September Is Your Invitation to See Yourself Differently

September has always felt like a month of transition.

Summer begins to soften. The days slowly become shorter. Routines return. The air changes, and almost without realizing it, we begin moving toward the final months of the year.

And that makes September a beautiful time to ask yourself:

How have I been seeing myself lately?

Not how other people see you.

Not how you look in a hurried selfie.

Not the reflection you glance at while getting dressed and mentally checking off everything you wish were different.

How do you see the woman you are right now?

Because sometimes, somewhere between taking care of everyone else, building careers, raising families, navigating relationships, experiencing loss, celebrating milestones, and simply living life, we stop really seeing her.

Maybe September can be the month you look again.

Place the close-up image of her looking directly into the camera here.

Look at Her

There is something incredibly intimate about looking directly into a camera.

You can't completely disappear.

And that can feel uncomfortable at first.

I hear women tell me they aren't photogenic. They need to lose weight. They're too old. They don't know how to pose. They don't like their arms, their stomach, their smile, their wrinkles—the list can become endless.

But I've spent years photographing women, and I don't believe your job is to walk into my studio already knowing how to be photographed.

That's my job.

Your job is simply to arrive.

I'll guide you through the rest.

And somewhere during the experience, something often begins to change. The woman who walked in worried about everything she thought was "wrong" begins to relax.

She starts to play.

She starts to trust.

She starts to let herself be seen.

Place the horizontal image of her reclining and looking toward the camera here.

You Don't Need to Become Someone Else

One of the biggest misconceptions about boudoir photography is that you have to become some mysterious, sexy version of yourself for the camera.

I don't want that.

I want you.

Maybe your version of feminine is soft and romantic.

Maybe it's glamorous.

Maybe it's playful.

Maybe it's bold.

Maybe it's a little edgy.

Or maybe you're still figuring out what it looks like because you've spent so much of your life being who everyone else needed you to be.

That's okay, too.

A beautiful portrait isn't created because you know exactly what to do with your hands or how to angle your body.

It's created when you begin feeling comfortable enough to be present.

That is where I want to meet you.

Place the full-body image of her lying on the white fur here.

Your Body Doesn't Need an Apology

How many photographs have you avoided because you didn't like your body?

How many times have you said, "I'll do it after I lose ten pounds"?

Or twenty.

Or after you tone your arms.

Or after you feel more confident.

Or after...

There will always be another "after" if we keep looking for one.

Meanwhile, this body is living your life with you.

It has changed.

It has aged.

It may have carried babies, survived heartbreak, worked long hours, traveled, danced, healed, struggled, laughed until it hurt, and gotten you through days you weren't sure you could get through.

That body deserves to exist in photographs.

Not just when you think it has finally earned the right to be photographed.

Right now.

Place the image featuring her legs and sparkling heels here.

And Yes, Sometimes It's Just Fun

Not everything has to be deeply transformational.

Sometimes you put on fabulous shoes because they make you feel fabulous. 👠

Sometimes you wear something you would never wear to the grocery store.

Sometimes you laugh.

Sometimes you surprise yourself.

Sometimes you look at the back of the camera and say, "Wait...that's ME?"

I love those moments.

Because being photographed doesn't always have to feel serious.

A boudoir session can give you permission to play with parts of your femininity that don't always get much room in everyday life.

Bring the heels.

Bring the jewelry.

Bring the outfit tucked into the back of your closet.

Bring something unexpected.

And bring your personality.

We'll create the rest together.

Place the standing mirror image last, before the closing section.

The Woman in the Mirror

This photograph might be my favorite metaphor for what I want women to experience.

Because there are two ways we can look in a mirror.

We can look for everything that's wrong.

Or we can actually look at the woman standing there.

That second one can be harder than it sounds.

For many women, our eyes have been trained to go immediately to the places we don't like.

But what happens when you stop evaluating yourself long enough to simply see yourself?

What happens when you notice your strength?

Your softness?

Your femininity?

Your story?

Your presence?

The woman in that mirror isn't 25 anymore—and maybe she isn't supposed to be.

She has lived.

She knows things now that her younger self couldn't possibly have known.

She has earned every chapter written across her face and body.

And I think she's worth photographing.

This September, Look Again

As we move into a new season, I'm not going to tell you that you need to reinvent yourself.

Maybe you don't.

Maybe you don't need a "new you."

Maybe you need to reconnect with the woman who's already there.

The one underneath the responsibilities, expectations, self-criticism, and endless list of things you think you need to fix.

She's still there.

And if you've been waiting for the perfect body, perfect age, perfect confidence level, or perfect moment to step in front of my camera, I want you to consider something:

What if this season of your life is already worthy of being remembered?

Not someday.

Now.

If you've been curious about creating your own boudoir or feminine portrait experience, send me a message. We can simply talk about what you're envisioning, what makes you nervous, and what would make the experience feel like you.

No pressure. Just a conversation.

Photography by Krisleen
Helping women see themselves, perhaps a little differently.