Wow… I was very moved by my client’s story. I am so glad that she now appreciates what a beautiful woman she is. She took the time to write about why she decided to have a boudoir photo shoot and how it made her feel. She has very kindly allowed me to share her story and boudoir photos with you here.

In my client’s words…

“I have gone through a bit of a journey with my weight and my body confidence. Three years ago I used to weight 25 and a half stone and I was only 24 years old. Ever since I was little I had always been bigger than the other kids and I continued to put on lots of weight and I reached my peak when I was at University. I was incredibly unhappy and lacked any confidence, to the point that if I entered a room with lots of people in it I would flush bright purple because I was so embarrassed that anyone might be looking at me. When I went out dancing with my friends I often spotted people laughing at me and I became a very pessimistic person as a result. I tried dieting and found that my body just wouldn’t lose weight, no matter what I did. I’d reached the end of my tether but with the kind help of my Dad I approached a European doctor who specialised in gastric bands and with his help I was able to lose 11 stone in weight. My confidence soared and I can easily say that I have lost my pessimism and have become a real optimist who takes risks.

Before I lost the weight I did a photoshoot with my Mom and I got it in my head that I would love to do a boudoir photoshoot to celebrate having lost my weight. I still have a little bit of weight to loose but I feel so much more confident in myself and with my body so I started thinking about it more and more and started exploring photographers and I found Michaela. I loved the style of her images and it was clear that she had no reservations about the weight or age of her clients so I felt confident she was the right choice for me.

My one year anniversary was coming up and I thought what a great excuse to do something I’ve always been to scared to do! He always tells me how I am beautiful and he can’t understand why I don’t see that, so this was a kind of way to try and get me seeing myself in his eyes – so I took the plunge and booked a session and I am delighted that I did.

I arrived at the shoot on my own and started to feel a little nervous, worrying that I had brought too many outfits, that I had some bruises on my leg that might affect the images and that I should have brought a friend to help me make decisions. As soon as I arrived though Michaela reassured me and helped me feel at ease and got me settled with my makeup artist who was careful to try and create a look that I would love. I was of course delighted with the results and when I looked in the mirror couldn’t quite believe it was me! Michaela took a wonderfully bespoke approach and listened to me when I expressed my concerns about my stomach which I do still feel a little nervous about showing off too much due to my weight loss. She had a look at the outfits I brought with me and came back to me with ideas that she had of outfits and poses we could try to fit with my needs.

I was worried about being undressed or in my underwear in front of someone else, for me even being in these outfits in front of my boyfriend can be a bit daunting at times! Once we got started though I felt at ease and Michaela treated it as the norm so I didn’t feel too on display, she made it feel like something I’d do every day so I felt completely comfortable. Michaela made requests for me to select specific combinations of outfits she had chosen so I didn’t have to worry about picking things out and she helped me get into the right positions for each set of shoots. She really took her time with me and it never felt like the process was being rushed so there was no pressure at all. She was really encouraging and helped me strike the right pose and still be me at the same time. Michaela was encouraging, talking to me throughout the process and it was great to see her excitement too… and she even let me have one quick sneaky peek at a picture before we finished.

The whole process helped me to feel even more confident, and even more so when I saw the results! Michaela had captured something which was beautiful and striking, but at the same time it was still me and I think that’s what is a real difference between her and some other photographers. The images brought out my character and were true to what I look like too, she didn’t over edit them and I am so happy that you can see that I am a curvy girl. I would happily return to have more photographs taken with Michaela and would recommend Strictly Boudoir to anyone looking to boost their confidence no matter what age or weight they are. I am absolutely delighted with the shoot and am excitedly waiting for the photographs to arrive in the post to see them in the flesh… I will treasure them for the rest of my life. I just hope I can resist showing them to my boyfriend until our anniversary!”

Nervous and excited before her photoshoot!