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.
With love and gratitude,
Francesca Bliss
Lina embodies Goddess Lakshmi in a Goddess Photoshoot
When doing a Goddess Photoshoot, a woman can
have a goodess reading to find out which Goddess energy she embodies and then be photographed as that Goddess
decide which Goddess she would like to invite into her life and embody that Goddess during the photoshoot
just be herself and be photographed as an embodiment of the Divine Feminine.
For her Goddess Photoshoot, Lina decided to choose a Goddess herself. “I will let you know who I pick” she says”, and a few days later I get a text that says, “Lakshmi”.
Lina had a red dress, we ordered some Indian jewelry on Amazon, and I decided to contact Alea (https://www.facebook.com/alea.coburn) because I knew she created beautiful headdresses. Alea created a beautiful crown and Lina decided to purchase it from her (though we did take some pictures of Alea wearing her creation and more on that in another story). Alea also did Lina’s makeup at my place before we headed to the park where we photographed.
I knew that I would be adding gold flowing out of the pot digitally so when we photographed, the pot/vase was empty. When I saw the final images, I wanted to keep some of them more natural, so instead, I added some flowers to the vase digitally. Ah, the magic of Photoshop!
It is always a beautiful synergy when more people are involved in the photoshoot. Having Alea create makeup and the crown enhanced the final look of the photos so much, we couldn’t have done that without her.
Here are some resources about Lakshmi for the curious ones:
http://lakshmilivingarts.org/cms/the-4-arms-of-lakshmi/
Want to learn more about the Goddess Photoshoot? Click here.
Mother and Daughter Goddess Photoshoot
A timeless bond of two beautiful women - mother and daughter - captured in beautiful photos: Mother and Daughter Goddess Photoshoot in Boca Raton, Florida.
Wendy and Tasia, Mother and Daughter. When I first met Tasia she struck me by being very mature and I naturally assumed she was grown up, yet she was barely in her twenties. They both have the same dimple on the chin and the same hands. They are both kind and gentle, and are both Goddesses.
The mother, Wendy, is a luminary and a spiritual midwife. Learn more about what she does here.
The daughter, Tasia, is an aesthetician and aspiring actress.
I bet when they first saw these photos, they said things such as,
"Oh, how pretty!"
"Wow, I look amazing!"
"That color looks good on you, darling, you should wear it more often."
"Remember how awkward it was when she made us dance without music, but I actually like this shot".
But let's fast forward to ten, five, or even one year from now.... What will come up when they see themselves in these photos?
My favorite portrait of them is the one below. There is so much of each other in each one of them! Even the way they hold their hands is the same. I usually ask people to soften their hands and make ballerina hands, but in this case I did not. This is how they naturally held their hands and I decided not to interfere...
"What is your secret to having this strong bond?" I ask Wendy and Tasia as we stand amidst trees, dragonflies buzzing all around us.
"Respect," the mother, Wendy, says without hesitation. "Letting her make her own mistakes and learn from them, recognizing that she is an old soul in a new body." For me, a mother of two little girls, this was not just a question to make conversation, I truly wanted to know how they did it.
You can see the other images from our mother and daughter photo session in this short video:
Eliza's goddess photoshoot
Eliza's Goddess Photoshoot captured in a video and photos of her transformation.
Eliza is an aspiring ballet dancer, yogi, a student of alternative medicine and she exudes peace and calmness with the way she talks and the way she moves. When she contacted me about doing a Goddess Photoshoot, I asked my talented stylist/makeup artist friend Sasha Belova to jump on board with us along with her sister Nastya Mosh, who created a video of our photoshoot.
"I can't believe it is me in these photos," she says softly, as she is holding the final prints in her hands, a large black box in her lap, when we meet in Starbucks five days after her photoshoot.
"I rarely wear my hair down, but I will do it more often after this. And I don't usually wear rompers, and this one looks gorgeous."
A Goddess Photoshoot is more than just a portrait photography session.
It is an opportunity to observe yourself from the side, to see yourself in a different light. It is a chance to play and experiment and step into a role that is slightly outside of your usual comfort zone, a chance to try on something a little bolder, more dramatic. It is an opportunity to connect to and claim that power that is already within you, to allow yourself to be free, to be you, and to be beautiful.
Eliza's transformation was truly remarkable. I did not catch a "before" photo of Eliza's photo session, but you can certainly see what she looked "after" - with the makeup and outfits and being truly connected to her divine power.
a Goddess Photoshoot with a creative modern twist
She was a jovial 18-year old with braces and skin that during that most delicate stage of our life presents the most problems. When she contacted me now, years later, about wanted to be photographed, I remembered her beaming face right away.
"How old is she now?" I wondered, "she must be around 25". So much time has passed since we ...
She was a jovial 18-year old with braces and skin that during that most delicate stage of our life presents the most problems. When she contacted me now, years later, about wanted to be photographed, I remembered her beaming face right away.
"How old is she now?" I wondered, "she must be around 25". So much time has passed since we used to see each other every day at the language school where she used to study and I used to work.
Karen was eager to be photographed as soon as possible so we scheduled her photoshoot for the following weekend. I asked Karen if she would be interested in participating in a little experiment in which my dear friend and a talented stylist and fashion blogger Sunnie Bell (check out her amazing work on www.sunniebell.com) would do the makeup and styling for the photoshoot, and I would photograph, of course. Karen agreed to participate in our experiment, which I thought was brave. Having control issues myself (which I am slowly overcoming :)), I think it is very brave to allow someone to dress you and make you up. Of course, Karen and Sunnie talked to each other prior to the shoot, but Karen was just so completely unattached and went along with every idea that we had.
"Would you be interested in doing a Goddess Reading?", I text Karen at 11 pm at night as we try to figure out a theme for her photos.
"Sounds like fun", she replies.
Goddess reading for this photoshoot was provided by Kimberly Moore of http://shaktiwomyn.com. Kimberly offers readings and teaches a variety of courses on spirituality, which makes her a very busy woman, and we were lucky to catch Kimberly for an over the phone goddess reading the following day, which was great because it gave us enough time to plan for the photoshoot which was now days away.
The intuitive goddess reading revealed that Karen's goddess was Saraswati, a Hindu goddess of knowledge and the arts. To become fully aware of her one must go beyond the pleasures of the senses and rejoice in the serenity of the spirit. Schools and libraries are her temples; books, pens, all tools of the artist and musical instruments are the symbols associated with her. Saraswati's colors are white (as a symbol of purity), yellow, and blue (associated with the throat/communication chakra). Saraswati is often portrayed riding a swan and another bird that is associated with her is a peacock. Saraswati is a goddess of wisdom and creativity. Kimberly provided us with a wealth of information on this goddess and Karen diligently studied it. (If you are curious about this and other goddesses, you might want to take a look at the website above as well as www.motherhouseofthegoddess.com)
Look at these loooooong legs!
