I have always felt strongly about how important it is to feel good about ourselves, and Boudoir photography has taught me SO much about women of all ages and how we feel inside our own skin. We all have things we dislike about our bodies, but luckily most have things we like or even love too. The internet, TV and magazines are all full of women who have been digitally modified to represent a stereotype “perfect” woman who we compare ourselves to, nurturing our dislike towards our own bodies. What we fail to remember, is that these women have had their hair and makeup done by trained professionals and have also been photo shopped in most cases, changing the shape of their bodies, hiding cellulite under perfectly air brushed skin, whitening teeth, etc. (I think you get the idea…)
Naomi Phoenix Faces is one of (if not) Gibraltar’s most prestigious and recognised professional makeup artists and in her hands, the best features are brought out in each of our girls making them feel even more gorgeous and confident. Her work, paired with Miranda Elmer's highlights the absolute best in all of these girls, allowing them to see themselves in a completely different light and filling them with confidence for their shoot.
During hair and makeup time the bubbles are flowing, delicious chocolates are of no shortage and pop charts are playing in the background whilst the girls are buzzing with excitement and nerves, showing each other what they have brought along to wear. As the photographer I spend most of my time in the Boudoir studio which is in another room, with its own private bathroom where the girls each get ready for their shoot. But on the occasions I do pop out to greet the new girls who have arrived and make sure everyone has a full glass and is having fun, a part of me wishes I was among them being pampered and feeling the excitement from the other side. But then again, I wouldn’t change being on the other side of the camera, working with each client exclusively and individually, talking them through the different poses and bringing out their very best whilst having lots of fun!
A lot of women worry about having to perform for the camera, or project a certain image, but it really couldn’t be further from reality! Most are nervous for the first minute or so, but once I show them a picture on my camera of how amazing they look, they instantly relax and enjoy the experience. Some girls have ideas of poses they would like, and others are happy for me to make these decisions for them, talking them through everything from facial expression to how they are physically standing/sitting/laying.
After 10-12 clients in one day, I get home exhausted! Every muscle in my body throbbing, but with a euphoric happiness from seeing every single client bounce out of the room with a greater confidence than what they came in with, and super excited to tell the rest about their experience and see their sneak peeks in the following days.
If you are considering a Boudoir session, there really is no time like the present! You may think you could do with losing some weight, gaining some, or would like your hair to grow a little more or whatever your excuse to yourself is, but how often do we look back on old photos and think we looked SO good back then? A the time we didn’t appreciate it, but hindsight is so powerful! Life is too short for procrastination – you are beautiful just the way you are.