Celebrate Your Body: What A Motherhood Photographer Can Teach You About Self-Love

I’ve always been so enamored by the artistry of the female form, and the power in it. There’s nothing that moves me like a photograph of a woman in her natural skin, owning it. I was especially drawn to this because of the story society tells little girls growing up: be modest, don’t show too much, sit down, be quiet, play small. Seeing women do the opposite and have such power in the process was really inspiring. I wanted to capture that story, to share that story, and I wanted other women to know that it was okay to own her natural body. It’s been really life-changing to photograph women from all over the world, in all different stages of their lives, because it shows you that no matter who, what, where, or when, every single woman, when in her most natural and vulnerable state, exudes this wolf-woman, mother-nature powerhouse energy that is both a force, and quite soft-hearted.

Oh, absolutely. When giving an elevator pitch about my work, I always explain that, first and foremost, it’s about the soul of the woman I’m working with. Peter Lindberg, one of my favorite fashion photographers, puts it so beautifully: “For me, every photograph is a portrait; the clothes are just a vehicle for what I want to say. You’re photographing a relationship with the person you’re shooting; there’s an exchange, and that’s what that picture is.” My goal is to un-define the definition of a woman, and to let every single woman create her own narrative around who it is she feels she is, or is not. The incredible thing about being able to capture a person’s soul in a photograph is that it never really matters what description she gives, or society gives, because what comes through is pure, energetic self-expression. The safe space created allows for a woman to show her untamed, unexplained, undefined core. It’s in her eyes, her posture, her smile, and her energy.

It’s very important that my clients feel like they’re visiting a friend’s house, and that they’ve known me forever. My studio is small, cozy, relaxed, and feels warm and inviting when people arrive. I find common ground in conversation and open up a space of trust. Once we start shooting, I shower the models with confidence, compliments, and words of affirmation. It’s subtle, but it’s really making the woman feel like she’s doing an incredible job, even if she’s never stepped foot in front of a camera before. Empowering women with compliments makes them stand with their shoulders back, and their heads up. It makes them feel safe to bring out more of themselves. I’m also able to pick up on other people’s energies, so I know when they need a little bit more coaxing, pushing, or pulling, what to say and when to say it. It becomes a bit of an energetic dance between me and the model, but that sensitivity to their body language it what makes the biggest difference.

Wow, so much. Self-portraiture teaches women to love the bodies they were given, for all of their different curves, textures, lines, and imperfections. When I was younger, I really didn’t like my hips. When I started taking nude self-portraits, I found that the very hips I didn’t like were useful in creating some really beautiful, curvy images. Since then, I’ve found it to be such an incredible tool. It teaches women to see themselves and their bodies as works of art, and not as fleshy vessels. It’s also a very powerful meditation and self-empowerment technique. By being more connected to our breath, our bends, our movements, and our subtleties, we feel more secure, more seen, and more powerful. It has helped a lot with connection to other people, especially in terms of sensual experiences and sexuality.

I’m such a big fan of teaching women early on that their bodies are something to celebrate. I want to see more self-portraiture, more applauding of women’s nudity, more acceptance of its artistry. As a society, we’re headed in the right direction. We’ve incorporated women of different heights, colors, and stature on covers of magazines, and within branded campaigns. Social media expands our horizons in terms of what kinds of women are out there, and how they’re honoring their body types. On a micro-level, I want to see mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, boyfriends, and girlfriends that never make a woman feel shamed for the body she has, or how she takes care of it. I want us to practice words of love, kindness, growth, and optimism about the bodies that we have. I also want there to be a more holistic approach to the body. Instead of pinpointing how it looks, why not talk about the gift of the human form, and how it acts as a vessel that heals us daily, so that we might self-express while we’re here on Earth?

My mom inspired me very much in terms of my feminine character. She’s the most loving, supportive, and nurturing woman I know, but she’s also very stubborn. I get a lot of my characteristics from her in terms of how I interact with people. On inspiration for Feminine Forms, there two women—they would do these incredible self-portraits, or they’d pair up with beautiful photographers, and they’d create such gorgeous pieces of work using just their bodies. It was sensual, feminine, and powerful. Evoking that type of energy publicly and owning it went against everything I felt women were taught growing up. They were my expanders early on.

Every time I teach a self-portrait workshop, I always spend a few minutes expressing gratitude for my mom. She shaped my view of the world in so many pivotal ways—not by expressing her opinions about things, but rather in how she acted towards me and towards others. My mother has always been very open-hearted and has always been very accepting of all people. She’s a humanitarian and a healer, though I know she’d be the last person to describe herself with those particular words. My mother taught me that I could do anything. She always said if there was anything I didn’t like, I could always change it, and that if I was in a moment that seemed difficult, it was only a few seconds out of my entire life movie, and that it would soon pass. She also taught me was how to trust myself. She didn’t give me instructions or a manual, but she simply trusted me and my decisions. My mother taught me the gift of cultivating my own feminine intuition, which is the compass I’ve always used to guide my life. She taught me that I could be whoever I wanted, and that I could do whatever I wanted, so long as I was a good person. It taught me to believe in the good in people, while cultivating the intuition to sense the bad. She taught me to be gentle with everyone, to be courageous in my choices, and to always, always, always trust my own inner wisdom. There’s something to be said about parents who empower their children to be whomever it is they feel like they are, without any repercussions or disappointments. In my mother’s eyes, I couldn’t fail, because what is failure anyway? It gave me the freedom to try many different career paths before I found Feminine Forms. I had the opportunity to explore, form my own opinions, and choose a calling that ultimately feels like home for me.