I remember back when gravity and I were mere acquaintances and the thought of leaving the house without full hair and makeup was like 'why would you do that - duh!' Like most little girls, I was enthralled by the beauty of the Disney Princesses, and took every opportunity to dress up. As I grew up, my younger sister took up Los Vegas style cabaret dancing, and I instantly became addicted to the beauty and glamour of the outfits and makeup!
One rainy afternoon with nothing better to do, we dressed up in the outfits and proceeded to take pictures on our disposable camera. At the time, it was just something silly to do on a rainy afternoon. However I came across these photos again, 10 years later. Looking at them as I sat on my couch in my dressing gown that was definitely chosen for comfort, not style, no makeup and wet hair, the importance of photos like these hit me like a ton of bricks! I knew that was me, I remember the moment, but how much I had changed in the last 10 years!
I now have a corporate 9-5 job that I enjoy, and like most modern woman, a million other daily life pressures that seemed inconceivable to the girl in the cabaret outfits. To try and maintain a balanced life, I have an outlet for my creative side.
I have always been fascinated with the human form as a subject for art. I came across an amazing French photographer named Hervé Lewis and I was blown away by the beauty of both his subjects and his chosen art form. Some years later, a friend and came across some of the work that Studio X Photography had done and was very impressed. With some gentle encouragement from my friend, I decided to take the bold step of being a part of the art that I enjoyed, not just the creator.
Doing this photo shoot was something that was going to be incredibly meaningful and personal to me. I understood very clearly the importance of capturing the inherent beauty in us at every stage of our lives, even more so as childish fantasies of seductive youth and glamour are replaced with much more practical ones, and was excited to have found a company that so clearly shared these views. I cannot speak highly enough of my experience with the team at Studio X Photography. Keith, Chris and Loric were both so fantastic in helping me to look through countless images to find inspiration. They were so patient in talking to me about all the different approaches, camera angles, lighting effects, colour options, fabric types, props, and jewellery - everything you can imagine! I really felt like they were both as committed as I was to creating something that was deeply meaningful to me.
After what seemed like a very long, yet unbelievably rewarding day, we sat down to review the 300 odd photos that had been taken. I was completely blown away! Loric and Chris had managed to take my garbled ramblings and make them appear before my eyes! The truly collaborative approach to the photo shoot had resulted in images that were far beyond what I could ever have expected! My partner and I now have 5 pieces of art proudly displayed on the walls that are a daily reminder of the importance of being passionate about the things you love. This experience has been a truly magical one that I will treasure for the rest of my life and that I am committed to redoing again in another 10 years.
I highly recommend to anyone that is thinking about doing this, to truly embrace it. Whatever your reasons for starting on this journey, I believe it's important to let your imagination run wild, get creative, get committed, get crazy! You have a highly professional and creative team supporting your vision. Whether you want to capture the intangible connection between you and your lover, let your inner sex kitten loose, celebrate all the hard work at the gym, or just captures a moment in time, this is without a doubt the right place to be! Thank you so much Studio X Photography team, and I can't wait to do it again!
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