“…the most comfortable I’ve ever felt in my own body!”

A friend’s advice: do a session!

Brette and the idea of a boudoir session had never crossed paths before a friend of hers (another One Soul Boudoir client) introduced her to the empowering genre, and that convinced Brette to do a boudoir session. That’s when Brette gets an attitude change.

“When she showed me some of her photos I was blown away and knew I wanted to try it for myself. I decided there was no excuse not to feel like my best self,” Brette said.

Some of our clients are a bundle of nerves at the moment they book. Others feel nervous jags in the final days leading up to their session, while some have sweaty palms on the car ride to the studio.

For Brette, it was “high anticipation and excitement” from the beginning.

“Between my friend’s recollection of her experience and meeting Jill and David myself, I had no reserve about the day’s events. I could not wait to start the day, and my energy was through the roof,” she said. “I was very ready, maybe a little nervous just because it was a new experience.”

“Jill is so warm and friendly, it helps you feel immediately comfortable,” Brette said.

“I felt like a movie star!”

As with all our clients, when Brette arrived for her session, we turned on some sounds that resonated with Brett and introduced her to our beauty team. We have three teams that we work with. Each team member is amazing in her own right, and collectively, they have more than 50 years’ experience working with actors, actresses, TV personalities, bridal parties, and clients like ours.

“The music and the beauty team set a comfortable, fun scene,” she said. “I felt like a movie star! It inspired me to buy more makeup of my own. The makeup itself was glamorous but not heavy on the skin.”

When our pros had done their part, we ushered Brette up to the Boudoir Suite, where Jill had organized an array of wardrobe selections for her, pulling both from the items Brette had brought and from our studio wardrobe.

“Be prepared to legitimately work!”

We start every shoot with a quick overview of posing terms we’ll use and provide some explanation of the directional language they’ll hear us use, so they feel at ease. And we keep it light and uncomplicated. Because boudoir shoots are way more fun and silly than the finished photos suggest ;)

With Brette oriented and in her first outfit, we dove in.

“After the first few poses, I understood the flow and got even more comfortable moving forward,” she recalled. “I tell others now, be prepared to legitimately work! Holding ‘effortless’ poses is not easy!”

Brette added, though, that “Jill’s excitement for poses and the new ideas she brings throughout the session are tons of fun. The little sneak-peeks in the camera were a great tease that keeps you excited for the shoot, even when you start getting fatigued.”

When it was finally time to call the shoot a wrap, Brette said, “I was physically exhausted but I was riding an emotional high from the day – the pampering, the laughs, the friendships that were built. I couldn’t wait to tell all my girlfriends about it.”

Goodbye negative judgments

Growing up, Brette had been active in ballet and still has the professional photos from her days as a poised young dancer. But life decisions about education, relationships, and career take the fore, and time passes in a flash. The body matures, gets less attention than it used to, and the negative judgments begin to creep into one’s thinking.

“I’ve spent most of my life placing negative judgments on my physical appearance,” Brette said, “but seeing myself in my own skin was better than any tutu or stage makeup photo I’ve done. Seeing the confidence of the photos gave me more confidence in everyday life.”

“A coworker told me sometime after my photo shoot that I seemed like a different person (in a good way)!” Brette said. “This is the most comfortable I’ve ever felt in my own body, and I say that with complete authority knowing how I’ve spent most of my life placing negative judgments on my physical appearance. I realized I am my worst critic and that others didn’t see me the way I saw myself.”

The excitement stays with you

All in all, Brette said, “This experience was better than I ever expected, and it truly was an unforgettable experience – not just a one and done photo op.”

“Starting with the consult, the photo shoot, and concluding with the reveal party is such a unique and fun way to go about it,” she said. “It creates a community that’s full of positivity and empowerment. I can’t say I found anything difficult about the process except waiting to see sneak peeks, because the excitement stays with you.”

We asked Brette for parting words for other ladies who might be thinking about a session…

“Boo get off the fence and dive into the pool!” she said. “This will change your life. It will make you love yourself. You will never go back to an old way of thinking when you realize there’s no reason for it. Don’t sacrifice your value and worth as a person for anyone else – let a boudoir session show you how to just be YOU.”