Doing it for Me: Mrs. D

Jan 5

I don’t have the body for that.

I’m too shy.

I’m not outgoing enough.

I don’t want to be painted like “one of your French Girls”.

These were all the toxic and negative things I told myself every time I heard people talk about boudoir photos. Then I found out that Diamond Gal Photography was now doing boudoir sessions. I knew Sam even before she shot my wedding 3 years ago, and saying I love her work is an understatement. After about 15 seconds of research, I realized how classy these sessions could be. Over the next year or so I joined Diamonds by Diamond Gal Photography and started reading Sam’s blog posts, session reviews, and seeing the reactions of women as they received their photos and I began to realize how powerful a single session could be.

I am someone who has always struggled with my self-confidence and being overly critical of my body, so as cool as I thought a boudoir session would be, I didn’t think I would ever be able to do it. That is until I was reading Sam’s blog post about “why every woman should do a boudoir session” and I mentioned it for the millionth to my husband and he just told me to stop being such a chicken and message Sam. After a few conversations with her, and a bottle of wine for confidence - I had a session scheduled!

Since my husband and I live in California I had to book my session for when we would be back in Missouri over Christmas. Luckily, the stress of driving across the country and the excitement of seeing our family kept me from overthinking the session and getting super nervous but as the day approached, I got super excited quickly followed by crazy amounts of nervousness. Many of those negative thoughts kept sneaking back up, what if I take terrible photos? What if I don’t look pretty? What if instead of boosting my confidence it does the opposite?

If you are someone who is having any of these thoughts please DO NOT let it discourage you. The second I showed up for my session Sam greeted me with a smile (and coffee) completely calming my nerves. We just hung out and talked while I was pampered with hair and makeup. When it was time for the photos, Sam and I went through my wardrobe options, then she walked me through some of the basics: arch your back, point your toes, smile (everyone forgets to smile!), etc. Then we started taking photos!

While we were taking photos, Sam was amazing and coached me along the way. And if you want a confidence boost, let me tell you, when you hear “Oh my gosh I love this one” or “He’s going to love this one!” right after a camera flash it feels like a million bucks! Before I knew it, the session was over and we were reviewing my photos. Historically, I think I take terrible photos (with the exception of my wedding photos because I was so excited/nervous I forgot the photos were being taken), but when I saw these photos, I loved them all! Down selecting was tricky, and I think I changed my mind too many times to count.

When I received my album via mail, it felt like Christmas morning! I walked into the house after work, dropped everything, and started opening the box. The album did not disappoint! It is amazing! Every time I flip through it, I find another photo that I love. I remember looking at the album with my husband and saying “I didn’t know I could look so pretty, sexy, and confident” and he was shocked because he said he knew I could. I don’t know how to thank Sam for giving me a constant reminder of how strong of a woman I am, and giving me chance to see myself the way my husband sees me. Any time I have a bad day or feel self-conscious I pull out those photos and instantly hold my head higher. Oh and if you were wondering how I’m coming along with those negative thoughts, now they are:

I love my body, and heck yes I’m hot!

I am strong!

I am confident and can handle anything!