Boudoir Love Letter | Cindy
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Hey Girl,
Soooooo booking this session for me was not really planned. . . I kind of stumbled upon it in a way.
I actually remember the day when I came across the idea of a boudoir session. I was at work, bored out of my mind, scrolling through my phone when I came across a boudoir photo. That was it. I knew I HAD to do this! But where?? I wanted to find the right place. I have always struggled with self-confidence and body image issues so finding a talented professional was so important! After thorough research, I found The Boudoir Studio in Fairport, and I knew that this place was my choice!
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When I reached out to them, it wasn’t like they said, “Oh, you want a boudoir session? Come in. Take some pictures and, here you go!”
No girl. . . The Boudoir Studio had a step by step process that helped me feel at ease all along the way. They wanted to know my boundaries for the shoot so they did not cross them, and what type of photos I was looking for. I could take quizzes and go through photos with them one on one so they knew all of my creative ideas.
I understand that it can be hard to put yourself first and do something just for you.
It’s something that’s so easy to put off.
It really feels strange. But I have absolutely no regrets.
Within the last year, I had battled a lot with my mental health and I needed this for me.
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Starting from a young age people would make comments about my body. I used to wear big baggy clothes and I had bad anxiety. Within the last year, I was in college, working a ton, and was dumped over a text. I was burnt out and heartbroken when I began to spiral. A lot of people close to me would blame it on the break-up, however, I had begun showing physical symptoms of bad anxiety. I attended an outpatient hospital program for anxiety and it was exactly what I needed!
I’ve come to realize that I need to put myself first; when I don’t, things clearly go bad.
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So I spoke to Nicki on my Discovery Call and she was wonderful! She really helped to put me at ease. We were able to get to know each other, she heard my story, Nicki told me how she got into boudoir photography and I then was scheduled to meet with Asif at the studio. There was no obligation and no pressure whatsoever.
I understood that my photographer was going to be a man and I walked into the studio with no judgments. It was great to be able to see the studio and have an actual conversation with Asif before scheduling or paying anything. He also really took the time to get to know me and my story!
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The day of my session, I really thought I was going to walk into the studio shaking, but I was not as nervous as I thought I was going to be. I was not necessarily confident, but I was there in-the-moment, not overthinking every little thing. If anything, I was most nervous about the outfits I had gotten for the shoot, seeing as I got them online. I was not able to try them on before purchasing them, so I really had to hope for the best.
During the shoot, Asif did not lie when he said he would be your biggest cheerleader and walk you through everything.
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Afterward, I was dying to see those photos, not knowing what I was going to walk into on the day of my photo reveal. Oh my god. The anxiety and excitement!! Even though Asif turned the camera around plenty of times during the shoot so I could see some images, I had still convinced myself I was going to look terrible!!
That. was. not. the. case.
I was blown away.
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Honestly, I don’t know if it was my favorite. . . or. . . just most difficult, kind of like ripping off a Band-Aid, but the reveal. . . The Reveal was my favorite part of this experience!
It was amazing, but narrowing down some of the photos for my product, I felt it actually ripping my soul apart. I could not handle getting rid of any images!! I’m surprised I actually made it out of there, Nicki can attest to this!! I would just stare at them side by side, especially the black and white ones, and I’d just be stuck, like “Uhhh…I don’t know…we’ll have to come back to these?” In the end, I swear it just came down to picking the first one I was drawn to, otherwise I would’ve been there all night!!
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All in all, let me leave you with this. . .
This whole experience was very eye-opening, I have always struggled with self-confidence and body image issues. People would compliment me, and I just would not see it. I was hoping this would shed some light on what they see, and while I cannot say it fixed everything,
It was like a light had finally been lit in this dark room, and I finally began to see my own reflection. A step in the right direction.
Girl, if you are able to do this for yourself, then do it!
With love,
Cindy
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