Since Saraswati is a goddess of wisdom, the first idea that came to mind was to photograph in a library. but then an even more brilliant idea that our three-goddess team approved was to shoot in a very authentic used bookstore called Bookwise. (I also learned that in order to photograph in a library one must apply for a permit with the city, whereas things were much more easily arranged at the bookstore - a sincere heartfelt request and our wish was granted. Thank you, again, to Bookwise for giving us the opportunity to photograph there!)
The second part of the shoot was done near a lake (right next to the Spanish River Library, actually!) Goddess Photoshoots are often done in a nature setting, and, as you will see from the photos, there is something magical that happens when one connects with nature.
The stylist, Sunnie Bell, used the information about the colors and symbols of the goddess to choose the outfits for her. It is important to remember that Sunnie was looking at the goddess through the prism of her art - fashion - and had an objective of putting a modern twist on the goddess outfit. If we had wanted to go with the traditional look, we could have just clad our model in a white dress and be done with it. Just like in some statues Saraswati is portrayed with her breasts bare, which was acceptable for that time, Sunnie Bell wanted to depict the goddess' attire in a modern setting. The styling was inspired by the goddess reading, but by no means prescribed by it.
For the bookstore part of the photoshoot Karen was dressed in blue shorts, white top, fancy green shoes and blue knee-high socks (my favorite! as soon as I work up the nerve to wear knee-high socks, I will do it! I think they look so cool and remind me of my childhood :)) For all the details of Karen's outfit, please check out Sunnie Bell's blog www.sunniebell.com.
When visualizing this part of the shoot, in the bookstore, I was aiming for a fashion photography look so I asked Karen to pose accordingly (as you may notice, it is very different from the usual posing in my Goddess Photoshoots. Karen's super long legs look even longer because of the lens that I used for the shot where she is sitting on the floor, and, perhaps, the fact that the shorts are sitting on her waist visually lengthens her long legs even more. One thing I can swear is that I did not make her legs longer in Photoshop!
To make Karen's hair fly in this shot, Sunnie was waiving a white piece of cardboard to create wind. The way she eagerly jumped at her new role and how rapidly she was doing it, Karen's hair flying all over the place, it made us laugh so hard, I could hardly focus on focusing! We talked about that moment again and again and wished there had been someone else there to take a video of that circus :) Don't miss the video at the end so you can better understand and feel what our photoshoot was like!
Bookwise is the most charming bookstore and we could have photographed there all night. Once we realized that the store had officially closed and the staff was staying just because of us, we promptly collected our things and dashed out. We still had to catch the last rays of light by the lake, to where we headed next.
Sunnie retouched the makeup on Karen, who by then had already changed into a blue dress. Her hair was also put into two thin braids that were tied in the back of her head and adorned with two peacock feathers, the symbols of the goddess. Sunnie created a necklace out of a yellow leather cord and a round medallion with a tree on it (both purchased at Hobby Lobby prior to the shoot). Sunnie said chokers were in vogue again and that she saw at a couture show how the ends were not tied. We believed her and obediently went along with this improvised choker. It had a double symbolism for me since this Goddess is associated with the throat chakra, and the medallion on the choker had a tree on it, a symbol of growth. (And I think I will try out this type of necklace for myself, since it is so effortless to make and looks so cool.)
This photo was taken in the parking lot, before we "officially" started photographing at our second location.
"What is that moving in the water? Do they have alligators here?" Karen asked as we were photographing near the lake.
"Nooooo. There are no alligators here", I pacified her. "Why don't you swing your arms wide and twirl, as if you are dancing", I suggested quickly to switch her attention.
We played by the lake, Karen danced, and when we were about to leave, there was a giant pink cloud in the sky, reflecting the light of the setting sun.
"That's a wrap", I said, as I had seen it done on TV.
"We didn't have a chance to do the photos of my back", Karen reminded me politely.
The photo of the tattoo on her back was one of the important shots that I definitely wanted to take - I even sent Karen a photo, an idea of how I envisioned it when she revealed to me that she had gotten a tattoo a week prior to talking about the photoshoot.
"I am so glad you reminded me!", I exclaimed, slightly embarrassed but thankful that she brought it up. Because if she hadn't, and I remembered about it when I got home, I would have kicked myself. We ran to the car, changed in two seconds and ran back to the lake. There was a strong pull to get back home to our babies (after two hours of being away from them, both Sunnie and I start missing them like crazy) and to husbands, who were left on Daddy duty, and to whom it was promised that we would be back in a couple of hours (yeah, right!) But the artistic drive was strong and the goddess was waiting for us, so we had to work super fast.
"Why did you get a tattoo of a lotus?" I asked Karen before the photoshoot, when we were waiting for Sunnie to start doing her makeup.
"Because it symbolizes enlightenment", she explained.
Then we started talking about our spiritual journeys and she told to me that she was going to an ashram one week and one day after our Goddess Photoshoot. I envied her and was so happy for her at the same time. My first encounter with the word and concept of ashram was in the book "Eat. Pray. Love", and I had always wanted to go to one. Or at least to a silent retreat. Karen was the youngest person I met who was on her path to enlightenment so early in life. Good for her!
The sun was long gone and the sky was dark as we ran back to the lake to take that last photograph. Sunnie held the flash with a FlashBender (I LOVE their products!), I took a few shots and one of our most favorite images was from this part of the shoot.
"I have a confession to make", I said nervously looking at the water, when I saw that the girls had already left the grassy area by the water and were stepping onto the paved walkway. "There ARE alligators here. I have seen one and I have a story about it."
"I can't believe you didn't tell us there were alligators here!" they shrieked and kind of reprimanded me.
If I had told them there were alligators there, Karen wouldn't have been able to relax. In addition to that, I had seen it with my eyes before and it was small and the people who work in the library had explained that these alligators don't go around attacking people. And I was watching the water the entire time. I told the girls about it and the begged, "Tell us the story!"
"Ok, one time I had a dream... I saw my mom through a sliding glass door as she was sitting outside near water with one of my daughters, while the second one was also supposedly outside. Then I suddenly saw an alligator in the water and I screamed for my mom to get the girls back inside as soon as possible. When I woke up, I was under the impression of that dream for quite some time, as you can imagine. That same day, my youngest daughter and I went to the doctor and on the way back I decided to give us a treat and take us for a stroll, right here, where our family liked to walk. I park the car, put her in the stroller, start walking. As I daydream, I see a neon green lizard rush to the grass near the lake (you can always see animals that you don't see often; once I saw an otter here and twice a snake) I remember about my dream. As I wonder if it was one of those dreams predicting something, I see a sign that was not there before: "Warning! Alligators may be present." Can you imagine? Needless to say, I jogged to my car, my heart racing, promising to find another place for our strolls."
