My Boudoir Session Experience
Sometimes you have to walk the walk...and I did! Back in April, I flew to DC to do my own boudoir session with the lovely Julie Socher. She. Is. Amazing. Warm, kind and just has the kind of energy that is contagious. I know most of my clients show up a bit nervous, but I wasn't nervous at all-I felt 100% excitement.
It was such an interesting experience to be in front of the lens again. I'd done boudoir in the past, but it had been over 10 years ago and when I did it, and back then, I did it as a gift for my ex-husband. This time, it was purely a gift for me. I knew I'd love the shoot, but there were aspects of the experience that definitely surprised me.
One of my favorite parts was prepping for the shoot. I went to my favorite lingerie shop, Anna Bella (DEFINITELY check them out if you are scheduled to shoot with me!) and picked out my favorite lingerie. Pam is such a gem and everyone who works there is like the best hype girl! I think I was there for hours trying on various outfits and strutting out to get feedback for the ladies. It was like grown-up dress-up!
The shoot itself was magic. Julie was the perfect photographer for me and I loved getting into the poses that I put women in week after week. Granted, I definitely forgot how painful some of them could be-especially in 4 inch heels! It was a good reminder of the physical strain I put my clients through, lol!
Getting to see the images was definitely the cherry on top. After a divorce, I feel like you go through a reintroduction to who you are. You don't return to the woman you were before you met your ex because you are a sum of the experiences you had together. But you also have to rediscover who you want to be because you no longer have to compromise with another person to build your life. Which leaves you at this beautiful crossroad of acknowledging where you came from and dreaming of where you want to go.
Getting to see myself in these images reminds me how confident, brave and amazing I am. And not just because the images are beautiful (though I definitely think they are!) But because the woman in the photo represents all of the mountains I had to climb and monsters I had to slay to forge the heart that beats in her chest today. The pictures remind me that on the days where I feel weak, that woman is not only in me, she IS me.