Most women don’t walk into my studio feeling bold or fearless. They walk in like she did — extremely nervous and holding themselves a little tight, unsure that they can pull it off.
When we spoke before her photo shoot, she told me something I hear more often than you’d expect: “I never like photos of myself”.
It wasn’t in a dramatic way. She wasn’t fishing for reassurance. It was just a truth she had carried with her for a long time. A truth that felt easier to say out loud than to challenge.
But that is where the magic begins.
She arrived on the day of her shoot believing she wouldn’t like what she saw. Yet she showed up anyway — and that willingness matters more than confidence ever could.
With a little guidance, a little laughter and the gentle permission to simply be human, she softened. She opened up. She let herself take up a little more space. And then a little more.
She even admitted, “When I arrived, I was extremely nervous and genuinely unsure I could pull it off.”
But by the time we reached the reveal, she looked at her images and said something that made her story shift. “I’m genuinely surprised at the person in the photos.” For someone who never likes photos of herself, this surprise was it’s own kind of liberation.
She found something sensual she didn’t expect. Something sexy she didn’t know she could access. Something powerful that had been waiting beneath the nerves and the old stories she had been taught about herself.
“A huge boost to the ego and confidence,” she said.
And when asked what she would tell someone else considering their own photo shoot, she didn’t hesitate: “Go for it!! It’s liberating!!”
This is why I photograph women. Not to change you — but to create a space where you can meet a version of yourself you may not have seen in a very long time, or maybe even ever.
If you’re reading this and wondering if it’s your turn, maybe this is the moment you let yourself believe it could be different for you too.
Liberation looks like you.
And I’d be honoured to show you.
