my favorite fairy
Photos and stories from three Goddess Photoshoots with the amazing Amy Shine.
Her gorgeous curls, radiating smile, and a sexy Irish accent will make you remember her forever. Whenever I catch a glimpse of her on social media, she is either on Mount Shasta, in Israel, Dubai, or Mexico, teaching one of her access bars, embodiment or other workshops. She is multi-talented, super passionate, and extremely inspiring to learn from, be around, look at and especially work with.
I had the honor of photographing Amy Shine three times, but somehow didn’t get to creating a blog post about each photoshoot. In this story I am sharing my favorite photos from all three photoshoots that I did with Amy, so you can see what is possible to create with one person in different locations. Also, if you visit Amy’s website, you will be able to see how she uses the photos we created together on her website and social media to promote her offerings. Amy has a brilliant graphic designer who is able to take the photos I create and transform them into amazing graphics that reflect Amy’s brand and communicate the energy of her offerings.
Photoshoot number 1:
Golden Sunrise Photoshoot in the woods
For our first photoshoot we photographed at sunrise in the Yamato Scrub Natural area, a 200-acre preserve of Florida wilderness. Amy wore a white and green dress and danced in the tall grass, whispered to the trees, and meditated in the rays of golden light.
Amy is a an Access Bars Facilitator, which means she is a trained practitioner who helps individuals in unlocking and releasing limiting beliefs, thoughts, and emotions through a unique and transformational modality called Access Bars. By gently touching specific points on the head, known as bars, the facilitator facilitates the release of stored electromagnetic energies accumulated over time. This gentle and non-invasive technique prompts deep relaxation and allows for the dissipation of mental, emotional, and physical blockages. The Access Bars Facilitator creates a safe and nurturing space for clients, guiding them towards greater clarity, empowerment, and a sense of expansiveness in their lives. Through their expertise and compassion, these facilitators play a crucial role in promoting personal growth and well-being.
We photograph out in the open field as the sun is rises and its light is soft and golden. As the day gains strength and the light becomes harsher, we move into the woody area with the Spanish moss and tall pine trees that provide more shade.
I love this photo we create that symbolizes coming out of the darkness and into light, emerging from the unconscious into the conscious, from the unseen into the seen.
Our divine feminine power lies in our very nature, that is why I prefer to photograph women in nature. Depending on who I work with, I might even ask them to lie on the ground, to bring that grounding to the whole next level. As I discovered during our first photoshoot with Amy, she is game for whatever artistic idea I have. I asked her to lie on the ground, with cascades of her curls spread around her head as a halo, and standing right above her, I took this shot. There is a look of peacefulness, tranquility, and calmness in her eyes, her hair the color of the Earth, she looks like Mother Nature herself.
Throat chakra activation aka screaming off the top of your lungs is something that I have been offering to women intuitively during every Goddess Photoshoot. What it does is that it gives woman a voice. It gives her a chance to be heard. I talk about this in more detail in this article and you can actually see Amy scream during one of her photoshoots.
This photo is me getting to know Amy’s screams for the first time, and I must admit I absolutely love them!
We also played in the area with the magical Spanish moss, which resembles her hair. Given that Amy is also a movement facilitator, we also incorporate dancing shots in all of her photoshoots. By the way, if you want to see a video of Amy dancing in nature and talking about Dance to Oneness check out this video on my YouTube channel.
Photoshoot number 2:
Golden Light in the Banyan Tree and Pink Sunset over the Ocean
For the second photoshoot we meet at the Spanish River Park in Boca Raton just before the sunset. As the golden light pours in between the branches, I create these portraits of Amy.
I photograph Amy dancing at the root of a majestic banyan tree and also had her dance IN the tree. Climbing trees is a natural part of Amy’s photoshoots, and she did it in all three of her Goddess Photoshoots!
Amy changes into another outfit and we head out of the forest.
I take a few shots of Amy dancing in the dunes with golden wild oats and then head closer to the water. There, Amy channels her inner mermaid, and we create some of my most favorite images of her. I just love how powerful and beautiful she looks in these photos.
It was also during this photoshoot that we filmed a video in which Amy talks about how she got into dance and Accessing the Joy in Body. You can watch it here.
For the very last portion of this photoshoot, when the sun is already behind the horizon, and the color of the sky changed from pink to mysterious pink and golden, we take a few silhouette and mysterious-looking photos on the intracoastal.
Here’s an at-a-glance overview of that photoshoot:
Photoshoot number 3:
Green Fairy in a Magic Forest
Our most recent photoshoot took place in one of my favorite locations that is truly magical. This parks boasts a variety of trees and leaves that dazzle you with their magnificence. And the gigantic dark green elephant-ear-looking leaves make her look like a tiny fairy indeed.
We created some photos of Amy in a black silk slip next to a mysterious royal poinciana tree.
We also played next to a puddle in which I captured her reflection. Later, Amy wrote a beautiful post about addiction and shared it with one of the photos from the puddle series and the image and text went to together so beautifully and made such a powerful impression.
