Douglas GA Boudoir Mini Session | Samantha's Story of Confidence
Some sessions are about celebrating a milestone. Others are about rediscovering yourself.
Samantha's session at Lace & Grace Photography in Douglas, Georgia was the second kind.
She wasn't celebrating a birthday or an anniversary. She was a mom of three who wanted to do something just for herself.
When Samantha walked into the studio, she admitted she was nervous. She was excited to be there, but like so many women, she questioned whether she belonged in front of the camera.
She told me later that she'd always struggled with not having the same curves she saw in other boudoir photos. She worried she wouldn't look like everyone else.
That feeling is more common than most women realize.
July was the only month I offered these Boudoir Mini Sessions, and Samantha decided this was the time to take the leap.
She came prepared with the perfect piece for one of my favorite studio sets. A pair of thigh high red leather boots.
We paired them with a red two piece outfit and one of my electric guitars to create a bold rock and roll inspired set.
Her dark curly hair completed the mood, and before long, the nerves started giving way to laughter.
That's one of my favorite parts of every session.
We talk.
We laugh.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that, confidence begins to replace nervousness.
One moment still makes me laugh.
I was coaching Samantha through one of my signature expressions. I asked her to gently part her lips by slowly releasing her breath.
She kept trying, but it just wasn't clicking.
Finally, I walked her over to the mirror.
"Watch yourself," I told her.
A few seconds later she laughed and said,
"Oh... I just need to do what I do when I'm frustrated."
Exactly.
The second she stopped overthinking it, everything became natural.
Those little moments are why I love what I do.
After our rock and roll set, we moved through several different looks inside the studio.
The antique clawfoot tub created a completely different mood.
The black velvet bedroom set brought a quieter, more intimate feeling.
We finished the session wrapped in a cozy sweater in my light filled sitting area.
By then, Samantha wasn't nervous anymore.
She was simply enjoying the experience.
Before she left, I asked if she would be willing to sign a model release so I could share her photographs.
Without hesitation, she said yes.
Then she told me something I'll never forget.
She said she wanted other women to experience what she had just experienced.
She admitted she almost didn't book because she didn't think her body looked like the women she had seen before.
Seeing herself through someone else's eyes changed that.
That's why I photograph boudoir.
Not to create a version of someone they don't recognize.
But to remind them of the woman who's been there all along.
If you've ever told yourself you're waiting until you lose weight...
If you've ever believed you aren't curvy enough...
If you've ever wondered whether boudoir is really for someone like you...
Maybe your story starts the same way Samantha's did.
And maybe it ends with you walking out the studio door standing a little taller than when you walked in.
