Life Begins At - Part 2

The magazine Life Begins At in its autumn issue has published three interviews with my gorgeous clients. Those amazing and brave women in the age between 50+ and 70+ were answering questions about their boudoir experience with me.

In the last blog, I shared Beverley's interview.

Here you can find the interview with lovely Karen from Brisbane. Karen is in her 60's, she is a mother and grandmother, but most of all she is a woman - feminine and sensual.

What made you decide you wanted to have a Boudoir Photography session?

I had been having a hard time caring for my sick husband and a friend recommended I put my name in the draw to win a Boudoir session with Marina. We met for coffee and I instantly liked her. I was lucky enough to win the session but I had some reservations.

Why did you choose to go ahead with your session with Marina?

I have never been the center of attention. I like to be behind the camera and not in front of it so I was naturally hesitant when Marina contacted me and asked if I would like to have a session with her. But I talked it over with my husband and I decided to go for it, I had never done anything like this before so why not give it a go.

What made you trust her?

Marina understood how I felt, that was so important. We met before the shoot and she helped me pick a location and helped me choose my outfits. She didn’t push me into wearing anything I felt uncomfortable in and said I could choose to wear a nice dress if I wanted to. 

Were you nervous before the shoot?

Yes. The day of the shoot I wanted to back-pedal. Even as I was driving I wanted to turn around and when I arrived I sat in the car and nearly sent Marina a text telling her I couldn’t go through with it.

What made you go ahead with it? 

The only reason I got out of the car was the trust I had in Marina. She is a wonderful person and I didn’t want to let her down.

How did you feel about the shoot?

The first thing we did was sat down and had coffee. There was no rush, no sense of time pressure. I showed her my outfits and I sat down and Marina did my hair and makeup and we talked. We talked through the entire shoot. She made the session safe and as I changed into each outfit I become myself and less scared.

How did the session make you feel?

To be honest I felt a true sense of empowerment. I felt scared when I went in and I left feeling like a whole woman again, it was liberating and freeing.

When you saw your images, what was your immediate reaction?

Age comes on so fast you don’t even realise it and when I looked at my images I remembered what it was like to feel beautiful. My true essence was shining through.  I wasn’t a grandma, a mother, a carer…I was a woman again and that made me feel special.

What about family and friends, what did they think?

I have shown my friends and they love them. They are amazed at the artistry of the images and the emotion they can feel from the photographs 

Are your images on display in your house? If so, where?

I have three photographs and I keep them in a special book. To be honest I have so many photos of the grandkids there isn’t really a spot for me at the moment.

Has the experience given you extra confidence in your life? how and why?

It really has. It is so surreal and hard to explain. I walked into the foyer of the hotel with a real sense of fear and I left with such a sense of empowerment. It is such a unique gift Marina gave me. The whole experience has given me the encouragement to do other things I thought I couldn’t. The session gave me my identity back.