.the gift. | portland boudoir photography

.to yourself.

.to the one you love.

leg warmers and other stuff

If you follow my ramblings on here, you will know that I did my own boudoir shoot a few years back and you will also know how I feel about them and their power to give a woman a sense of herself her beauty and her strength. {to read about it *click here* oh and no that is not me in the photo}

When I met miss Vee she had enough energy to light a small city. A boudoir shoot was on her bucket list and yeee haw...we were gonna get that taken care of! I've never been on someone's bucket list before..kinda sorta cool. : )

I truly adore this woman. She not only brought an ipad full of tunes + photo inspiration, she brought leg warmers and fun stripy socks! What makes that so special to me is that she didn't just bring what she thought she was 'supposed' to bring...she brought what defines her, what she loves and what makes her spirit happy.

Vee, you made my day sweet and filled it with laughter... It was an honor to be a part of your journey.

{makeup is by Fez Vartan...fabulous talent/huge heart/wonderful man, highly recomended!}

My Valentine

Valentine's day is creeping around the corner. I can hear it's tiny cat feet on the back stairs. This year as in the two previous...I am my own Valentine. There is no special someone to swoop me up with flowers and kisses. And this year, I am more than OK with that. It's been a long road to get to, but SO very worth it.

The first building block in my re-building, came in the form of photography. Shocker!

I was in L.A. assisting on a shoot with the very talented Rachel Stephens. We were giving women the chance to explore their sensuality with classic boudoir photography. I was in awe...these women were AMAZING! I watched them transform before my eyes. They would start shy and timid and end truly claiming their sensuality and power. And they were having so much FUN!

As luck would have it, one of the women scheduled that day, canceled. Rachel turned to me and and said, "you in?" I think I blinked twice, twisted a strand or two of hair and then said, "YES!"

I was very freshly going through a divorce, one I was not choosing to go through. I was feeling un-loveable, un-worthy, un-sexy and un-human.

With music coaxing me..I stepped before the camera. I looked up and saw a room of women {rachel + the makeup artists} cheering me on, telling me how awesome I looked and giving a hoot or two. Women, I don't need to tell you how good it feels to have 'girlfriends' around supporting you. I stepped up and out and embraced the moment. I laughed, pouted, teased, and posed my way back into 'me'.

I can't tell you what a photo session like this will do for you. I can only tell you how empowering and life changing it was for me. At a time in my life when I was at my lowest, I was reminded that life, and girlfriends, supports you. That I was still every bit a woman.

Whether you are your own Valentine this year or you have someone special, boudoir photography is the perfect way to celebrate.

Happy Valentine's day to you all. Love yourself well so that you can go forth and love the world.

peace + love

*if you are interested in a full session for Valentine's Day, they can be booked weekdays during the month of January...please call or email for times + availability. greenchairstudio@gmail.com + 503.810.0088. Thank you!

-Heaven