four archetypes of one goddess: Aura Lila
Hours before the shoot we had planned, I was suddenly feeling lethargic and irritable, uninspired, resistant, and not very playful. I thought, "Ugh, I don't feel like myself at all, this is definitely not how I want to be seen and captured, maybe I should reschedule."
“For years I had been admiring photos by Francesca Bliss of so many beautiful and empowered women from the community and thought to myself... "Wow, one of these days I would love to do a shoot with her, but I am so not ready for that. I don't even know who I am, what my offering is, or how I want to be seen by the world. When I'm more clear in myself, I will reach out to her."
Fast forward a few years, I was still secretly admiring her from afar and hadn't reached out to her, but she posted about wanting someone to just play with for a Goddess Photoshoot. I still didn't feel super clear about how I wanted to be captured, but I thought "Hmmm, I do love to play, I can definitely do that! This is my chance!"
Hours before the shoot we had planned, I was suddenly feeling lethargic and irritable, uninspired, resistant, and not very playful. I thought, "Ugh, I don't feel like myself at all, this is definitely not how I want to be seen and captured, maybe I should reschedule."
But something told me to just go, to just show up and trust. I reminded myself that I had waited years for this moment, I had made the commitment, and I needed to honor it and just come exactly as I am and that will be enough.
Within minutes of our arriving together in nature, I started to feel relief, grounding, and my playfulness returning. Francesca Bliss had such a gentle way of guiding and drawing out of me my essence in various forms. I remembered my connection to many archetypes that live within me - my playful inner child, my wild warrior, my wise woman, my forest fairy, and my nurturing inner mother.
She followed her inspiration even at times when it didn't make sense, and we trusted it. Somehow she was able to capture all of these sides of me in just one session! I was amazed at her ability to truly see me and capture me so effortlessly. Beyond taking these photos for others to see, I came to see myself more fully and remember who I truly am through the journey.
I now see her often at conscious gatherings and events continuing to capture the beauty of goddess embodiment and empowerment. Her presence as such a loving witness and powerful creative force is a blessing to our community.
“Goddesses, if you are in South Florida, I highly suggest coming to Francesca Bliss for photos that truly portray your soul. Don’t wait until that “perfect time.” Now is the time to allow yourself to be seen and shine!””
Oh, how thankful I am for this beautiful testimonial and heart-felt words Aura Lila generously expressed here… Before I melt into a puddle of thankful weeping to have the honor of witnessing these gorgeous women, I must tell you MY STORY of this Goddess photoshoot.
The crazy thing is, I felt exactly the same way as Aura Lila did - irritable, uninspired, and I was definitely not in the mood to do a Goddess Photoshoot that evening! (But of course I was ecstatic when we first scheduled it.)
I got to the park before she did. I parked, got out of the car and walked over to the trees. I was surveying the area that I had seen a hundred times, thinking about how showing up determines 80% of success. I was also thinking about how I don’t cancel things that I commit to, but at the same time wondering how the hell I was going to pull off a playful photography experience when I was not feeling playful at all.
As I was thinking that, I caught a movement with the corner of my eye. It was something brown on the brown ground - a bunny! His cute little ears were almost transparent, he was chewing on some grass, his little nose moving from side to side, and seeing him hop off with his snow white tail bouncing up and down put a smile on my face.
When Aura Lila arrived and parked her dark blue Honda Fit next to my white Honda Fit, “what a coincidence”, I thought.
When we started talking and discovered that we were both feeling “blah” before a photoshoot that we were both excited about, it made both of us laugh and we decided to go into the woods and just see what will come out of this experience. I told her about the bunny and as we headed into the nature, it quickly healed us of our apathy and helped get into the creative process.
playful inner child
Our first stop was near the lake. Aura Lila strikes me as Tinker Bell, a playful and mischievous spirit, and that’s exactly what we set out to portray in the first series of photos. Aura Lila sang her song “Seed” to me as she hugged a plant, danced, and allowed me to capture her expression in these photos.
