Liberation - Unshackling the Ego

Twitter: @ADouglasPhotos

This is her first nude shoot. We set out to do some implied nudes as she wanted to keep her underwear on. She said she weighed too much, didn't have feminine enough features, her breasts were too small, her hips were too wide, and she was too frumpy. I laughed and said, "All women have beauty; an ugly photo is MY fault, not the model's." As we worked, I showed her the results on camera, and she told me what she liked and didn't like. We got more likes than not, and her confidence grew. As her comfort increased, her clothing decreased. About thirty minutes into the shoot she was completely nude, and not even trying to cover up with arms or poses. I asked her about half-way through our two hours why the change, and she responded that she felt completely liberated and free, being seen by a man who looked at her and not body parts. She loved being totally, openly nude and have me say, "move your hair away from your eyes". She loved that her comfort was important to me, and that when I looked at her, she felt respected. Her self-confidence grew, to the point we see here in this photo: A completely nude, uplifted arms, confident smile & stance. She told me at the end of the shoot that she had learned that there is nothing wrong with her body or her looks, if people don't like it, that's on them. You have to love shoots where we learn and grow together.
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