Reasons you may not be ready for a beauty session yet
Are you ready for a beauty session yet? This blog is going to be a dose of tough love, my friend. It’s something that’s been on my mind for a while now, and I’m starting to see it more and more. So let’s get straight down to it.
For a lot of women, the idea of doing a boudoir or beauty session is really exciting (and often a little nerve-wracking), because it’s so out of the ordinary for most of us.
You see other women’s photos and you’re in awe of how strong, beautiful, and powerful they look, and you think to yourself how fun it would be to have photos like that of yourself!
And you’re right—having photos of yourself as a lifetime reminder of when you took a bold and brave step outside your comfort zone is an awesome gift to give yourself.
BUT…are you ready for a beauty session yet?
It’s not often you hear a business owner openly telling potential clients that they possibly shouldn’t work with them.The thing is, I’m not a mechanic working on your car, or a plumber fixing your sink.
I’m a professional photographer who captures women in what’s often a very vulnerable state. A beauty session isn’t just about getting your hair and makeup done and wearing sexy outfits (or nothing at all). That’s simply what you see on the outside of a much deeper experience.
If you’ve never done a session before, you’ll just have to trust me when I say that, for most women, there’s a lot of internal stuff that goes on before, during, and after a shoot. I’ve seen it over and over with my clients, and I’ve even experienced it myself when I had a session of my own a couple years ago.
It’s not uncommon at all to feel a little self-conscious about different parts of our bodies. Just about every woman I shoot, no matter their body shape or size, has an area they’re not fully satisfied with. And that’s totally okay—this is where expert posing and wearing outfits that flatter your body come into play.
But, some of us carry heavy emotional baggage from a lifetime of negative body image or shaming. Sometimes the weight of it feels so overwhelming and leads to serious self-image issues.
That was my story for most of my life, and even today I still struggle at times with being at peace with my body. But, I’ve come to accept it through all the seasons of life and learned to appreciate what it’s done for me, and I’ve found contentment in that.
The truth is, if you don’t love yourself, you’re not going to love your photos.
Doing a session is a fantastic way to give yourself the little push you need to be reminded of your beauty. But, if you have a broken view of yourself, the photos won’t fix it. Only you can do that.
It’s totally okay if it’s just not the right time for you to do a session. It’s okay not to be ready yet.
I PROMISE that you’ll be so much happier with your photos and your overall experience if you take the time you need to work on loving yourself, both inside and out.
So, what about editing? (This gets asked a lot).
As a professional, I DO make sure that every photo has a finished and polished look, so I do skin smoothing during editing.
But, I’m not going to edit out what you look like or who you are. Leave that to magazines and Instagram accounts that show completely false images of women’s bodies. I’m not about that, and I never will be.
I’d rather turn away business than craft new bodies for my clients with Photoshop.
How do you know when you’re ready?
Really, only you can decide that for yourself.
Take an honest look at how you feel about yourself and your body. I’m definitely not saying you have to be 100% happy with it, but you need to be content with where you are, appreciating and being at peace with whatever season of life you’re in.
It’s also SO important to have realistic expectations.
Like I mentioned before, I absolutely do not use photo editing as a way to change my clients’ appearance. If you have wrinkles, I’m not going to erase them and make you look like a different person. If you have a small bust, I’m not going to give you Pamela Anderson cleavage.
You are who you are, and you look the way you look…your photos are supposed to be a celebration of that! If you’re not in a place right now where you’re ready to do that, please know that that’s okay, and you have my full blessing to wait. I’ll still be here when it’s your time.
ARE YOU READY? FILL OUT THE FORM TO GET STARTED.