Wise woman
There was a dried up leaf of a palm tree that caught my eye and that I was called to play with. I get my inspiration from nature and I will get excited by a dried up leaf or a dead stump, but in this case it didn’t seem to make sense. It didn’t vibe with Aura Lila’s playful spirit but because the urge to try it was too strong, I invited her to play with me. Naturally, she agreed. Here are the photos we created in this series, and when she saw the final photos, she did not say these photos didn’t resonate with her. Instead, she said that I captured the four different archetypes that she identifies with: playful inner child, wild warrior, wise woman, forest fairy, and nurturing inner mother.
It felt amazing to know that my inspiration did not lead me astray, but instead helped both of us to go deeper. It always does, so why even question it?
wild spirit
After the introspective and calm wise woman, it was time to unleash Aura Lila’s lioness into the wild. She slipped into a silk slip that was the color of the grass, so she could blend in with the territory, the land where she belonged and where she ruled. I asked her to scream (as I often do during a Goddess Photoshoot, read and watch more about it here) and she claimed the land with her voice:
The color of her dress against the backdrop of the Boca Raton Yamato Scrub Natural Area inspired me to have Aura Lila IN the grass, like a wild cheetah going on a prowl. Here is what it looked like:
I also took several photos using my favorite Lensbaby Composer Pro II because I love the dreaminess it creates in camera:
nurturing and motherly
Aura Lila’s next outfit was an off-the-shoulder crop top and a matching skirt. She looked like a flamenco dancer in it, and needless to say, happily performed for me when I asked her to dance. We played on a path that had a field of fluffies (I don’t know what to call these things in English, so I call them fluffies). The backdrop for some of the photos was a huge oak tree adorned with garlands of Spanish moss. The images we created during this part of the photoshoot are still playful but she looks softer and more nurturing here:
I call photos in which women spread their arms wide or reach for the sky “big poses”. In a pose like this, you take up a lot more space than when you are standing with your arms by your sides. Because you take up more space, you are feeling as if you are physically bigger and this, my friend, increases confidence. I am not a scientist and you don’t need to believe me (because we don’t believe everything we read on the internet) but do believe the scientists in this TedTalk from which I realized the psychological impact of a technique I had been using intuitively!
A few more images from this series:
I titled the image below SURRENDERING TO THE PATH. It speaks to me.
As a creator, as a human, sometimes I question myself about what I’m doing. But I also have a deep INNER KNOWING that this is my path… And I all I need to do is surrender to the process, take it one step at a time.
Keep making connections,
keep showing up,
keep honing my craft,
keep following my inspiration even if it doesn’t make sense at times…
The path of your soul’s purpose will lead you to where you need to get. It’s about following what brings you JOY, delight (that’s my word for this year 2023), it’s about following your bliss. And sometimes it is easy to put something on your calendar that you think will bring you bliss, but showing up to DOING that thing may not feel like bliss, but you gotta do that part too. You gotta show up, inching your way closer to the dream.
This experience with Aura Lila also taught me something valuable that everyone needs to hear:
Keep showing up because you don’t know whose lives you are impacting.
Aura Lila says she had been a fan of my art for several years! She never liked any of my posts and I wasn’t aware that she was a follower of my Facebook page. I didn’t know she existed while my photographs deeply impacted her! The same may be happening to you. You might not be getting much engagement or reach with your social media posts, but you don’t know who is reading and, most importantly, RESONATING, with your message. Keep showing up, my friend!
Before the photoshoot Aura Lila thought “I don't even know who I am, what my offering is, or how I want to be seen by the world.” During her creative play Goddess Photoshoot she expressed VARIOUS VERSIONS of herself. Humans are such multi-faceted and complex creatures. The beauty of a photography experience like this one is that you get to DISCOVER who you are. By removing labels and identities of every date life and playing in nature, the woman can get in touch with her TRUE NATURE. Grounding, relaxing, re-wilding and starting to listen to the voice of your soul will help you understand what you are drawn to and what path you should take.
Oftentimes we don’t get to see how the world sees us, so having a professional photoshoot experience, especially the one that helps you get in touch with your divine feminine energy, allows you to see magic in yourself. “I came to see myself more fully and remember who I truly am through the journey, “ Aura Lila says in her testimonial. Self-discovery or coming to self is a long process, and sometimes the first step is just to show up for yourself in this way.
