Week 51: 52 Week Portrait Challenge

As part of my 52 Week Creative Portrait Challenge, my Week 51 Challenge was to do a self-portrait session. I pushed myself to do this boudoir session. I have photographed hundreds of women, and I have absolutely loved making each one of them feel beautiful, but until about a month ago, I had never done anything like that for myself. Like many other women, I've spent a lot of time feeling down about myself and the way I look; the main reason that I love photographing boudoir is helping other women overcome those negative feelings and see how beautiful they really are. I was hesitant to do this shoot, but with the encouragement of my friends, I decided to just go for it. My talented friend Jessica Bosley took time out of her beach vacation to do my hair and makeup, and at the last minute, too. I set up my camera on a 10 second self-timer in my studio to get these shots. When I brought the images up on my computer, I was surprised. I was surprised to find that I liked them, and I think that they are beautiful. I've had so many clients that have had the same kind of reaction that I had, with the same question: "Is that really me?" And I always assure them that yes, they are that gorgeous person in the photos that they are seeing. I hope that I can continue to help other women feel amazing, and I am glad that I finally got to experience it for myself, too.