I have this friend. She had a shoot with me last year. I immediately loved her. We both mentioned that we’d be best friends if she lived closer. She came from 2 hours away for her session with me. I was honored. We laughed, we cried, and we had a blast. I loved her first session.
As I was watching from the sidelines, I noticed that she cut her hair … SHORT! Like, super short! And, instantly I was inspired! Knowing that she let me share her photos the last time, I thought she’d be interested in doing an inspiration shoot with me! I knew immediately that I wanted to show off that SHORT IS SEXY!
We see long hair and beautiful curls in most of the boudoir phots that are shown. I wanted to give a shout out to the ladies with short hair to show them that they are pretty fantastic! I’m inclusive of all looks and I loved getting to showcase this beauty.
I knew how I wanted to style her and where I wanted to do this shoot. There is an abandoned warehouse that I love to use for these shoots. We did some stuff inside the studio, then went out to have some fun! It was absolutely perfect and everything I had envisioned.
Check her out….and check out what she had to say at the end of this post!
After I took the above photo, I stopped immediately. I had to tell her something. You see, this woman has been through a lot of struggles — things that most of us don’t imagine happening to us. In this moment, I saw her OWNING her sexuality. It was hers to give, hers to share, hers to celebrate! I love seeing that in her! She is deserving of so much. At the end of this post, I’ll share with you what she said after this inspirational shoot!
I love looking at these photos! I messaged her as I was writing this blog post telling her that I was crying. And, I wasn’t sure why. I just LOVED seeing this amazingly confident woman! Her strength that is portrayed in these photos is something that I am so very proud to share on my blog. I’m so honored to be a part of her journey and share these experiences with her. THIS is what my job is about….changing women for the better!
Lastly, I leave you with what she said:
“It was a year ago today I met Maura and had my shoot. I had booked it as a gift for my husband’s 30th birthday, but I never imagined how much that shoot would end up affecting me.
I was sexually and physically abused from a very young age, and never had a very high level of self-esteem. My husband has always been super patient with me and my recovery and constantly goes out of his way to make me feel loved and important, so I thought “What better gift to give him than for me to maybe step into these shoes and finally see what he sees?”
From the moment I walked in the door, Maura made me feel like a VIP. I can only imagine that this is what Ashley Graham feels like when she walks onto a set. I was on cloud 9 all day, even after the shoot was over, and when I finally got to see those pictures, my jaw hit the floor. “Wait…THAT’S ME?!!”
Maura has FOREVER changed how I feel about myself. I no longer step on the scale every day and stress over a fraction of a pound. I no longer wear baggy clothes to hide my ridiculous insecurities. I didn’t immediately take all my shoot lingerie to Goodwill…I bust it out randomly and wear it PROUDLY (and with the lights on!!) 😉
I am good enough. I am sexy. I am worth loving. WE ALL ARE. “
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Hair and makeup by Pittsburgh Makeup Artist, Kristen Tatko.