I spent the last few days with the most amazing group of people. The week was filled with sunshine, creative collaboration, relaxation, body positivity, and the most amazingly warm feminine energy.
At the beginning of the retreat, my sweet friend Carly asked us all, “What are you bringing with you into this week, and what do you hope to take away?” I answered that I hoped to leave with a renewed sense of self outside of my roles as “mom” and “wife”, not knowing exactly what to expect.
And well, in the end I did find exactly that, and I think these photos pretty accurately sum up my experience. I left this year’s Feminist Photo Vacay with a stronger sense of my own womanhood apart from the male gaze. I left with a more enthusiastic acceptance of every curve and soft spot on my body, not just because this body gave me babies or because I’ve got a man at home who loves me, but because women’s bodies are just fucking amazing!
Not once this week did I overhear anyone making self-deprecating jokes about their size or shape, or talk about calories or carbs. There were no apologies made for anyone’s presence or appearance, and it struck me how extremely rare that is in my everyday life. Everyone I met just completely owned their inner badass goddess, and I’m so grateful to be taking that energy back home with me.
As it turns out, confidence really is much sexier than society’s definition of the “perfect” body.
[image credit: Kendall Lauren Photography]
I’ve always shied away from shooting boudoir photos, because I felt like it didn’t really match the rest of my “family-friendly” brand. But leaving this week, I’m not only super excited to start offering these types of sessions to my clients, but I also feel like I have a much clearer understanding of the primary purpose of boudoir photography. I always thought it was just about sexuality. But now I understand that it’s about so much more than that, because PEOPLE are about so much more than that. Boudoir photography is about power and strength, clarity, vulnerability, trusting others, trusting yourself, untangling complex emotions, rediscovering hidden layers, and unconditional acceptance. And if you ask me, those principles match my brand just perfectly, don’t you think?
Ready to book your boudoir photo session? Contact me today!