If this story resonated with you, please feel free to share it with your friends, leave a comment or send me a direct message. I love connecting with you! ♥ And if you would like to talk about what kind of photos we can create during YOUR Goddess Photoshoot ceremony, let’s connect.
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Goddess mirror vimeo
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!
epic goddess photoshoot for oracle Eyre in south florida
How many outfits or looks can we photograph during a two-location Goddess/branding photoshoot? Count with me as I take you on the journey of one of the most epic photoshoots with an oracle named Eyre. Behind-the-scenes video and a story of her spiritual journey included!
This article contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase some of the products recommended here, I might get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Happy reading!
What happens when 2 goddesses get together for a 2-location photoshoot and photograph for 2 hours in each place? :)
Magic happens, my friend. MAGIC.
“How’s your family? You came down to see your family here, right?” I ask her as we unload her suitcase full of outfits and props and we head into the MAGIC FOREST - our first photoshoot location. For the record, the park is obviously not called that officially, but it might as well be! It has trees with rainbow bark, a mystical tree, a grotto with water that sparkles in the sun and a regal banyan tree the size of a palace.
“No, I don’t have family here,” she says. “My mom used to live here, but not anymore” she answers.
My eyes open wide as I stare back at her.
“Did you come to South Florida just for me?” I say almost tearing up.
“Yes, I did. I came just for you” she says with a gentle smile. “I found you on Pinterest and fell in love with your work and I knew that you would be the one to photograph me.”
“I am famous!!!” I jumped around in joy mixed with disbelief.
If someone would have told me I would have clients flying in to see me from another state, I wouldn’t believe them… and now it is happening. This is so exciting, but most of all, I feel so GRATEFUL and humbled…
Oracle Goddess Photoshoot Outfits and looks
Being an A+ student she is, Eyre prepared for her photoshoot very well! A suitcase-full of outfits, crowns, props and accessories many of which came in handy during our creative play. I was so impressed with the variety of things she brought and how well they matched each setting. Well, being A+ students that I am, I did suggest the locations for our photoshoot and we chose two places that intuitively felt right. I also sent her photos from each location so she was “familiar” with what each place would look like and I think that might have helped her choose the perfect colors for her outfits.
Let’s take a look at the outfits and accessories Eyre wore and a total number of looks we created.
Look #1: Green Forest Nymph.
Eyre arrived to the photoshoot in this dark green dress. As we were walking down the path, I saw these dark green leaves exactly the same color as her dress. The leaves were framing this one spot beautifully, as if waiting for their forest queen to take her regal spot. We played here for some time while Eyre was getting used to the camera and warming up. We photographed without any props and then included a bouquet of artificial flowers for this series. You can get the same Green Forest Nymph dress on Amazon and it comes in a variety of colors.
Look #2: mystical oracle
Our second stop was a mystical tree and to give herself the aura of mysticism, Eyre put on a scarlet hooded cloak which she purchased on Etsy. This cape made her and the photos look absolutely epic. I can tell you for sure that we couldn’t have achieved the same look with a cheap Halloween cape, and I am so happy that Eyre invested into this. I bet she will also use this cloak for ceremonies and her Avalon priestess program.
We decided to set up an altar at the base of the mystical tree. Eyre gathered some green leaves, laid them on the ground and placed her magic tools there: sage, smudging feathers, singing bowls, a wooden bow and a candle. Let’s take a look at each one of these in detail.
Tibetan singing bowl and a larger brass singing bowl were some of the props she brought to the photoshoot. Eyre placed red rose petals in a larger bowl (maybe they have been blessed in a ritual she did at home…) and at a certain point of the photoshoot she threw them up in the air. You can see that moment in the behind-the-scenes video from our photoshoot below.