I love playing with harsh light lately. When you are a new photographer, they teach you to stay away from it and that’s what I did. But now I love how dramatic harsh light is and what you can create with it. Here are a few portraits of Amy where the light of a gaining strength (but still golden) sun is hitting her directly in the face. When I look at these photos, they make me happy. And that’s what our art is supposed to do, right? Make US (creators) happy. ♥
For one portion of the photoshoot Amy donned this light blue dress and she looked like a ballerina in it. Well, she is a dancer, but this outfit gave her a different kind of elegance and accentuated her posture. I love the photos we created in it:
Of course, there was also tree climbing and dancing in the forest:
My favorite images from this session are these ones. I love her gentle expression and mysterious smile as she looks at home among these gigantic green leaves.
The overview of the photos from this photoshoot looks like this:
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Curious about having personal branding photos done for your spiritual business? I would love to work with you! Reach out and let’s talk about what kind of photos will help take your business to the next level and let’s manifest some magic together!
3 goddess photoshoot poses and prompts that work every time
A lot of the things I have been doing during Goddess Photoshoots to help women relax, be themselves, and step into their power have been intuitive. Lately, as I started thinking more about why I do what I do, I discovered the psychology of why these little prompts, or techniques, work!
In this story I will outline the prompts I use to empower women and will show photos from Amy Shine’s Goddess/branding Photoshoot. Amy is a movement facilitator and a goddess of many talents. It was my second photoshoot with her and this time around we photographed in a park near the beach. That location offers access to gorgeous banyan trees as well as the beach, where we played at sunset.
Whenever a photoshoot begins, I expect myself and my client to take about 10-15 minutes to become fully relaxed and melt into the creative process. It’s like a warm up before you start lifting heavy weights. The same with photos - it will take your body some time to get comfortable with the camera pointing at you and I will also need some time to see what angles work best for you.
goddess posing prompt #1: open up that throat chakra!
One prompt that I use in almost every Goddess Photoshoot is this: I ask the woman to scream as loud as she can. We are usually in the forest or on the beach, and there's hardly anyone around so it's not like we are in Whole Foods during evening rush.
The screaming does two things:
1). it is a release of tension, emotions, and sound healing all mixed in one. When you allow whatever you are bottling up to come out, you feel better, your cheeks blush more, you come back to your self in a way. It is also a great way to open your throat chakra.
2). it is permission TO BE and to BE LOUD. If we are on the beach and there are people far away, when I ask my goddess to scream, she looks around and I know what she is thinking. "What might those people think?" goes through her mind. We need to learn to not give a f*ck. We are not bothering anyone, nobody is getting hurt, we are just releasing some stuff by means of sound.
I always lead by example when I show my model what I need her to do: I take a deep breath and I scream as loud and as long as I want to. And it feels so amazing! And after she does get the courage to do it, she laughs or smiles. Maybe it didn't feel good to her. Maybe it felt awkward and horrible even. But she is excited that she is being loud. We have been conditioned to be quiet since childhood and this is her chance to be as wild and as loud as she wants to be. After several screams (we do two or three) it does feel GOOD and we carry on playing in the woods or on the beach and creating beautiful photos of a woman who is claiming her power back. or stepping into her power for the first time in her life.
And here is the video of Amy letting herself be heard over the Atlantic ocean:
goddess posing prompt #2: drop into your body
We don’t even realize how much we are in our mind. A great way for my subjects to feel relaxed is to get them to drop into their body. What I do is I ask my goddesses to dance.
Dance to the music of the trees or waves around you.
Dance to the music if we brought a speaker.
Dance to the silence.
Dance to the music inside your head.
Dance while I am watching intently with my camera and catching your every move. Sound awkward enough? :)
As with screaming or the beginning of the photoshoot, it is uncomfortable at first. It is awkward. But after a while, the woman starts trusting her body, moving in a way that makes her feel good, focusing on her observing herself as she dances, or losing herself as she feels as ONE with the nature around her.
Some of the best photos come out from the dancing series because the woman doesn’t think about posing. Instead, she is flowing, consciously occupying every cell in her body, feeling.
goddess posing prompt #3: take up space
This third prompt echoes the previous one and has to do with being confident and comfortable in your body. I have been using this prompt for years until I consciously realized the power behind it.
There is a TED talk about how to feel confident. The speaker gives an example of how to feel more confident before a job interview. One way to FEEL BIG is to BE BIG in your physical body. Poses that make your body feel big - standing with your legs wide apart and arms above your head make you psychologically more confident.
When I photograph my Goddesses, I ask them to stand with their feet firmly planted on the ground and ask them to reach their arms high toward the sky. “Touch the clouds”, I say sometimes. “Imagine you are holding the sun” is a very powerful way to outstretch your arms. “This is your Queendom, try to embrace it!” I yell to her as she looks over her land. These powerful poses make you feel powerful for sure, just look at these images.
more goddess poses and prompts
If you are curious to learn other poses and prompts I use during Goddess Photoshoots, get my guide The Secrets to Posing Like a Goddess. This comprehensive guide offers a detailed description of each pose and offers several variations on how it can be done, with photos.
And if the idea of your very own Goddess Photoshoot resonates with you, please reach out and let’s create some magic together.
A portrait photography session for a military veteran named Courtnee in West Palm Beach.