Our goddess party adjourned that night, tired but with a great sense of accomplishment. All three of us (plus my oldest daughter) met again exactly one week later at a Starbucks for the presentation of the final prints and digital photos. All excited about the job well done we high fived each other. I was concerned that the staff of the coffee shop would ask us to leave because we were talking so loudly and excitedly, interjecting our conversation with a lot of "oh my god!", and "I love this one!" as we were going through the pictures and remembered all the funny moments.
And while looking at the prints for the second or third time, Karen laughed,
"Look at these photos. It is not me in these photos, it's the Goddess. She definitely manifested herself."
You definitely want to check out the video below, it contains some of our behind the scenes silliness. And though the video itself might not be perfect, I will try to do a little better next time - videography is new to me and I am learning :)
Curious about what it would be like to have your own Goddess Photoshoot? Send me a message and let's talk about what kind of photos we can create for you.
personal branding photoshoot for a new yoga teacher
"Please don't mention anything to them about our photographing in the gardens", I caution my model and client, Denise, before we enter Morikami Museum and Gardens.
"Of course", she nods in agreement as we open the heavy doors.
"We are just ordinary park visitors going for a stroll", I mumble to myself as we approach the cashier, an elderly gentleman named Joe.
“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.”
"Please don't mention anything to them about our photographing in the gardens", I caution my model and client, Denise, before we enter Morikami Museum and Gardens.
"Of course", she nods in agreement as we open the heavy doors.
"We are just ordinary park visitors going for a stroll", I mumble to myself as we approach the cashier, an elderly gentleman named Joe.
"That will be $15 per person and you cannot bring a bag of clothes with you into the park, ma'am, though your camera bag is ok," as he sternly gives me a look over.
"How did he know?" we both laugh as we head back out for Denise to change in the car. "I thought we were so discreet about it! These guys are experts at spotting photographers." My camera bag, by the way, doesn't look like a traditional camera bag. Once, when attending a photography workshop, as several of us, students, were going down in a elevator together, one lady pointed at my hot pink Cheeky Lime camera bag and asked, "Is that your lunch bag?" How dare she? I LOVE my camera bag for its extra-ordinarity. Anyway, thankfully, we were granted the permission to photograph in the park and we decided to do outfit changes in the car.
One of our most favorite images from the photoshoot is the one above. When I saw it through the viewfinder as I was taking it, I knew it would be one of the best shots. She is such a Goddess!
Even though the gardens had just opened, the serene place was already full of people being photographed and photographing. The heat index was rising so we got to business right away, deciding to play by the water first.
"Do you want me to splash the water around?"
"Great idea!" I say, and as she starts splashing the water toward me, we both giggle, but I am afraid to get water on my camera, so I suggest she try throwing the water towards the sky. This is what came out of it:
It is worth mentioning that Denise first contacted me when I was on vacation in Turkey. Even though she was eager to get her photographs taken right away, when I told her that I would be back in two weeks, she agreed to wait for me. And once I came back and we talked on the phone about her photoshoot,
I found out that Denise loves to travel and the country that she is especially drawn to is Italy. I had an obsession with Italy myself so I can completely understand why.
She also told me about how her fledgling yoga business is geared more toward children, and when I met her in person she struck me as a kid herself. This woman with a successful corporate career where she gets to travel worldwide has a contagious laughter and playful attitude of a cheerful kid!
During our photoshoot, whenever I asked Denise to give me a non-smiling expression, she would comply for a few seconds and then burst out laughing. After a few more tries I realized that it was her personality and after having taken a couple shots with a contemplative, introspective expression on her face, I decided not to persist anymore and just photographer this goddess the way she was naturally, smiling, bursting with joy, and happiness.
A contemplative expression on her face…
Until she burst into laughter seconds later!
"Look up! What is that? Is that an eagle?" she points to the top of a pine tree towering over us.
"It is!", I say as I continue to photograph her. In addition to the eagle, we also encountered a bright green lizard that I made friends with while I was waiting for Denise to change in her car. We also saw one of those long-necked black birds that spread their wings to soak up the sun. And lots of humans, of course, with many of whom Denise would casually start chatting and laughing.
We played by the water, on a giant rock, and Denise danced between tall trees. We didn't explore the entire park and I wanted to keep photographing, but we were both exhausted from the heat AND working (modeling is serious business, ask anyone who was photographed for two hours!) I think it just means that there will be a sequel to this photoshoot :)
This picture above sums up Denise's essence and personality :)
As Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “If you wish to glimpse inside a human soul and get to know a man, don't bother analyzing his ways of being silent, of talking, of weeping, of seeing how much he is moved by noble ideas; you will get better results if you just watch him laugh. If he laughs well, he's a good man.”
I would definitely want this gentle and lighthearted woman to teach yoga to my daughters.
Another absolute favorite of both Denise and mine.
Want to join the Goddess party? Call/text me to 561-465-4857 or send me an email and let's talk about making YOUR Goddess Photoshoot a reality!
artistic yoga photography on the beach
Sharp rocks,
slippery rocks;
waves crashing on the huge rocks and sprinkling us with salt water;
Sharp rocks,
slippery rocks;
waves crashing on the huge rocks and sprinkling us with salt water;
fishermen.
We are intruding on their space,
the spot that had been theirs since before we got there.
And after we stay there a little, it becomes our space too and we feel at home there.
As if the rays of the still barely visible sun are warming up the cold fishermen, they smile to us and are ready to let us use their rocks, and even offer to move out of the way for the perfect shot.
Now as we leave this beach and give way to the new people who are coming to sing glory to the new day, they feel like they are stepping onto our territory because everything in our look and our stance says that this is our beach and our sea.
The city is waking up. People are walking, jogging, bulldozering around.
The sun just appeared above the horizon and the day barely began, but both my model Tamara and I feel like we did something HUGE that day. Three days before my departure for a vacation, Tamara and I put this photoshoot together in a matter of a few hours' worth of text messages (we had worked before) and the result of our collaboration you can see here.
My favorite images from our photoshoot are the ones with the city of Boca Raton in the background, the open bridge and boats going about their business. Most yoga photographs are taken in the nature setting, and they are beautiful, but my dream is to create a series of yoga photographs in the city, as much city as we can get in this part of South Florida, anyway.
