Have you ever done a boudoir shoot before? No, I had not done one before contacting you. I had always wanted to, but never had the confidence to do it.
Why did you do your boudoir shoot? There's that quote: "Do one thing a day that scares you". Well, this scared me. Not like bungee jumping or anything like that, but I was afraid I would do something like this and hate every picture. I don't see myself the way other people seem to, and it used to take a lot for me to see my own beauty. I booked the session on a whim because I figured if I didn't force myself to do it, I would never do it. Am I ever glad I did.
What was your favorite part of the session?
All of it. You are so empowering when you are with a client - positive words and encouragement, not to mention that you know your stuff. You know how to make a girl feel great about herself, and I so appreciate that!
What did doing this shoot do for your self confidence, self worth, and self image? Tell me your story.
The last few years especially, I have struggled with everything about myself. I have dropped into some pretty low points, all of which left me questioning my self worth, among other things. It always seemed to come with thoughts that I would never be good enough for someone else, or a fear of abandonment. I am lucky that I have always had a family and friends who support me in everything I do, but somehow there has always been something else that I've needed.
I show dogs, and in that world, there is constant judgement - but it is for the dog. I have spent years working to perfect my techniques of presentation to make a dog look good, and when I am in the ring with a dog, I feel good. Much as there is judging going on, I don't feel judged. We actually have a running joke at dog shows that "it is not a dog show without a picture of my butt", so I ran with it. I figured why let someone else make that into something when I could just own it - I have a nice butt. Always just happens that a person is bending to fix something or has their back to the camera when a nice picture of the dog is taken, so I used it as my own little confidence booster. Long story short, this year had been rough. No dog shows due to Covid, haven't been able to see my "dog show family" very much, and so confidence and self worth have been at a premium for me.
As much as I have other friends, they are not ones I talk to often, we have grown apart over the years. I've spent most of my year with only one very close friend, one who I enjoy spending my time with very much, but life has certainly changed. This year, all I've really done is work. I took vacation just before my shoot, hoping that the dog show I had booked wouldn't be cancelled, but it was, and that was the only lengthy time off that I've had. As a person who was used to getting out of town a few times a month due to shows, having them cancelled all year hit pretty hard. There suddenly seemed to be no reason to dress up or put effort into my appearance, no reason to leave my house, and sometimes no reason to get out of bed in the morning. It definitely helped create a depression that I had never expected. That along with some other things this year have left me questioning a lot about myself, and the person I have become.
Doing this shoot helped me start to come to terms with parts of myself. I can see myself in some ways that others do now - though I will admit that I still have a long way to go. It gave me some confidence that I didn't know I could have, and a positive body image - which in itself is a lot, because I have never liked the way I look. It taught me that sometimes I just need to do something meaningful for myself. I love my pictures and they remind me of a wonderful and empowering experience. Not only that, but when other people see them, everything they say is positive. I have shared my photos with several friends, my mom, and my sister-in-law, and they all seem to love and enjoy them. I even had a friend tell me how much she loves everything that comes with female empowerment, and that doing this shoot was an amazing idea to do that. It has helped me understand a bit more of why people see me the way they do, and allowed me to look at myself with a more positive outlook than I ever have. There are always things that people want to change about themselves, and change is how we grow - but I am not willing to change nearly as much as I thought I wanted to, and that is largely because of the good things that my photo shoot shed some light on. I still cannot believe the changes I have seen in myself, and for that, I am extremely grateful.
Was your experience what you were expecting? If not, how was it different? Not entirely what I was expecting, but exactly what I had hoped for. I honestly was not sure what to expect.
What was the best part of your experience? Would you change anything?
Probably the empowerment and confidence that I gained from not only doing the shoot, but sharing the pictures. I wouldn't change a thing.
Is there anything extra you would like to tell us?
Thank you, Quinn. From one Sassy Ass to another. <3