Pittsburgh Boudoir Photography that empowers YOU to love yourself!

June 7, 2018

Good and Beautiful

There are some people that come into my life that need more than photos. Most of my clients are women who need to begin their self love journey, are starting something new in their life, want to celebrate themselves, need to feel empowered, need someone to show them a side of themselves they didn’t know was there. This session was something so much more than a boudoir experience. It was a start to healing that needed to take place. The day before her session she had something pretty major happen to her. The day before she came back to view her images something else major happened. In both cases, she didn’t cancel on me. She pushed forward but shared with me what was going on in her life. I consider it an honor when my clients share such deep things with me. I think they find it easy to open up to me because I don’t judge them for anything. I’m here to listen to you, to be that shoulder to cry on, to have someone just hold your hand.

At her viewing, I realized the moment she stepped into the studio that the photos needed to take a back seat. She needed me to listen to her. So I did. For 40 minutes, we just sat there talking and crying. My heart hurt for her, but she’s one of the strongest most patient women I know. I can’t imagine going through what she’s dealing with so I truly admire her for the fortitude she has, as each day she puts one foot in front of another even though she wants to stay still.

We did eventually get to viewing her images and she said that seeing me was exactly what she needed as a pick me up. I’m honored to help women along their journey. It’s my calling.

After her viewing, this is what she had to say:

“One month ago I had my photo shoot with Maura. At the time I was dealing with some pretty heavy stuff. Today I had my viewing with Maura. Much like I felt when I went for my shoot I didn’t want to go. The things I was dealing with then seemed to be worse now and my heart is fully of hurt and uglyness. Much like last time I muscled up the strength to go and see Maura. There are no words for what this woman does the gift she has been given is used to fullest capacity. She loves with her whole heart. She truly cares about her clients and how they feel, see, love and care about and care for themselves. After having a brief discussion about what was going on she just wanted make sure I was ok. My pictures were not priority at that time it was my wellbeing that was. That’s powerful. We did eventually get to my pictures and wow was I blown away. Maura did an amazing job.

Thank you Maura for being such an amazing person. For sharing your gift with the world. You are a gem and I am so lucky to have been sent your way. I can’t wait to share you with the people I love (or complete strangers).

Thank you Maura for helping me see the strength and beauty I have within.”

Man, oh man. It doesn’t get much better than that. Below are some of her photos, as well as what she had to say about her session with me. These are important words….

Boudoir Photos Pittsburgh in studio session

1) Why did you decide to invest in a boudoir photo shoot? I have never seen myself as a beautiful person on the outside. I know my heart is good and beautiful but visually I feel ugly.

boudoir session in pittsburgh showcasing intimate photos of women

2) How did you feel about yourself before your photo shoot? Fat and physically unattractive. And unworthy

3) How did you feel about yourself after your photo shoot? Even through my current struggles I feel beautiful and worthy. I feel strong and powerful like I could accomplish all things

4) Describe your session in 3 words? AMAZING, IMPOWERING AND BEAUTIFUL

5) What was your favorite part of the boudoir photo shoot? how wonderful Maura is

6) What would you say to other women who are considering a boudoir photo shoot? DO IT

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May 31, 2018

On a Journey

This beauty! This was her fourth time in front of my camera and I forgot just how much I love to photograph her! This time her session was an anniversary gift, and wowzers. She’s simply stunning and classically beautiful. There’s so many photos I want to share so I’m going to split up her blog post into a few! I can’t wait to show you more from her session but this blog post is what she had to say about her session with me. I adore her more than she’ll ever know and spending time with her is a treasure! She’s got a great heart and cares deeply – she’s my kind of people!

Enjoy….

1) Why did you decide to invest in a boudoir photo shoot? Two reasons, one for my husband as an anniversary gift and two, to invest in me. I’m still on a journey to love and accept who I am and celebrate that.

2) How did you feel about yourself before your photo shoot? I didn’t hate my body but I share all the same insecurities that most women do post babies.

3) How did you feel about yourself after your photo shoot? Empowered, strong, hopeful 🙂

4) Describe your session in 3 words? Freeing, empowering, and FUN!!!!

5) What was your favorite part of the boudoir photo shoot? The conversations we had. I felt so much closer to you and didn’t realize that maybe I hadn’t opened up before about what makes me who I am. It felt really amazing to connect and share many things that I don’t normally open up about.

