“Many years ago, I met Stephanie through a mutual photography friend. Stephanie exuded class, style, sophistication and confidence, whilst being humble and down to earth. From that night I started following Stephanie’s Instagram page. I loved what Stephanie was trying to achieve and really valued that finally a female photographer was celebrating women’s bodies and showing them in their most stunning form.
When I was granted the opportunity to become one of Stephanie’s Brand Ambassadors, I jumped at the chance. I had been thinking about doing a shoot with her for a while, but being a busy business owner, mother and wife, life just got in the way. When Stephanie asked me why I wanted to be shot by her, my first answer was because I needed to remember that I wasn’t just a baby maker, but first a foremost, a woman.
So the date was set and I started thinking about how I wanted my images to look. I loved that Stephanie asked questions to gage my ideas, my thoughts and feelings around the shoot. This made me feel super comfortable and in control. It also gave me a focus and look in mind for when I went shopping for the outfits I wanted to wear.
As time got closer, I started to become nervous and worried that I wouldn’t look nice - would I look like Celeste Barber (who is amazing by the way) in the sense that I would look ridiculous and wouldn’t know what to do. But I just kept reminding myself on the end goal and that Stephanie was amazingly talented.
The day arrived and I was feeling nervous, excited, interested and a little scared, but then Stephanie answered the door, and everything just fell into place. Stephanie has an amazing skill of making you feel special (giving me some champagne on arrival was the perfect touch), and she also made me feel like a star. She talked me through the whole process, from start to finish, and showed me the different looks and spaces we would be using. She then introduced me to the Makeup and Hair Artist that would be creating my look for the shoot. She was lovely and super talented. I felt amazing and just like a model. It was beyond anything I could have imagined.
Stephanie was encouraging throughout the whole experience, verbally telling me that I was killing it, and most importantly, positioning my body in the most flattering way. She told me what to wear and how to look at the camera. I felt completely at ease, and by the end, I felt able to be completely naked in front of her. What a liberating, invigorating, and encouraging experience - one that I will never forget! When I received my images, I was blown away. Not only did I look beautiful, but it was me - nothing forced or fake. It was such an incredible reminder of who I am, stripped back in all its beauty.
Thank you Stephanie for reminding me that I am beautiful, even if my body has changed. Thank you for giving me the courage to take some time out just for me, to be pampered and made to feel like a Queen! Women don’t treat themselves enough, if at all, and this is the perfect way to get back in touch with yourself.
On a side note, it also forced me to buy some new lingerie (something I hadn’t done since having children) - I love my new pieces!"