A note for non-yogis out there:
Supposedly, you should not say that someone is good at yoga, but you can say that someone has a beautiful [yoga] practice. I overheard an instructor say that to one of the students after a class. :)
So, Tamara has a beautiful yoga practice. There are a lot of wonderful yoga teachers out there, but you know how it is, right? Once you make a connection and like someone's teaching style, you prefer to practice yoga with that person because you now have a relationship. It is like that for me with Tamara.
To learn more about the many talents that this woman has and a bit about how we got to know each other, please read the Goddess Interview with Tamara, in which she also shares some advice to those who are just beginning their yoga journey. Check out the video below to hear Tamara's words on what yoga means to her and what advice she gives her students.
When I was editing these photos while on vacation in Turkey, I resolved to myself to attend at least two yoga classes a week. I want to be strong and balanced, physically and emotionally, and doing yoga at home is not the best option for me because I tend to push myself more when I am in a class setting with others (not to mention actually doing yoga, when you commit to a date and time and having to go to a class to a yoga place, as opposed to saying to yourself that sometime today you are going to practice).
So I am putting yoga on my family calendar so that my husband can watch the kids and I can take care of myself so I can be the best Mommy and wife that I can be for them. And because I'm a Goddess :)
powerful and gentle (Goddess Photoshoot report)
This Goddess did not need a confirmation that she was a Goddess and gently opted out of the goddess reading. (A goddess reading, which is included with the Goddess Photoshoot, suggests which goddess' energy you embody and is typically done over the phone by an intuitive goddess-friend of mine). I had met Jennifer Nicole at an event the year before, when hungry for artistic work, I volunteered to photograph a Marry Yourself Ceremony (by Lourdes Starshower).
This Goddess did not need a confirmation that she was a Goddess and gently opted out of the goddess reading. (A goddess reading, which is included with the Goddess Photoshoot, suggests which goddess' energy you embody and is typically done over the phone by an intuitive goddess-friend of mine). I had met Jennifer Nicole at an event the year before, when hungry for artistic work, I volunteered to photograph a Marry Yourself Ceremony (by Lourdes Starshower). The idea of Marry Yourself Ceremony was to vow to love and cherish that wonderful, most important person in YOUR life - YOU. Aside from being a photographer at that event (and I don't ever photograph events - not my cup of coffee!), I was supposed to give vows and marry myself too, but I got cold feet... Jennifer Nicole was gorgeous at that wedding - wearing a cream-color dress and a tiara and she immediately struck me as a Queen. Gentle and feminine, but at the same time knowing what she wants and very powerful.
When she finally decided to splurge on a Goddess Photoshoot, before I even read the results of her Design my Goddess Photoshoot, I had a vision of her with very bright, vibrant colors, in a dark, about-to-swallow-you, fairy-tale-like forest. My goddess then confirmed to me that to match her spirit we would photograph in a woodsy area that also had access to the water so we chose to do it in the Spanish River Park in Boca.
Jennifer Nicole chose three outfits for the shoot - a long purple gown, a mystical black hooded dress, and a flowery short dress, that, unfortunately, never made it into the photos because we got so caught up in photographing the first two. My model also picked out lots of jewelry, including her crown.
The first part of the shoot we experimented in the woods - first on a giant fallen log and then on a path in the forest.
A little photographer's trick:
If you are not an experienced model, it is always easier to pose when you have a prop. When you have something in your hands that you need to interact with, you are more natural, because you are not thinking about the camera and posing. So we found this enormous green leaf, that took part in our shoot. The images from the leaf series are my favorite, including the million dollar shot (can you guess which one it is?).
On the technical side of things, for my photographer friends who might be reading this, the lens that I used for these images was Lensbaby Spark. ("Baby, I love Lensbaby", I said to my husband) This very inexpensive lens that looks more like a toy gives your images one in-focus sweet spot while the rest of the image is soft and blurry. This year I am on the path of experimenting with photography and getting away from the prescriptive rigidity of what I was taught (how can you prescribe ART?) by taking a bunch of out of focus pictures. The slogan on the Lensbaby gave me goose bumps when I first read it:
"Discover how the aim of photography isn't precision or perfection. It's wonder."
So wonder we created and the images came out wonder-ful :)
Then we decided to take some photos on the path in the woods. After giving my model some general posing guidance, I captured these images below. "I was channeling a Disney princess", she said with a huge smile.
She even sang for me and the birds chirping in the tress, just like the real Snow White! And I got it on camera, in one of these behind-the-scenes shots:
For the second part of the shoot, to translate the vibrant, abundant, gentle, loving and fun-loving spirit that I saw in Jennifer Nicole, I though a sea of flowers would help. (Well, a sea I did not quite muster, but a pond it was. We will try the sea version next time:)) We scouted a patch of green grass, further away from the action of beach-goers, who were washing sand off their happy and tired canine babies on the way back to their cars. My goddess sat on the bright green grass, surrounded by white, pink and purple-hued flowers that matched her dress, behind her ... a parking lot.
"Are you sure the parking lot will not show?", she looked around.
"Trust me, I am an engineer", I thought, and reassured her, "No, it won't, don't worry".
The flower shots came out beautifully, showing off her gentleness, femininity and symbolizing her being a beautiful blooming flower herself and her abundance and bright outlook on life.
"Red roses are my favorite", she says, when I pull out a giant red rose that I envisioned as a prop for the black dress and the third, final part of our session. Though my vision for that dress was to be photographed on the beach, Jennifer Nicole convinced me that it would look better in the woods, since it had a more magical feel to it. By then it was twilight, and the photos came out capturing that mystical spirit of the Goddess.
"What time is it?" I wondered, when I realized that we were the only ones left in the park. (Because I totally lose track of time when I photograph, that day, I had prepared a watch to put on before the shoot, but forgot it anyway.) When I looked at the time, it was 7:45 pm - we photographed for close to three hours! That moment, when I get yanked out of my fantasy world and back to reality, I start panicking that my baby might have gone through all the pumped milk and may be hungry (which is rarely the case), and we throw everything back into the car and head out, back to the real world. But this fantasy-like evening in the forest and the reminder of her divinity will stay forever, in beautiful photos.
I delivered the final photos to Jennifer Nicole in person. We met at a Dunkin Donuts, where I presented her with the beautiful black box with the photos inside. I loved the photos we created together and was curious to know her opinion about them. "You will be blown away by how beautiful you are", is my promise for the Goddess Photoshoot experience. "Will she be blown away?" I wondered as I was opening the door for the giant jogging stroller in which my daughter accompanied me.
"Guess what the client said about the photos?" I ask my husband (the game that he is thrown into playing whether he likes it or not :))
"She loved them"
"Yes, she loved them! She was totally blown away!", I exclaim joyfully and braggingly.
Her exact words after seeing the photos were "I am so happy right now!" and that is the best praise I can get. She also added, "This is the best work you've ever done and I've seen your work. And I have to say I have the best and I love them!"