6) What would you say to other women who are considering a boudoir photo shoot? Please please PLEASE invest in this for yourself and when you do (because you know you’re going to!) let all of the feelings you have during your shoot take over you. Love yourself!!!

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May 27, 2018

Do You Need Self Love?

In this blog post, I really wanted to address whether you know you need more self love in your life. Sometimes it’s hard for us to really know without evaluating ourselves and taking a hard look into our thoughts, beliefs and behaviors! Also, I wanted to share some boudoir photos with you from the waterfall session I had with my friend Ashely a few weeks ago. Ashley has totally embraced her self love journey and has allowed me to lead her down a path that has seen so much growth. She’s changed her life, her view of herself, and the way her kids see her – she’s put so much work into her journey. The important first step though was that she made a choice. She chose to change. I hope you will make the same choice as she did.

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It’s a pretty simple question when you think about it – Do You Need Self Love? But, I imagine most people don’t know they are struggling with their own self love journey. They think to themselves, “Sure I like myself. Yeah, I guess I love myself.” But do you? Do you? Could you stand up in a crowded room and be unafraid to yell I LOVE ME? (**As I write this right now, I’m wearing my I <3 Me t-shirt. I’m proud to wear it because I’ve fought hard and done lots of work to make this proclamation)

There are so many different areas of self-love. It’s not just one thing. What I’m learning in my self love life coaching certification classes is that there are many branches of self-love. We tend to focus on one forgetting that the others exist. And when we neglect certain aspects of self love, you get pulled into negativity that is hard to escape from. My job is to be here for you, to listen to you, to guide you on your journey. I want women to empower themselves, to proclaim their love and confidence in themselves, and look at themselves (flaws and all) with love and affection.

How can you tell whether you need some more self love in your life? Let me ask you some questions:

Do you obsess about your appearance? Do you feel the need to “fix” yourself? Do you say mean things to yourself?

Are you scrolling through social media and seeing what others have and wishing you did too?

Do you feel like what you do is never enough? Do you doubt yourself? Does that doubt stop you from taking action?

Do the opinions of others influence your decisions? Do you put yourself down or openly criticize yourself?

Are you hard on yourself? Do you blame yourself or find fault in you when something doesn’t go right (even if out of your control)?

Do you judge yourself? Do you put pressure on yourself to be perfect?

Do you constantly revisit the past? Do you define yourself by those experiences?

Do you think others are perfect but you are flawed?

Are you waiting for things to happen? Do you let others control you? Do you look for others approval, acknowledgment and acceptance?

Do you change who you are to “fit in” or be accepted? Do you hold back your thoughts and feelings? Do you fear being rejected?

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IF YOU ANSWERED YES to any of these questions, you need to work on your self love!!

Questions continued (see there’s more. haha)

Do you celebrate how others look, what they have, what they can accomplish during the day – without getting jealous?

Could you stand with a group of women that look different from you and not compare yourself to them?

Do you know what’s really important to you?

Do you know what YOU love to do? Do you know what you are passionate about? (**Being a mother or wife does not count)

Do you feel like you have a GIFT to offer this world?

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IF YOU ANSWERED NO to any of the above questions, you need to work on your self love!!

There’s so much work that we have to do on ourselves. We have to come from a place of love and acceptance but first we must acknowledge that we need help in these areas. We can no longer hide in the corner, pretend like everything is OK, and just wait for changes to happen! We have to MAKE A CHOICE to make a change in the way we view ourselves. You aren’t going to get anywhere by waiting!

What I’m developing with my Self Love Club is honestly life changing! The activities that I have planned will

–Help build our confidence

–See how the things we say to ourselves bring so much negativity to our lives

–Show us how comparison kills our own unique beauty

–Determine who we are

–build a community of women who want to uplift and support each other

–Help you find those qualities about yourself that make you SHINE

–Learn to love, accept and embrace how you like just as you are

…..AND SO MUCH MORE! I’ve got 4 things planned when this initially kicks off. First, we’re going through a journey of self-discovery. Then, we’re doing an event on stripping off the masks of what you are supposed to be and embracing who you are. Third, my next Self Love Project starts with learning to love yourself through writing letters to your best friend. Fourth, a practice in healing your heart from past hurts so you can grow into an amazing woman and see your future for what it will be!

