Ms. N’s boudoir session in the Washington DC studio reminded me a lot of this quote from C. JoyBell C. I came across:
“There are two things we should always be 1. raw and 2. ready. When you are raw, you are always ready and when you are ready you usually realize that you are raw. Waiting for perfection is not an answer, one cannot say "I will be ready when I am perfect" because then you will never be ready, rather one must say "I am raw and I am ready just like this right now, how and who I am.”
Women often tell they aren’t sexy enough, pretty enough, skinny enough or any of the “enoughs.” And I get it, I catch myself saying these things. What will it take to finally realize that you are enough? That’s it, you’re enough for anything.
Now, I can get super preachy when it comes to a topic like perfection, but I will hold out and save that for another blog post!
Until then, I want you see what Ms. N’s session was like straight from her:
I've always felt like I wasn't "enough" to be sexy. I felt parts of me weren't big enough to be sexy, other parts weren't small enough to be sexy. I felt like I never grew out of the "girl" stage, and even had trouble thinking of myself as a "woman." I thought everyone saw me in one specific way, and I wanted to show there was another side to me, even if I was the only one to know that side existed. I finally realized that I am enough, just the way I am. It's not about the clothing measurements that make you feminine or sexy. I became interested in boudoir a couple of years ago and decided to do it as a 25th birthday gift to myself. It was time to feel like a grown ass woman!
Once I decided I wanted to do a session, I looked into a lot of photographers in NoVA. After looking at Julie's portfolio and reading client reviews, as well as her website in general, I knew she was the photographer I wanted to schedule my shoot with. Other photographer's pictures looked very posed, unnatural, and heavily photoshopped. Julie's photos look as if she captured moments in your very own home. I loved how she explained everything on her website, and I was sold after reading reviews that said how helpful she was walking you through the entire process. Everything from the initial email and consult, outfit choices and posing, to picking up your album is perfectly orchestrated by Julie.
My biggest fear was that my pictures would look posed and awkward. After all, posing in front of a camera can be daunting to begin with, let alone posing in your undies! I was worried that I would let my insecurities take over my session, and that those insecurities would be reflected in my pictures. Julie was amazing because she walks you through every pose along the way (and cheers you on as you do it!) After just a few minutes I was totally at ease, and following Julie's lead. I wasn't worried about if the poses were "flattering" or showing off my "good side," I just trusted Julie's expertise!
One of my favorite parts of my session took me by surprise: the posing! I was worried about looking silly in my pictures, but Julie cheered me along after every picture. I loved when in between shots when I would naturally shift/readjust how I was standing or sitting, Julie would catch it, and say, "wait! I love how you did that! Do it again!" and snap a picture.
My other favorite part was when I first got to the studio and showed Julie what I had brought to wear. I brought a couple of options I liked and some accessories, but I wasn't sure how to pair them. I loved seeing Julie's vision blend with what i had brought when she paired my outfits with stuff she had in the closet of her studio.
Do it for you. If you spend all of your time worrying about this spot or that thing you don't see as "perfect," you'll never see how truly amazing you really are. Don't wait until you've lost x pounds, don't do it for your man's birthday. Do it now. For you. You're stunning exactly how you are. You are enough. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do this for YOU. It doesn't mean you're vain, it means you finally realize you're worth it.
