"I'm going to be that one woman that you can't photograph" and other boudoir fears.

Repeat this in your head about half a dozen times an hour between now and the end of the day and you'll have an idea of how much I hear this statement.

Your greatest fear is that you're unique; that you're the 'chosen one' to resemble 'Sloth' from The Goonies.

In your fabulous uniqueness you begin to retract so that you can look like the models on my website. The thing is, NO one on my website is a model. The women you see, that I meet and share with everyday, are you. They are nurses, they are mothers, they are cancer survivors, festival go-ers, cosplay enthusiasts, and abuse survivors. They have trust funds and they have debts, they are divorced, they are about to get married, they are unable to have children, and they are dog-hoarders. They are unique and they are themselves.

 

Be unique for me!

As you try to fit yourself into an idea of how things 'should be' you limit yourself on how things CAN be. Let me guide you. Let me photograph the qualities that are there.. Even if it's been 10years since you've been able to see and feel what's inside.

Take heart in knowing that it is in my best interest to photograph you perfectly. I want you to show your friends so that they come see me, too. That won't happen if I screw up. 

So take a deep breath, start looking at yourself in the mirror and naming the qualities that you love about yourself. Give yourself 3 positive compliments before you start zeroing in on your split ends and splotchy skin (the camera won't ever see that).

You won't be my outlier!

There is so much preparation that we will go through together in order to make sure your boudoir session is 100% successful, but we can't start your preparation until you book your session! Ready to get on our calendar and start the process? Get in touch here!

**While I've mentioned our personal project what seems like 2843 times this year, I'm going to continue to mention it as it is completed. 

"See these lines across my face, they tell you the story of who I am..."- Brandi Carlile

The first official "Scars of our OWN" story is up on our instagram (@scarsofourown). For convenience I've reposted the images and the narrative below. 

As a boudoir photographer I am honored to work intimately with clients. Both photographing them in intimates and listening to the intimate details of their lives. Working with clients has made me crack up to the point of tears and also feel empathy to the point of tears. Part of what has inspired the scar project is the sheer variety of scars, of stories, that my clients bring in to their boudoir session. Some scars, like the ones below, are physically visible. Some scars, also like the ones below, make their marks on the heart. 

Read on for a personal testimony of a beautiful woman and her experience with infertility, 

-Sarah

"My scars represent my 7 year struggle with infertility. With over 15 surgeries, countless Drs appointments, infections, injections, miscarriages and left with one ovary and one mangled filopian tube. Every month you grieve when you get  the negative test. It represents my fight, my endurance, my relentlessness, my hope, my tears, my prayers and my faith in God.

I know that infertility is a struggle that can go silent. It's more common than you think. No one wants to say anything and as a woman you struggle with the fact that it's  challenging for you to bring life into the world and you can't get your body to act right like a normal female yet everyone asks "when are you guys going to have a baby?" It's a rough ride. These scars tell my story. It's a part of my fabric now, molded into my character. May is also infertility awareness month. 

I want to encourage and inspire those in the same struggle to hold on and know you are still gorgeous in the fight. 

[To those with scars, I say} Own it. Be proud of it. Know that you are wonderfully made and the journey has made you fearless."