Before I leave you with the photos, I feel it’s important to just tell you how passionate I am about this club. I’ve worked hard on myself. I’ve worked with hundreds of women who have issues with loving themselves – that work has lead me to where I am today. Being a boudoir photographer is just a small part of my passion … helping women see the light, embrace themselves and unapologetically love who they are is THE MOST important thing to me. I will be putting so much effort into these projects and events, but more importantly, I’ll be putting LOVE into it all. A love I want you to have, a love I want to nourish, a love that never ends.

Why is Self Love important?

You hold true to your unique self. You live life freely and confidently knowing that you are giving this world the exact person you are. You no longer hide or try to change. When you love yourself, it frees up so much love for others. You set an example for others that it’s important to take care of yourself, to know who you are and NEVER settle for less than your heart desires. You are amazing, you are unique, you are special, you are worthy, you are genuine, you are not alone….join me on this journey.

Now, to Ashley’s waterfall session!

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May 24, 2018

I Saw Myself Totally Different

I’ve said so many times that the best part about this job is showing my clients a new side of themselves or a side of themselves they forgot existed. Today’s beauty was no different.

And, if you look at these photos, you may see that I was a little obsessed with her booty! hahaha. I love butts and I cannot lie! Enjoy these photos and what she had to say about her boudoir session!

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1) Why did you decide to invest in a boudoir photo shoot? Many, many reasons! It started out as a surprise for my husband, but it quickly turned into all about me. I realized I was struggling with confidence, and about 40 quickly approaching, it became about challenging me outside of my comfort zone

2) How did you feel about yourself before your photo shoot? I took pride in being strong and showing my girls strength, but I struggled with self acceptance. I created my own barriers and held myself to expectations only I measured. I lacked confidence in my body and I put those views onto others…especially my husband, I measured myself by things from the past.

3) How did you feel about yourself after your photo shoot? I was very nervous at my shoot and felt that my “flaws” were going to be noticed…Maura quickly made me feel confident and her enthusiasm was contagious. It wasn’t until my viewing that It all came together for me, I kept thinking “that’s me” and I saw myself totally different, not through my mind with my perception but what was really in front of me.

4) Describe your session in 3 words? Powerful

5) What was your favorite part of the boudoir photo shoot? Letting Maura take control which was not easy for me… I gave up control and let Maura guide me, I felt I needed to get out of the way since I would only hold me back , best decision I made

6) What would you say to other women who are considering a boudoir photo shoot? take the time to invest in yourself…to see yourself for the bombshell you are and answer the question “what is my superpower?”

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May 17, 2018

All Woman

ALL WOMAN! That’s right. That’s a great feeling as you end your boudoir session. Sometimes we have a hard time seeing the woman that’s inside us. We’re busy with work, life, kids, volunteering … and all these other responsibilities. We forget to stop and take a look around, and see the wonderful women we are. While you are living your life, I urge you to stop and remember WHO you are. Do you know who you are? Do you know what you like to do? Not you as a mom or you as a wife .. but you as a person – what do you like to do? As I begin my Self Love Club, our first few months will be focused on self discovery. It’s time for us to see ourselves for who we are and get reacquainted with ourselves. I hope you’ll join me!

In the meantime, I share this amazing woman with you! She’s someone I’ve known for a long long LONG time and I was so happy when she finally decided to come for a boudoir session! She’s been through so much in the last year and it was an honor to celebrate her! She’s literally one of the coolest women I know. Her style is amazing, her design abilities are incredible, and she’s so down to earth.

Get ready for photo overload. She is stunning!

The rest of this post is in her words:

1) Why did you decide to invest in a boudoir photo shoot? At the age of 40, I wanted to do something for myself that took me completely out of my comfort zone.

2) How did you feel about yourself before your photo shoot? I’ve had my hang-ups with certain parts of my body, but I’ve tried to stay as much body positive as I possibly could.

3) How did you feel about yourself after your photo shoot? All woman!!! Proud to be me!

4) Describe your session in 3 words? Invigorating Bold Relaxed

5) What was your favorite part of the boudoir photo shoot? The energy that Maura creates in the room. There’s a comfort level I never would’ve anticipated.