This blog is a tribute to all the ladies out there that don’t think they have the confidence to do a boudoir shoot.
Confidence comes from a latin word fidere’ which means “to trust”. Sometimes, to build your confidence, you just need to trust yourself and do the things that make you uncomfortable.
The first time I did a boudoir shoot it was given to me as a gift. I can’t say I was pumped to show up somewhere and get naked in front of women I didn’t know. But I showed up, got uncomfortable, and built my confidence picture by picture & pose by pose. 
Fast-forward 5 years to now: after breastfeeding, losing some of my ‘womanly’ curves & muscle, and taking my implants out….I’m off to do another boudoir shoot.
Even with all the confidence building I’ve done over the years, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any apprehensions about laying on my back with my arms over my head or kneeling a certain way and having the girls just ‘hang around’.
Because here’s the thing: I don’t LOVE my breasts post-explant, and I don’t think I ever will to be honest.
But I choose to be OK with that. I choose to focus on building my confidence through other things that have nothing to do with my looks.
Confidence is a journey – not a destination.
And when you choose confidence, you have to practice that skill just like a basketball player practices his skill of dribbling….over and over and over again.
Ladies, stop waiting for that destination. Start your confidence journey, trust yourself to sit in the uncomfortable, and start practicing the skill of confidence by booking a boudoir shoot. Not after you lose 15 pounds, you get your breasts done, or you feel attractive again.
Here are my steps to helping you along with that journey:
- Choose an incredible and talented photographer like Martina Warwick that is truly an expert at boudoir photoshoots.
- Ask if you can meet them to see if it’s a good fit before the day of the shoot.
- Ensure the photographer aligns with you & the vision you see for yourself with the shoot.
- Take some time and reach out to others that have worked with them so you can ask about their overall experience.
- Make sure you feel like you can be yourself with them.
Martina sent me pre-shoot questions, gave me tips on getting ready for the day (like hydration), had me sign waivers & was prepping me for the shoot with exciting emails. During the day of, she put on music that made me feel powerful, and she told me EXACTLY what to do in each photo…down to how I opened my mouth, placed my fingers, pushed my bum out, etc.
She coached me through the whole thing, and she’s a rockstar at what she does.
I’m a pretty confident person, but she made me feel like a total Babe that day, even when I was lying on my back with my arms above my head.
So don’t wait until the ‘destination’ when you think you’ll feel more confident – get out there and practice the skill of confidence while enjoying the journey.
You’re a babe, right now, right here, and always will be, because of the person you are.
With love,
Ash xo
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