We used a white candle and I am obsessed with the photos we created with it! While photographing, I held a crystal in front of the lens. Doing so adds colors and reflections that the crystal pulls in from its surroundings and the effect can be quite dramatic depending on how you hold it, what’s around you and how the light hits. In some photos with the candle you may notice a mysterious blur in the left bottom corner, and in others you can see the reflection of the trees above us. It doesn’t take a lot to make me happy and this certainly does! :)
I love using crystals during Goddess Photoshoots! Eyre held a white quartz crystal from her own collection and I love this photo we created.
As an oracle, through her connection to Spirit, Eyre helps point her clients in the right direction. To symbolize this in photos, Eyre brought this gorgeous wooden bow. As it turns, out, she found this uniquely shaped piece of wood on her property and painted it. The result was a stunning looking bow that we improvised with to create a series of powerful photos.
Smudging feathers and sage or palo santo is always a good idea for a Goddess Photoshoot if you ask me! We didn’t create much smoke in these shots, but we did with another outfit. Keep reading!
Look #3: Golden Goddess clad in Silk
Eyre changed in the bushes :) When I saw her wearing this gorgeous mustard gold dress, I knew it would look stunning against the backdrop of my favorite dark green leaves that make you look like a tiny fairy when you stand next to them. After we played there, I asked Eyre to sit on the ground because I realized that the leaves are the exact same color as her dress! The one-sleeved equivalent with a sexy shoulder of this dress is available on Amazon in a variety of colors.
Look #4: Golden Sun Goddess in Lush Greenery
Add a simple crown, and the energy of the outfit and the model changes radiantly! Once Eyre put on this Goddess crown in gold, we moved to photograph in the lush fern and the photos we created there are divine. Be sure to check out the behind-the-scenes video to see how I got her to look comfortable amidst all that vegetation ;)
Look #5: Lady in Burgundy Red
By this time in our photoshoot, we were having so much fun but the sun was on the way down and we had to hurry. We had one more location to drive to!! Would we have the time to photograph next to a majestic banyan tree?
We had to work fast. Eyre changed into a burgundy Goddess dress and I asked her to sit amidst all the flowers. I think she was being bitten by bugs and since modeling is harder work than most people think, she and I were both getting tired.
We also played with a peacock feather, but honestly, I don’t think I was quite able to bring into life the exact vision of what I wanted to create with it. I ended up editing this photo in an infra-red style, making all the greens look red.
Then we played right next to the banyan tree, and of course, I asked her to dance to no music :) She looked absolutely divine and I think these photos capture that well.
Look #6: white Linen and Moss Greens in a Moss Cave
We have now moved on to our second photoshoot location and Eyre is standing in a moss cave and talking to her spirit guides. She is wearing a simple A-line linen dress with a draping sleeveless cardigan that drapes her figure. The colors of the outfit are EXACTLY the same color as the Spanish moss encapsulating her into a safe cocoon. I love how the cut of her dress makes the tattoo on her chest visible. This simple outfit works so great in this setting, and I definitely have to give full credit for that (and all the other outfits!) to Eyre: she did her homework well and now she will have a TON of images in different outfits that she will be able to use for so many things.
Look #7: Neutral Colors and natural Fabrics in a Sea of Grass
We stayed in the same color palette in terms of clothing and landscape. Eyre changed into a pair of linen slacks and a top with a frayed front and we set out into the vastness of the South Florida (slightly manicured) wilderness.
At a certain point, when Eyre was squatting in the grass as I had asked her to, her hair got stuck on the tall grass behind her and it inspired me to create these images. I edited them using the infra-red-imitating preset, which turned greens into reds, pinks and magentas. and I absolutely love them:
Look #8: Black romper with feather earrings
Eyre donned a simple black romper, adorner herself with feather earrings and held her ceremonial handheld drum so we could create these images. I used a soft box to light my model and her selenic drum. Super happy with how the images turned out against the backdrop of a darkening sky.
Look #9: Warrior Priestess Jacket and black romper with malas
For this look, Eyre is wearing a black romper and a vintage Warrior Goddess denim jacket. The jacket was one-of-a-kind creation that she found on Etsy that is impossible to find anywhere else. If you look the idea of the jacket, you can try a boho jacket similar to this one I found online. A romper with good reviews that comes in several colors and that is similar to ours is this one. Eyre finished this look with big feather earrings and two malas necklaces.