Those words gave me a high that lasted the whole day, and then some. That must have been one of the few times when I did not seek validation on Facebook as I often do.
After posting a photo or a piece of digital art that I am proud of and then not getting as many likes as some perceived notion of how many likes it deserves, I would then get depressed over not getting that validation. And that day I did not need any validation because I KNEW the photos WE created together were AWESOME. I couldn't care less about social media, because I saw the value that this woman placed on these photos, and I myself felt the value of what I produced for her, and for myself. And then coincidentally (yeah, right. No, seriously, however you want to interpret it), I came across this article about photographers seeking validation on social media.
Back to the main point now.
Loving yourself because you look amazing is superficial, some might say, but that love for self must start somewhere. Focusing on the positive, noticing the beautiful, and praising yourself for the good qualities you posses will surely raise your vibration and take you on a path to loving yourself more. I hope this Goddess now falls MADLY IN LOVE with herself because she looks magnificent!
P.S. The cool thing was that I captured Jennifer Nicole's healing energy on camera :)
“I recommend Francesca Bliss because she is amazing at capturing the essence of a woman, the soul of who you are and the power you represent in a way no other photographer can. Before hiring her, or any photographer for that matter, my biggest fear was that I would not look good in the pictures. In the final photos I looked amazing and I appreciated myself more when I saw how beautiful I looked and how it made me feel special about myself. My favorite part of the photo shoot was being on site where I loved the scenery and was able to wear what I wanted and to be free, to be who I am. Francesca Bliss captures the magic in people and there’s no other art like that. ”
Curious about what it would be like to have your own Goddess Photoshoot? Send me a message and let's talk about what kind of photos you desire.
Goddess Photoshoot with Nora + behind the scenes magic
"You will recognize me by a green top and I will probably have my nose in the book" - these were my cues for identifying Nora whom I was about to meet for a pre-photoshooot consultation at my favorite French bakery.
Nora's Goddess is Brigid, the patroness of poetry and inspiration, the ruler of creativity and ...
"You will recognize me by a green top and I will probably have my nose in the book" - these were my cues for identifying Nora whom I was about to meet for a pre-photoshooot consultation at my favorite French bakery.
Nora's Goddess is Brigid, the patroness of poetry and inspiration, the ruler of creativity and healing, whose symbol is fire and whose color is green. In preparation for the shoot Nora found a green velvet cloak, and I bought a green satin gown that had been calling to me at the local thrift store (and which I snatched for 10 bucks!) The morning of the photoshoot I pull up to the parking lot of where we were to photograph and Nora waives to me from her slightly beat-up Ford, the color of which is .... GREEN! It truly is her color!
Since Brigid is the guardian of poets and bards, we decided to incorporate books into several shots. "I always have anywhere from dozen to twenty books in my car", Nora says. The morning of the photoshoot she pulls out these two out of her trunk: one titled "Beauty" and the other one "Feminism and the Mastery of Nature". Then she took out this necklace with rhinestones that she put over her head and immediately transformed herself into royalty. I got goosebumps...
The photos came out aaa-mazing - there is so much power in Her, yet at the same time so much tenderness, so much beauty and peace. I came across this poem when I was researching Brigid once the photos were ready, and I felt compelled to share it with you:
The Charge of the Goddess Brigit
I call to you my children, my sisters and brothers to hear my charge
I, who am Brigit, Brid, Brigantia, Braga, Branganca, Fraid and many other names,
Do charge you to find the fires of life within your soul
And forge yourself to be strong, sharp and powerful.
Pull the elements of the earth into your being;
Breathe the inspiration of poetry, song, and art into your soul;
Be heated by the flames of the fire and ember;
Be tempered and soothed by the cool waters from my sacred well;
And be shaped and fused into magic at my hearth
Come to my wells for healing and wishes
Be nourished and soothed by the waters
Tie your wishes to the branches of my trees
And know that wishes spoken
Become the magic of the world
Become your wishes, the magic at my well.
Sing the inspiration of the mystery with your voice
Inspire yourself with joy and love
Delight in the blessings of creation
Become the Art you were meant to be.
And here is the promised sneak peek from behind the scenes!
Curious about what it would be like to have your own Goddess Photoshoot? Send me a message and let's talk about what kind of photos we can create for you.
the gift of Yemaya (Goddess Photoshoot essay)
Yemaya has been there all along - watching, waiting for us to notice, but we get so wrapped up in ourselves, in our daily routines, in our personal hopes and dreams, that we miss out on the obvious: The ocean of joy, the ocean of timelessness, the blue-green sparkling jewels cast upon our shores every day.
Yemaya has been there all along - watching, waiting for us to notice, but we get so wrapped up in ourselves, in our daily routines, in our personal hopes and dreams, that we miss out on the obvious: The ocean of joy, the ocean of timelessness, the blue-green sparkling jewels cast upon our shores every day.
Maybe Yemaya will forgive us for arriving today empty-handed - no sparkling copper pennies, not even a bit of watermelon - because she knows how we have given all that we can, that we’re running on empty. Our throats are parched, our eyes are too dry to cry and our smiles too forced to laugh freely.
That’s why I’m here today to offer myself to Yemaya and to become one with her. That’s why she takes me into her cradling arms and wraps me in the mantle of phosphorescent waves and puts her sea treasures into my hands to hold and to cherish. For one day, Yemaya and I will be fused in the embodiment of the ocean dominion so that I can see clearly how the earth world of great plans and great deeds must all ultimately be washed away by the strength and power of the seas.
Even beginning with last night’s plans for our goddess photo shoot, Yemaya has been toying with us, standoffish and coy. Perhaps the weather would be good for a photo shoot, and perhaps not. Perhaps she would sap our strength and stamina to the point that we would sleep past sunrise. Perhaps she would send out distractions in all sorts of forms to deter us from our quest. Perhaps she just wanted to know we were sincere in our desire to pay homage.
Here is the gift that Yemaya offered upon our arrival to the appointed meeting place: first, a heart formed from shells and sand, secondly, a graceful blue heron to accompany us on our photo journey, and, finally, a powerful current with splashing waves to shake us out of the torpor of our acquiescence, our yielding to a world not of our making, and not of our liking. We accepted the risk - of lost treasures - our cameras, our unique shells, our balance!!!
Is it possible to change the world with a smile, or with laughter? Can our joy wipe out the drone of cars, bulldozers, motors on the land, in the sky and in the sea? Do we have enough hands to pick up all the garbage left behind by those that have long since retreated to their manmade prisons? Is it too late to find a balance between the world that our race was born into and the world that we have created to satisfy our egos?
