"I am a confident woman because i have decided to be one, not because i always feel confident." -Joyce Meyer from The Confident Woman.

if you follow me, you know i believe in beauty photos. Over the past year, i started focusing more on photographing beauty and boudoir portraits. It started with myself. i wanted to show women that i think they're important, so i thought the best way was to show mine! i was so nervous to show my first boudoir i photographed of myself. yes ladies, it's before i started working out, before i dropped a few pounds, got fit, before i felt truly comfortable with myself; but it gave me so much confidence. In fact, brandon insists i do them every year. (which is great! yes please on getting my makeup done)

We have 3 of those portraits in our bedroom. one is a 20x24 canvas. i love it. 4 months after my first boudoir shoot is when i started eating much healthier, and working out but those boudoir photographs mean so much to me! so ladies, i hear a lot of you say "i want to lose a few lbs before i do anything like that" maybe the mindset should be, "i feel beautiful in who i am, and these photos gives confidence and motivation to be healthier but i'm happy with my body."

so if you want to see those first ones click here

i read a little blurb lately about how you aren't who you were a year ago, and i think i say that either aloud or to myself daily. i look back on this year and it was one with so many changes. my view of beauty has changed since i started lifting. i used to view that skinny is the best for everyone and i need to be stick thin to be beautiful. i now follow strong, beautiful, confident, hard working women and see their curves and know it's what i think is beautiful. (whatever shape you are, embrace it! but i've got a booty and curves so i'm finally learning to love it!)

i've always had some curves, and thinking that losing them all, is the way to go is just crazy. do i still have a lot i want to work on? sure, but i'm doing it by eating healthy (there's cheat meals.. no worries) and exercising. no diets, no fads. just me listening to what my body needs.

so what's the real purpose of this post. Ladies, you should be photographed, and often. smiles, smirks, laughter, changing hair styles. even with the not quite right poses since no one can direct me (camera sitting on my trusty tripod) i want these printed. if we decide to have children, i want them to see a confident mom who loves herself and works on herself inside and out. someone who isn't afraid to show my body even if it's not "perfect." my grandmother passed this winter, and we hold to the hundreds of beautiful photographs. we see her beauty, grace, and love through these. and dang, she was hot!

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in a world where everyone has a camera or at least a camera phone, yes those are great for capturing some moments- i do it all the time! my camera is heavy to bring everywhere! but those aren't the photographs you want printed in a 20x30 canvas on your wall. They aren't the ones you take care of and make sure never to lose, and pass down to children. Take some time for you. pamper yourself once a year to getting hair and makeup done and seeing yourself how your friends and family see you. a beautiful, hard working, fun woman.

you work hard to have great hair, taking care of your skin, and being healthy so why not spend a little to show all of that off? (that camera phone doesn't do you justice believe me i take a ton before i look decent in one) Girl you deserve to feel as hot as you are. and this post is to show, if you're a little shy it doesn't need to be boudoir. you can keep those clothes on if you'd like, they can be just as sexy.

i could look at these and point out a few things i don't like about them. but what' the point? you probably have no idea what they are since they're my own insecurities. so when you do get photographed, learn to see what's fantastic about them!

i want women to start to feel more confident and embrace their beautiful bodies. i want you to have something to show your children, that you are in photographs in all stages, not just behind the camera.. even if you are a photographer! so ladies, what's holding you back?

"Before God changed my body, he changed the way i saw myself." -Stasi Eldredge, Becoming Myself.

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