9 looks at 2 different photoshoot locations and over 100 mages that Eyre received after this epic branding Goddess Photoshoot. Check out the video below to get a glimpse of what our co-creation process looked like:
I also asked Eyre to record an audio note telling about her spiritual journey, which she did, and I added that audio track to the slideshow of almost all photos from her photoshoot. You can watch it here:
Eyre’s branding photoshoot will forever stay in my memory as one of the most epic photoshoots. Is it because it was so fun working with this goddess, or because for the first time in my photography life I felt “famous”? Maybe it’s a mix of both. ;)
To learn more about Eyre and the gifts she brings to this world, please visit her website.
I hope you enjoyed my written and visual story. Thank you for reading!
With love and gratitude,
Francesca Bliss
more from the blog:
the photoshoot that almost didn't happen. twice.
While on vacation in Adana, Turkey, I offered free photoshoot to local beauties in an attempt to grow my portfolio and create portraits in breathtaking Turkish lands. Here is how the process unfolded and what came out of it.
Over twenty girls answered my model search inquiry in a Russian group in Adana, Turkey. My whole family moved there for six months to spend time with our kids’ Turkish grandparents and relatives and I thought it would be amazing to do some art experiments in beautiful landscapes that are so different from South Florida, where I currently live. Out of that sea of Russian-speaking beauties who got excited about a free photoshoot that I was offering, I photographed only two.
I guess it applies to a lot of things in life. We see something shiny and exciting and we are a hell YES for it. But then the mundane details of figuring out the steps, and actually TAKING the steps, and then god forbid there are obstacles in the way, and no matter how shiny the object was and how badly we wanted it, we lose interest.
This is what happened to many of the girls. They got excited about a free photoshoot by an American photographer - that was their shiny object. They were a hell yes for it and messaged me saying they were interested. Then we needed to figure out when they were available and what they would wear, and somehow that got difficult. Or maybe they didn’t value that shiny object because they had no skin in the game, they were not invested in it. Another moral here: people don’t value free stuff.
Whatever the case was, this girl Katya is the heroine of my story. After she messaged me about wanting to be a model in one of my photoshoots, we started discussing the locations and outfits.
The location where I wanted to photograph was in the mountains, half an hour outside of the city. In my vision I saw her wearing a light flowy dress as she was looking over the expanses of a country she made her second home. The only problem was that in that mountain area the temperatures were lower than in the city and it was wintertime! It wasn’t too cold maybe around 15 degrees Celsius (60 F), but still.
Katya seemed to like my vision. Then she disappeared for a few days, and later sent me a message that she might not be a suitable model for my art project.
What happened? Am I not meant to have any photoshoots in Turkey? Am I cursed?
I sensed that something was going on and sent her a voice message explaining that we can do it in a way that works for her (the people pleaser that I am - gosh! I though I was over that…) The reason she got scared to do it in the mountains was because she was afraid to get sick. After our conversation she was back in the game again! I don’t regret compromising in this situation because I still got my model and we photographed in a beautiful place.
We decided to photograph in a gorgeous area in the north of the city near the dam, where my husband took me on one of the rides around the city. I was in love with that place and was looking forward to photographing Katya there.
But it almost didn’t happen. Again.
Katya didn’t have a car and the plan would be that my husband and I would pick her up. My husband had a brilliant idea that we rent a car right before we head to the photoshoot and then have the rental car for the weekend, instead of using his dad’s car. Do you see any potential problems with that? I was almost in tears as we were sitting in the rental car place and the guy was saying to us that he couldn’t give us a car for some reason. It was fifteen minutes before we were supposed to pick up Katya. The one and only photoshoot that I managed to set up in Adana might not happen after all.
I am not sure what happened exactly but fifteen minutes later we did have a car and as we were driving through traffic to pick up Katya, she texted back saying “Don’t worry, everyone is always late in Adana”. Even though Katya didn’t mind us being late, the sun surely wouldn’t wait for us, so we had to hurry.
