She is a body of work

Last week I had the pleasure of shooting the lovely Miss W. She wanted some boudoir images for her boyfriend and has been kind enough to allow me to share some of those pictures with you.

The awesome thing about this girl, apart from being absolutely lovely, is that she is a body builder! I admire anyone who has the sheer determination, willpower and self-discipline to sculpt their body to how they want it to look, especially at a competitive level. I'm also starting to realise that physical strength in women is so important. I think we tend to focus so much on losing weight, being skinny, dieting, dropping a dress size, etc. etc. etc.... But how often do we strive towards having a strong body?

I tagged along to my boyfriend's personal training session one time, and somehow got talked into trying out some of the equipment. Despite my protests (No, no, thank you, I'm perfectly fine just sitting here on this yoga ball thing, watching him suffer and sweat it out. Please carry on. Oh alright then.) I started doing a few light reps. Oh the cracks in my back and shoulders as they strained under the (light) weights and started to actually work. 

After my light workout there was no pain, only a tingly warmth in my muscles. I felt great! I felt stronger. I believe that is what we should work towards when we drag ourselves to the gym at 5 in the morning, rather than focussing on losing x kilos and reaching an 'ideal' weight, etc. Each person is different. I believe when you respect your body and take care of it, give it the exercise and nourishment it needs, it's going to look good anyway. Not to mention the confidence that shines from within. 

Anyway, I massively digress! Back to my client. If you've got it, flaunt it. Being in such great shape, it wasn't hard to create stunning images of Miss W, playing with soft lighting and shadows to highlight her amazing figure. Here are some of my favourites. 

She is a burst of colour

Geri got in touch with me looking for a photographer to update her modelling portfolio. She had this amazing red hair and as soon as I saw it I thought, I need to make the most of that red!! For those who don't know, I think red hair is the most amazing thing ever. I personally don't understand why natural redheads (think Lindsay Lohan) bleach the life out of their gorgeous red locks. I even tried red hair on myself once upon a time but the shade of red wasn't quite what I had in mind. And it was too expensive :(

Anyway, when the time came to select an outfit for the first part of the shoot, Geri pulled out a whole wardrobe of fluoro coloured mini dresses and funky jewellery. I was kinda blown away. Maybe even stunned. Not to mention her heels were absolute killer, of which she had brought three pairs. Good girl.

So because she wanted images for her modelling portfolio, I tried to lean more towards editorial style poses. Tried being the key word. I will admit it was hard for me to shake the 'rules' for portraiture that I've been learning and putting into practice with all my girls. Here I had someone who didn't need as much direction, who didn't need to contort herself into a pose that flattered her body. She pretty much just had to stand there and she looked gorgeous. So what to do? Fortunately for me she knew how to work her stuff. She knew her own best angles, she knew how she wanted to look in her photos, and she did that. So we worked together and achieved some great shots.

Click on images to enlarge.

She is beauty and grace

This entry is about a young lady named Mel.

She contacted me via email and wrote with such elegance and reservation that I assumed she was much older than she was. Usually I have some idea of what my clients look like, whether they send me photos or have a profile picture I can view. But I had no idea what Mel looked like, nor her age. All I knew was that she had "never done anything like this before", and that contacting me for a shoot was a big step for her. Something I hear often, and something that gets me excited!

When women come to me feeling hesitant or shy or whatever you want to call it, I am especially motivated and determined to give them the experience that ends with them looking and feeling a million dollars. After all, ALL women are beautiful and should feel it and know it. I just try to capture that with my camera.

So I had no idea what to expect when she arrived for the shoot. I can safely say I was not expecting to see a motorcycle pull into the driveway! Like a boss.

Then she walked in the door, helmet in hand, with the biggest smile, and I decided that my biggest challenge would be capturing such a beautiful and kind soul on my little camera. She kinda radiated. And when she spoke, she had only good things to say, especially about helping other people. Now that's real beauty. How does one convey someone's inner awesomeness on film? No pose, no lighting, no technique can really grasp a person's goodness. But I tried!

Working with Mel was an absolute pleasure. Not to mention she was a complete natural!

Click on images to enlarge.