Celebrating new life with an in home Boudoir Photoshoot

New place, new plans, new woman.

Shelby is a beautiful, powerful, driven, talented woman. It was about time in her life that she finally celebrated that, celebrated herself! 
 Shelby described her life as of late like being held underwater, not being able to breath for years, and now finally being able to come up for air! Close your eyes and imagine that… pressure on your chest, fear of your surroundings, hope gone, and then out of nowhere someone pulls you to the service and that breath of air that fills your lungs feels like unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. It’s a shockingly, well deserved, humbling emotion. Instantly you know you’re alive and going to be ok. And then you freak out all over again- OH MY GOD- I’m ALIVE!


 Boom. Enter Shelby’s current mindset- time to celebrate YOU girl!

That’s what we wanted to show off here- the celebration of freedom, fresh air, living fully. She also just moved into a brand new loft downtown which was a big step for her, so doing it at her place felt empowering for the shoot.

It’s obvious, Shelby could wear anything, pose anyway, and it’s what Pinterest Dream Boards are made of…. but you can see for yourself below….

And total side note- Shelby is a Hair Stylist Rock Star. She’s kicking ass with her clients and in her industry at a very young age… so if you want to book with her before she only works with celebrities you can find her at Studio 710 in Port Huron.

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For more Self Empowerment check out Coty’s Shoot

(craziness- Coty and Shelby are twins! and omg do they both know how to rock a camera.)

For more Boudoir check out Brooke’s Session

Cut the tags out- knowing your self worth as a woman and not a number

A couple days ago I stumbled across this post on my facebook newsfeed, which I quickly shared to my personal page. 

Found on facebook- original source unknown

I paired it with my thoughts that were similar to "this is really stupid for a lot of reasons." Mostly because I felt as though this chart was completely unrealistic on every level. 

I got A LOT of feedback. 

Things like-

"And what the hell were they thinking when they added ZERO as a size? Are we supposed to aim for invisibility?!"

" ...Even at a size 12 I never had the flat tummy that this image shows. But, I also know my worth and it has nothing to do with my pants size nor the number on the scale. ...I've struggled with my body image for years until I realized I was more than just a body. I'm witty, well read, an amazing cook/baker and driven woman which is something a number on a label or scale is never going to say."

and lastly-

"Cut the tags out..."

And then it hit me.  We, as a society, as women, as individuals need to cut the tags out. 

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So I ask you- When you're no longer a number, what are you?
I want you ALL to answer that question in the comments below for me. 
Because you owe it to yourself to know, to maybe brag a little, be proud, and most importantly, let other women know you're living outside the number society has pinned on you, and they can too. 

Who are you when you cut the tags out?

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I'll start...

When I cut the tags out I'm left with being an artist. I frequently live my life dirty. Paint, dirt, dust, grease, sawdust...  I'm an explorer, a writer, a builder, and a damn hard worker. I will keep up with the boys. I will drink beer with the boys. I will shop with the girls but I refuse to get my nails done because they will end up destroyed at soon as I get home. I have a farmer's tan and yes I own a baby tractor. My closet consists mostly of super cheap clothes because I don't understand name brands. My hairdresser informed me that my husband and I have the same haircut, and I'm ok with that, because my hubby is super hot, so maybe that makes me super hot too. I have no clue how to be sexy, it makes me uncomfortable and giggly. I'm confident because my mom taught me to be proud of who I am and urged me to be different. And that had nothing to do with tags. Cut them out. 

And as I said before in The Revolution about societies standards on women ...

Fuck your beauty standards

Port Huron, Michigan Photographer specializing in the beauty of women- ajbc photography