We made it to this gorgeous place just in time. The sun was about to set, and Katya looked gorgeous in her red lace dress. As most other women, she was a little nervous in the beginning, but after I guided her through posing, she started feeling more relaxed and natural.
Once the sun hid behind the horizon of tall buildings, it was officially blue hour and Katya had changed into a simple outfit of a white jeans and a blue sweater and we took a few photos by the water. Besides a couple fishermen meditating over their fishing rods, and my husband waiting in the car, there wasn’t a soul around. It was serene and that entire outdoor studio of rocky mountains, glass-like water and enormous mountains belonged to us. The photoshoot that almost didn’t happen twice, finally happened.
Here are some behind-the-scenes from our photoshoot:
And a few more images of the gorgeous Katya:
Did Katya’s story get you thinking about what would a portrait photoshoot look like for you? Whether you are just toying with the idea of having your photos taken or are ready to schedule one, I am happy to answer any questions you have. Please reach out and let’s start the conversation!
other turkey vacation stories:
portrait photography session for a military veteran Courtnee
A portrait photography session for a military veteran named Courtnee in West Palm Beach.
“I’m a Goddess!
I don't think I am the only one
but I will confess that I haven't ever thought
I was beautiful.
As a kid, I was the skinny, freckled faced Punky Brewster lookalike.
I compared myself to everyone.
Especially all those women my mind had convinced me
that were prettier than me.
I didn't love myself for most of my life
and had no concept of self love until
I looked in the mirror one day and didn't know who I was.
I had been a chameleon, changing who I was to suit others but never myself.
Since that day, I have poured into me
and continued to discover who I Am.
That meant loving my body
and as much as that is still a work in progress...
I am embracing it as much as possible.
This woman here has been through 20 years of military service
and has seen things many couldn't or wouldn't want to see.
You can't see my injuries and scars but they are there.
Wearing a uniform for 20 years meant
I hid behind the name tape on my chest
and found comfort in looking as uniform as the women beside me.
It wasn't until I retired that I started to embrace my true divine feminine energy.
That is what you see here.
A woman whose is like a lotus that has grown
and blooms despite the muddy environment in which it lives.
Blooming out of darkness and radiating for all to see.
Thank you Francesca Bliss for capturing such a deep but beautiful part of me and my journey.”
When I see women and then get to know their stories, it always amazes me how these gorgeous, powerful, regal creatures have gone through periods of being unhappy in their skin. And I’m ecstatic when I see women coming to embrace their quirks and “imperfections” and start loving themselves and feeling powerful and juicy in their skin. I hope the work I do helps along the way in this self-love journey.
The first time I met Courtnee was right before the photoshoot. After she booked her Goddess Photoshoot with me, I did my research, and was intrigued by the tagline she uses - fearlessly freckles. That’s her Instagram handle (@fearlesslyfreckles) in case you want to look her up. And, of course, I was fascinated by her freckles (something that probably caused her a lot of grief as a kid - I remember trying to get rid of MY freckles when I was little. But mine are not as gorgeous as hers. Wait, what? Stop comparing yourself!)
And what makes her fearless is that this goddess was in the military for 20 years!
We photographed in a park that had a pond and lilies were in bloom at that time. Both of us had zero expectations and we agreed that this photoshoot would simply be a play in the park and whatever comes out of it, so be it.
Courtnee had sent me photos of her outfits beforehand and I told her which ones I thought would work best for the location we chose and for the mood of the photos. I loved the dark green dress and when she showed it to me in the parking lot when deciding what to wear first, she said, “I never got a chance to wear this dress. I bought it to go to a wedding but when the pandemic hit, everything was cancelled.” I thought the dress would almost blend in with the green backdrop, so the focus can be on Courtnee’s fearless freckles and stunning tattoos.
Some of my favorite images from this series are the ones of Courtnee looking toward the golden light of the setting sun. That light was pretty harsh and it is what most beginner photographers avoid at all costs - harsh lines that fall the wrong way are a nightmare. But I have been enjoying harsh light lately because it creates very moody images. The trick is to turn the face toward the light, or just slightly away. Courtnee’s most favorite is the one at the top of this article, with her eyes closed, as if internalizing the self-love she is finally welcoming into her life.
