Shared with permission
Through our actions we have the ability to write our own story. With her permission I am sharing the story of this client – we will call her T.
First thing one morning I opened my business emails and had received a booking inquiry by T wanting to have a consultation for a boudoir photoshoot. She wanted to understand what it entails to have a boudoir shoot and had questions about the whole process.
Not what I expected
I was expecting a woman who was deeply saddened to walk through the door of my studio. Something we hear over and over is that it’s about our attitudes as we approach challenges in our lives. T taught me something. Instead of what I would have supposed to manifest as anger or grief. She wanted to immortalize the beauty of her breasts.
She wanted her breast’s swan song to be a sweet goodbye and a thank you for all the ways they had served her. They had helped her, and she was grateful for the gifts they had given her. From looking beautiful in blouses, to nursing her babies they had been a part of her womanhood. And now she had to say goodbye.
With guidance and confidence she did exactly that. She did so with laughter, grace, tears and dignity. In a very short time I learned that T was much more than a physical person of beauty, she reminded me what true gratitude was about. Learning to say goodbye, and thank you while keeping your chin up. Not that she wasn’t grieving, but she was just doing it with a style and finesse that eludes many of us.
There was more to this than clicking the camera shutter, and the service I gave her mattered so much. I knew this was an incredibly important moment for her, and the trust she placed in me was something I held sacred.
We needed to work fast…
Since were on a short timeline and I needed to give her a full experience, but fast. After I got her photo session booked, I called in the glam squad and they showed up with lashes and curling irons to fluff and puff, twirl and curl her into the goddess she is. We had so much fun! Fun seems like a strange word, and only a person with her strength and character could make that happen. We did some lighthearted photos, some edgy ones, and some topless that are just for her and her husband to cherish. She left beaming and proud of herself for what she’d done.
Happy tears for a job well done
When it came time for her viewing/ordering session she was nervous but quickly fell in love with all of her photos. She felt empowered as a woman instead of defeated by cancer. She decided she wanted to order a folio box, an album and two metal wall prints along with all of the digital images. I designed the album and it’s in route to her as we speak. Actually, as I’m typing this, she is prepping for her surgery that will take place tomorrow. I am honored to be a stepping stone in this amazing woman’s journey.