Come to the sea and find the answers to your questions. Yemaya is waiting for you.
Written by Chris Card Fuller, story-teller, language enthusiast, teacher, friend, Goddess.
Marny as goddess Isis (Goddess Photoshoot report)
Had an amazing photoshoot with Marny just a few weeks ago. Marny took such great care in preparing for the shoot by finding the perfect dresses and accessories. (Properly selected outfits are one of the steps that ensure a successful photoshoot!) Marny embodies the energy of Isis, the Egyptian Goddess of magic, motherhood, healing and rebirth.
Had an amazing photoshoot with Marny just a few weeks ago. Marny took such great care in preparing for the shoot by finding the perfect dresses and accessories. (Properly selected outfits are one of the steps that ensure a successful photoshoot!) Marny embodies the energy of Isis, the Egyptian Goddess of magic, motherhood, healing and rebirth.
I have put together this artwork for Marny to celebrate her devoting to the art of healing:
Curious about what it would be like to have your own Goddess Photoshoot? Send me a message and let's talk about what kind of photos we can create for you.
one woman's story - why I chose to do a Goddess Photoshoot
My recent Goddess Photoshoot with Francesca Bliss was the culmination of several important themes in my life. For many years, I’ve studied Women’s Spirituality and Goddess Archetypes as a way to access the innate divinity in myself and other women. I believe that what you worship and what you defile say a lot about a person. For instance, in Western culture, why is God a man, and woman his submissive? This dynamic shapes not only religion, but the relationship between the sexes, and ...
“You were wild once. Don’t let them tame you.”
“There is a goddess in every woman.”
My recent Goddess Photoshoot with Francesca Bliss was the culmination of several important themes in my life. For many years, I’ve studied Women’s Spirituality and Goddess Archetypes as a way to access the innate divinity in myself and other women. I believe that what you worship and what you defile say a lot about a person. For instance, in Western culture, why is God a man, and woman his submissive? This dynamic shapes not only religion, but the relationship between the sexes, and the relationship between humans and the earth. Both the earth and women are currently seen as expendable resources, and thus, often used and defiled. But what if we changed this paradigm—if we started seeing women (ourselves!) as sacred? Earth based religions see men AND women as divine, and the earth itself as a Goddess. Mother Earth, or Gaia, nourishes all of us, and must be treated gently.
Secondly, a big part of my journey towards accessing my inner goddess has been intertwined with my relationship with my body and sexuality. I have always been a curvy girl—ever since middle school, I had wide hips and generous breasts. Even at my smallest and most fit, I was a size 6. My hips and breasts just naturally wouldn’t get any smaller. When I was 15, I began to gain weight. I struggled with my weight and body image constantly since puberty, in a world that defined thinness as beautiful. In college, I started to see myself as beautiful again, but was the victim of sexual assault that taught me that my body was an object and was dirty and shameful. I spent much of the next decade trying to find value by making myself beautiful enough, sexy enough to please men.
During my pregnancy and postpartum, I gained a lot of weight. I was in an abusive relationship and suffered severe postpartum depression. When my daughter was 2, I decided that I hated myself because I was fat, and embarked on a year and a half weight loss journey. Yet I was more miserable than ever. And along the way—somewhere in the midst of obsessive diet and exercise—I developed an eating disorder. Since my desire to lose weight was motivated by self-hatred, I quickly became addicted to the attention I got when I became smaller and smaller. I was so addicted to the love of others that I found myself starving, spending hours at the gym, and engaged in multiple affairs. I couldn’t get enough of anything. I was empty inside.
Thankfully my family, therapist, and friends recognized that I was in pain and rallied to support me. I spent the next year trying to get back to some sense of self. Naturally, once I stopped starving myself and compulsively exercising, I gained some weight back. This made me feel unworthy. But I was determined to approach self-love a new way. I decided to be kind to my heart and my body. This meant regular exercise, but this time long walks outside, yoga, meditation and dancing. Self-love also meant eating clean, but also allowing myself chocolate and the occasional splurge. I committed to only positive self talk and to loving myself no matter my size. For truly—whose body is static? Our bodies ebb and flow with the seasons, and women in particular, flow with the moon, with the rise and fall of pregnancy, motherhood, menstruation and menopause. It’s okay to take up space and to be dynamic.
I met Francesca Bliss at a new moon women’s circle at our local Red Tent. I was entranced by her sparkle—her inner glow. We connected over goddesses and the importance of women’s empowerment. We want our daughters to love themselves and we know that work begins with us. Thus, the idea for the inner goddess photoshoot was born. We decided we wanted to do a Wild Woman/Nature Goddess photoshoot, centered around the Goddess Diana, who is the patron Goddess of wild women everywhere. Diana/Artemis runs freely through the forest, bow and arrow slung over her shoulder. She dances under the full moon and muses and bleeds under the new moon.
Reclaiming my wild goddess self through photography was a scary but important step for me. I knew that I had done a lot of “inner” goddess work—but in truth, I was still struggling to love my curvy, dimpled, size 14 frame. I wanted to embrace not just my soul, but also my flesh. I debated—maybe I should lose more weight—do I really want people to see me like this (I hadn’t posted many full body shots since I went into eating disorder recovery)? I didn’t like my short hair. Maybe I should wait to grow it out? No! I decided that THIS was exactly what it was about—loving myself right here, right now, short hair, size 14, blemishes and all!
Francesca Bliss was a dream to work with. She understood my vision and helped me see myself as a goddess every step of the way. Some of the most powerful shots from the session were very different—a soft, romantic shot with flowers in my hair (more like the goddess Venus/Aphrodite), and one with a powerful look on my face as I stare into the camera with a crown of twigs in my hair. I learned from this experience that I am a goddess in all my forms—soft, sensual, strong, playful, powerful. I represent many Goddesses—the goddess Diana of the wild, Venus of the magic of desire, and even the power of the dark goddesses.
Written by Mary Reid Bogue (mrboguewrites@gmail.com, Mary Reid Bogue on Facebook)
you may also like:
Curious about what it would be like to have your own Goddess Photoshoot? Send me a message and let's talk about what kind of photos we can create for you.
introducing Laura as Inari, the goddess of abundance
Laura is the embodiment of playful, creative energy. Her passion and exuberance for life are as evident in her brightly colored hair as they are in her smile, her writing, and her bright personality. Laura is a graduate student in the English program at Florida Atlantic University, and has an extensive background in gender studies. She is also a writer of graphic novels and a cosplayer when she can find the time. Creative energy is Laura’s inner fire, and for this shoot...
