BTS of My Boudoir Shoot
I always hear people talking about “I wish I appreciated my body when.” ... “When I was younger I could eat anything and I was so thin, but at the time I thought I was fat!” Well, that’s not exactly the case for me. As noted in my previous post about nutrition, I’ve had quite the literal ups and downs over the years. Not to say that I have “arrived” or don’t have more progress I want to make, but having been the most consistent with my nutrition and workouts the past few years; I’m pretty damn proud of the progress that I’ve made thus far. So, why not celebrate it.
I had been following Ma Cherie (French for “My Sweetheart”), for a while on instagram and was always impressed with the beautiful and elegant Boudoir photos. Typically people do these types of shoots as a gift for a special someone in their life. At the time, I didn’t have a significant other, but I had myself, and thought, “f*ck it, I’m doing this for me.” So last summer I finally decided it was a good as time as any, took the plunge and contacted her.
I think it’s important to say that this is not an ad for Ma Cherie Studios, nor am I getting any kind of “kick back” for sharing my story. I just genuinely had an incredible experience that I think is worthy of sharing. (Yes, there are people that pay full price for a service and still think it’s worth telling people about. :) From the very first email exchange, it was clear that Annika was a well organized professional. All of her information from her website to brochures, email communication and our initial phone call answered any questions that I could have ever had and put me completely at ease.
For anyone that knows me, you know that my closet is basically a photo shoot waiting to happen. I have a ton of accessories and fun pieces that I was able to combine for the shoot. Although I did do a little extra shopping for some lingerie, which she expertly guided me in the right direction with her helpful tips.
I’m typically pretty comfortable in front of the camera, but have to admit that this was a different kind of shoot than I had ever done before and was definitely unsure of how I would feel once I was there. The morning of, I headed over to Stilisti for my hair and makeup. Krystal precisely applied my makeup beautifully and Ana expertly curled my hair (and extensions) into perfectly tousled waves. I felt like a million bucks leaving the salon. I arrived glammed up and with a suitcase of all my outfits. I walked into what looked like a studio apartment of an Instagram influencer. It was bright and airy with all the must have decor. I immediately felt at ease when Annika greeted me. Throughout the shoot, she was the impeccable blend of professional and warm. Making direct eye contact and coaching me through the various poses. Any discomfort I thought I might have melted away in mere moments. It’s not all that surprising, but so interesting how poses that look so natural on camera actually feel like you are a contortionist when you are doing them. I had a total blast during the shoot, I felt like a real model. I left on cloud nine, I had never felt so good about my body.
When I first saw the images, I was floored. First of all the packaging they arrive in is immaculate, no detail was left unturned. In the photographs, I looked so natural (thanks to her coaching!) As humans, I think we are all programmed to focus on our flaws, while it’s so easy to see others strengths. This shoot is designed to focus on your beauty. And it did just that. I can’t stress enough what this did for my confidence. If you’ve ever wanted to do a Boudoir shoot, or if this is just tickling your interest. GO DO IT. Celebrate yourself, buy the pictures. Your body is never going to be “perfect” by your own standards. But I promise you that if you go with an open mind and let Annika at Ma Cherie Studios work her magic, you won’t regret it.
My mother always told me to “leave something to the imagination.” So, no, I won’t be sharing the majority of my images publicly (nor are they on her website or Instagram.) But even now as I prepared to write this post, I flipped back through my book and thought, “hell yeah.” That was so awesome. I can only imagine how I’ll feel in the years coming.
