BOUDOIR by Anika Colombo

“Two and a half years after giving birth to my twin boys, I was a wreck. Being a mother is wonderful and amazing but sooo exhausting. I was barely keeping up with them, much less taking care of myself. I was thirty-five pounds heavier than my pre-baby weight, had stretch marks, and circles under my eyes. Basically, I felt unattractive and I thought I’d never feel beautiful again.
At that point, Anika had been my family photographer for the past couple of years and I loved her. She has such a calming presence and her work is so beautiful. When I heard that she started doing boudoir shoots, I was intrigued. At first, I was nervous and thought boudoir was something that I wouldn’t be able to work up the nerve to do. I sent her a message and her responses made me feel comfortable… she said ‘you are beautiful’, ‘tell me what you like and don’t like about your body, angles are everything’, ‘I’ll help you with the wardrobe’. After some deliberation, I booked my session. I wanted to do this for myself. I wanted to feel beautiful again, even if it was only for a few minutes.
My session was in a beautiful farm house. On the bottom floor, the makeup/hair artist was set up and there was food and champagne for mimosas. The makeup/hair artist was very kind and asked me what kind of look I wanted. I showed her a picture of a look that I liked online. After about an hour, I looked in the mirror and she asked me if I was happy with the look. OMG, I looked so gorgeous!
The house had two floors. Anika was set up on the second floor and no one else was on that level so it was very private. There was a private room to change in and then a couple of rooms where we could take pictures. I was surprised about how comfortable I felt in the whole process. I felt so confident and Anika make me feel so comfortable. She was very in tune with my needs and comfort level and would have never suggested anything that made me feel uncomfortable. The whole time, she was so encouraging ‘You look gorgeous!’, ‘That was a great shot’, ‘Stick your bootie out more, lol’.
A week or so after the session, my pictures were ready and we had an online viewing. OMG, they were so beautiful. I looked so hot! They were all so tasteful too, suggestive, but not over the top. Really sexy, but in an artful way. I decided to purchase the video slideshow of all of my photos. I have access to it online and even though it has been a year since I did the boudoir shoot, I still look at my photos from time to time to time to rid myself of doubts about my self-image. I can also tell you that my self-image has improved dramatically since that shoot. I’m so thankful for this experience with Anika and I hope that this experience is as transformative for others as it was for me.”

Hello gorgeous,

Ms. S.

Ms. P.