“The trickstress ‘imagines a new reality and then finds a way to bring it into being, often through deception because the old order will not give in without a fight’ ”
About Laura
Laura is the embodiment of playful, creative energy. Her passion and exuberance for life are as evident in her brightly colored hair as they are in her smile, her writing, and her bright personality. Laura is a graduate student in the English program at Florida Atlantic University, and has an extensive background in gender studies. She is also a writer of graphic novels and a cosplayer when she can find the time. Creative energy is Laura’s inner fire, and for this shoot, we chose a goddess that embodied Laura’s playful creativity and courage to confront social stereotypes through her scholarship and creative writing. Laura’s “Splitting Seams” (www.splittingseams.com) graphic novels explore the challenges and gifts of a set of twins who are sewn together at birth in an attempt to save their life. This series addresses themes such as mental and social differences, stereotypes, and the triumph of the human spirit through difficulty.
Laura embraced the theme of her photo shoot with enthusiasm, and we loved the way her playful and powerful spirit came through in these photographs. The interplay between her lavender ombre hair, her fair skin, and the purple kimono were just magical! Makeup artist Luciana Portes did an incredible job as well! I love the tiny jewels at the corners of Laura’s eye, which express a literal mischievous twinkle!
About the Goddess
The Goddess Inari is the Japanese goddess of fertility and abundance. She is often depicted carrying rice or armfuls of food/produce, or even eating. She is portrayed as male/female and androgenous. Many Trickster God/desses are often gender non-normative, and for this reason, have served as deities for the transgender and alternative lifestyle communities. In literature and folklore, Trickster/ess figures were often court jesters, clowns, circus creatures, or fools (Shakespeare used this trope frequently). Trickster deities were also quite frequently shapeshifters and took animal form to teach mortals a lesson or two. Uncle Remus’ tales of the fox and Native American tales of foxes, Coyote, Raven, and Grandmother Spider who sits at the center of all creation are some well-known examples of this theme. Many Native traditions considered clowns and tricksters as essential to a connection with the divine. It is only in recent modern culture that the sacred has been so cruelly divided from the profane. For more info on Native American Mythology, read anything by Paula Gunn Allen, poet and memorist (I recommend “The Sacred Hoop”)
Kate Bornstein writes of the importance of challenging gender norms and the powerful role of tricksters, drag queens and all those that reveal the fluidity of cultural norms (“Send in the Clowns”). The Goddess Inari often embodied the form a fox that shapeshifted into women. She was also associated with the kitsune, or nine-tailed fox. The more tails a fox has, the wiser and more powerful it was considered. Jewels and pearls are also a common symbol of Inari. Other common elements in depictions of Inari include a sickle, a sheaf or sack of rice, and a sword. Another belonging was their whip—although they were hardly known to use it, it was a powerful weapon that was used to burn people's crops of rice. In Laura’s photos, you can see the symbols of the pearls and jewels, as well as the red and white flowers with pearl centers that symbolize Inari’s colors.
Written by and Goddess Consultation provided by Mary Reid Bogue, mrboguewrites@gmail.com
Curious about what it would be like to have your own Goddess Photoshoot? Send me a message and let's talk about what kind of photos we can create for you.
why I chose to do a Goddess Photoshoot - Christina's story
When Francesca Bliss first mentioned the ‘Goddess photo shoot’ concept, my sensible self replied, “How silly!” And within a nanosecond, my adventure-seeking self said, “I’m in! When can we start?”
You see, I’m at that stage of life where being sensible and responsible are not only goals, but necessary qualities. Yet, I can’t deny it. My appetite for adventure has never diminished.
When Francesca Bliss first mentioned the ‘Goddess photoshoot’ concept, my sensible self replied, “How silly!” And within a nanosecond, my adventure-seeking self said, “I’m in! When can we start?”
You see, I’m at that stage of life where being sensible and responsible are not only goals, but necessary qualities. Yet, I can’t deny it. My appetite for adventure has never diminished. When Francesca suggested a journey into the territory of goddesses (just a stone’s throw away in Boca Raton, Florida), how could I say ‘no’?
Here is what I learned from the Goddess of Change - in her own words:
“Everything happens in its own good time. And there is no time like the present to allow change to replenish your soul with light and joy.”
I had been feeling sluggish and lost in a mire of details while trying to juggle many facets of a life suddenly filled with complexities. At every turn, I felt I was losing ground. Losing a part of my very essence. At times, I’ve felt like a slave, both to my emotions and to my body that have dragged me through treacherous straits.
Although my highest aspiration has always been to heal wounded spirits, no matter how much I’ve tried, my actions have so often fallen short. My healing arrows have missed their target.
“Sometimes the necessary change is as subtle as a slight shift in weight or stance, a dropping of the shoulder, an almost imperceptible smile, and suddenly, one’s target hits home!”
In my case, the readjustment to life in the bloodless third stage of a woman’s life has been nothing short of an explosion. It’s as if half of my being has been asleep and is, only now, waking up. For most of my adult life, I’ve been following in the footsteps of the male hunters - totally shunning my female nature. In spite of being born at the brink of the ‘Age of Aquarius’, I have never truly been convinced of feminine power. The louder the battle cry for ‘liberation’, the more I became a confirmed skeptic.
"And so, after living a lifetime of basking in the moonlight of my ‘sun god’, it is time to SPARKLE! At dawn, I awaken to greet my sun where water meets land. Our embrace generates heat and light to all who attend. These are the rituals continued from time immemorial. We gather the nutrients from the soil that feed our bodies and the fire from the sky that light the flames of our soul. In our unity, we are complete. As long as the sun shines and the oceans bathe our shores, as long as we remember to open our arms to the skies and plant our feet firmly on the earth, we are whole - and powerful!”
These are the words of Changing Woman.
You may also like:
Curious about what it would be like to have your own Goddess Photoshoot? Send me a message and let's talk about what kind of photos we can create for you.
the queen of fairies (Goddess Photoshoot report)
I met Teri at the New Moon Circles that are regularly held at the Red Tent and are lead by the radiant Elaina Beam. I admired this woman from afar - her statuesque posture, huge smile, eyes radiating kindness, and a sparkle of tinsel strands in her blond hair. I remember one time "the homework assignment" for the circle was to bring a poem and Teri and I happened to bring the same poem, The Guest House, by Rumi. When I was eight months pregnant and revisited the women's circle after a...
