to view my photos. Teri once again greeted me warmly and walked me throughthe process. It was pretty emotional to see myself through her lens. I could hardly believe that some ofthe images were actually me. Teri has a gift! An ability to empower and capture the beauty andfierceness within. Teri and I spent a long time sharing life experiences before we said goodbye. She evenlent me a couple of inspirational books from her library. In closing, Teri said something during thisprocess that resonated with me. The photos are going to be a gift for your partner but the true gift andexperience is for you. I highly recommend woman to treat themselves to this amazing experience andultimate transformation.Thank you Teri for making this such a wonderful experience!"
I find that a lot of women are like Miss V. So many dreams, hopes, and aspirations bubble up inside us and standardly, moms, wives and mothers have to keep a lid on those things because they are used to giving so much of themselves (not saying that this is a bad thing...just something that happens a lot). I am not saying you need to quit your job tomorrow and run away to Mexico, but I am asking the question "What are you doing every day to get you closer to the life you want?"