I met Teri at the New Moon Circles that are regularly held at the Red Tent and are lead by the radiant Elaina Beam. I admired this woman from afar - her statuesque posture, huge smile, eyes radiating kindness, and a sparkle of tinsel strands in her blond hair. I remember one time "the homework assignment" for the circle was to bring a poem and Teri and I happened to bring the same poem, The Guest House, by Rumi. When I was eight months pregnant and revisited the women's circle after a long break, Teri, who was sitting next to me, asked, "Do you have a pediatrician?" That's how my daughter and I got ourselves an amazing doctor :)
Goddess Photoshoot was Teri's gift from her boyfriend, who had heard about it through the grapevine. (What a fabulous and unique present for your beloved friend or partner... hint, hint!) The goddess consultation revealed that Teri embodied Goddess Oonagh (pronounced OO-NAH), the queen of fairies. Now that this first step of Goddess Photoshoot was done, several things had to be carefully planned in order to bring the Goddess through in images.
Oonagh is said to have golden sparkly hair (just like Teri's, but longer), she is the goddess of love and is considered a protectress of young animals (have you seen Teri's Facebook page? It is all filled with photos of dogs!) Oonagh is also the Queen of Fairies, which perfectly matches Teri's life's devotion to being a pediatrician - caring for children with her magic touch (as well as guiding new moms through the first months of motherhood!). "Oonagh arrives in your life to bless your relationships, bring happiness and joy, awaken your inner child and help you reach your dreams. Your strong resonances with Oonagh suggest that you also serve the role of blessing, bringer of dreams and mentor to others. Oonagh is also a goddess of exercise and sacred dance, so every time you dance you are invoking her in your life!" (from the Personal Goddess Archetype Map, prepared by Mary Reid Bogue).
Oonagh is the goddess that is associated with nature, so from the very beginning I knew that the perfect spot for this shoot would be the Yamato Natural Scrubs area, which has my favorite Spanish moss, and offers much versatility in terms of vegetation and places to shoot.
Teri didn't have clothes that matched the theme of our shoot, so I set out to either create the perfect dress, or find it. Having watched Sue Bryce (love her!) make beautiful dresses with big tulle skirts, I decided to make one myself. I bought dark green tulle and beautiful emerald stretch knit fabric with a vision of a grandiose dress that I would make, until I got home and started playing with the fabric to discover that I hadn't bought enough of it. So instead of the huge dress, I made a small dress, which you can see in the images below - I simply wrapped Teri in the two layers of fabric, and adorned her head with a flower crown, which I also made myself. The headdress idea came to me when I was playing around on Pinterest. I bought a bunch of artificial flowers at Michael's and gun-glued all the pieces together. It turned out pretty amazing, in my opinion. The green "dress" and floral headpiece were more along the lines of nature/forest nymph, but I thought that it fit our theme. I also made a small crown out of yellow/gold flowers.
Since the epic green dress didn't quite work out as I planned, I continued my quest for the perfect dress, especially since the original vision was for a sparkly gold or silver dress, something very fairy-like. My favorite place to do treasure hunting is thrift stores, so I headed to the local shop and after having searched through a bunch of dresses (many of which would have been perfect for other goddess or simply dress up shoots - that's why I must pace myself when I go thrift shopping!), I found THE DRESS. The golden dress with sparkly beads was the perfect match for our shoot! It was size 4 and I sent Teri a photo of it, asking her opinion. She loved it and the only concern that remained was whether we would be able to squeeze Teri into it the day of the shoot. Guess what? It fit like a glove! It was the "meant to be dress" so, of course, it fit! The dress was beautifully complemented by Teri's own jewelry, which she had carefully picked out for the occasion.
In post processing, to give the photos that golden hue, I ran an Alien Skin filter on the photos, as well as added a texture, which was a photo of the dress that I took, shooting wide open for bokeh effect. The texture lent its golden tint and dreamy bokeh circles to the final images, adding more magic.
Another trick that I used in this photoshoot was something that I learned from Lara Jade and her Creative Live (LOVE them!) workshop with Sue Bryce titled "Experimental Portraits". To get that whimsical dreamy accent to photos, Lara shoots through a crystal. I was holding the crystal off to the side of the lens (the second photo in the gallery below) and focused on Teri's face, and the crystal added this rainbow-like reflection/cast, that I really like. I thought that it was a pretty neat trick, and I shall employ it in my further photography experiments.
I am VERY HAPPY with how Teri's fairy goddess photos came out! I couldn't have done it alone, of course. Special thanks to Mary Reid Bogue, who did Teri's Goddess Reading, and to my wonderful friend Inna, who was my lighting/wardrobe assistant the day of the shoot! And to Teri, for her beautiful and radiant self and for allowing us a glimpse of her magic side.
Curious about what it would be like to have your own Goddess Photoshoot? Send me a message and let's talk about what kind of photos we can create for you.
follow your bliss
I always dreamt of being a photographer and have been fascinated with photography for years. In May of 2012, when I realized that I can have the life of my dreams if I dare to do the things that bring me joy, I bought a camera and resolved to learn photography. Having acquired the most important piece of equipment for the task, I signed up for two classes at a local art school (Boca Raton Museum of Art School) - Introduction to Digital Photography and Photoshop for Beginners. I learned a lot...
I always dreamt of being a photographer and have been fascinated with photography for years. In May of 2012, when I realized that I can have the life of my dreams if I dare to do the things that bring me joy, I bought a camera and resolved to learn photography. Having acquired the most important piece of equipment for the task, I signed up for two classes at a local art school (Boca Raton Museum of Art School) - Introduction to Digital Photography and Photoshop for Beginners. I learned a lot during those classes and was in a constant state of euphoria from being immersed into this environment. In the introduction to photography the teacher gave us several assignments: to photograph a window, a self portrait, a portrait, and a person in a mask. Before I had signed up for that class I was convinced that most of my photography subjects would be animals and all of nature in general with all its beautiful detailed manifestations in particular. However, having done the last project on photographing a person in a mask (my at that time friend had a mask and volunteered herself for the project), I realized that I am irresistibly drawn to photographing humans. I fell in love with people since then and continue to be to this day. My most exciting photo shoots are the ones in which the subject is photographed not in their usual environment being their daily selves but where he or she comes up with a theme or dares to play out a fantasy or a dream. The latter type of photo shoot requires more preparation - searching for the right outfit and accessories, location, poses and trying to really convey a certain emotional state. This is also the type of shoot during which people realize that being a model is not as easy as it sounds - being able to communicate through your body, facial expressions and eyes is no easy task! These types of photo shoots leave my models ecstatic - it is not every day that you get to play dress up and reenact a dream and then feel like a star when looking at the professionally edited images. Being able to contribute to that state of joy is what makes me ecstatic about what I do - showing people how beautiful they are, inspiring people to dream and convincing them that dreams come true. Mine did.
As adults, we often don’t give ourselves the luxury of playing or creating. Unless something has a direct effect on how much money we make, we don’t bother. Surprisingly, creativity, or simply allowing yourself to create for the sake of playing, has an impact on our confidence. Read more to find out how the concepts of confidence and creativity are linked.