For a more dreamy look in photos, I used Lensbaby Composer Pro 35 mm lens. I love Lensbaby and the dreamy out of focus images it creates, like the ones below.
For the second part of the photoshoot we moved to the pond with lilies and Courtnee changed to a green skirt and a top that accentuated her breasts.
The light was softer by now and when Courtnee sat by the pond, she looked like she was the Queen of those lilies who came out ashore to enjoy her Queendom. I wanted to get as close as possible to the lilies, and even had visions of her in the water, but even though I am crazy sometimes when it comes to getting the right shot, safety comes first.
We then walked over to the other pond where waddling ducks graced some of our photos with their model strut. I love the photo of Courtnee looking fearless as ducks make their way past her, minding their business. I love how feminine and at the same time powerful she looks in these photos. And I love the half-crooked smile that you will recognize in the selfies she posts online. We were able to capture slightly different version of her and I can tell these photos will help her learn to admire and love herself even more, as you read her own words in the beginning of this story.
And of course I made her scream into the sky as she was lying on the ground :) This throat chakra activation/sound healing/permission to be loud/permission to take up space, time and wave lengths is a powerful tool I use in most of my photoshoots. It can seem silly, but it is also liberating and empowering. (If you want to learn more about the tricks I use during Goddess Photoshoots, check out this story.)
To sum it up, I had lots of fun playing with Courtnee :) Here’s some behind-the-scenes magic from our photoshoot:
And this is what Courtnee wrote in a review about working (aka playing) with me:
“I discovered Francesca Bliss on Facebook and reached out to her to inquire about her Goddess Photoshoots. She was super professional and provided me times and dates she was available. She was gracious enough to come closer to my city to shoot. I was very comfortable shooting with her, she demonstrated and explained what she was thinking and made it all seem effortless.
I have photographed with other professionals but she was so down to earth and easy to work with. She made me truly feel like a goddess. My gallery was delivered to me today and it's hard to believe that the goddess in those pictures is me. I don't mean that to say she made me look like someone else but she exposed my true beauty so naturally. I truly feel like a goddess in these photos and what better way to celebrate turning 40 and blossoming into the woman I am becoming.
Need to discover your inner goddess? Let Francesca Bliss guide you. She is her own goddess.”
Curious about your own Goddess Photoshoot but don’t know what that might look like? Check out my article 6 Ways to Do Your Goddess Photoshoot and see if any of my ideas inspire you. And feel free to reach out if you would like to discuss your questions, concerns, inspiration in an online or in-person discovery call.
Remember, having professional photos of yourself taken is a way of honoring yourself, honoring the Goddess within you.
portrait photography session on my trip to Adana, Turkey
A Boca Raton based portrait photographer goes to Adana, Turkey for a vacation. These are the portraits of a Dutch-Turkish goddess they create one fateful evening.
We were planning to photograph in the cotton fields at sunset, Ellen and I. Given the fact that I am new to the area, I asked my father-in-law to take me there the day before so I would scout the location and save it on the maps in my phone.
Cotton fields were gorgeous - fluffy snow white pieces the size of my fist were coming out of seed pods and the whole field like it was covered in giant snow flakes.
“I will wear a knit dress (great texture, I thought!), boots and a beret” Ellen told me about her outfit as we were figuring out what colors would work well together. This would be my first time photographing in cotton fields, I was ecstatic.
The day of the photoshoot she comes to pick me up and we drive off to the location that my husband (my technology guru) saves into Ellen’s phone. We start driving.
We drive and chat (her English is excellent, because my Turkish not so much), and we drive some more. And then we drive, and drive, and drive, and there are no cotton fields around.
At a certain point, when I see golden light flood the streets of the city through which we are driving, it dawns on me that it is not in the cards for us to find the cotton fields.
“Change of plans”, I say. “Let’s go to Central Park and photograph there”.
We make it there and jog to take photos while there is still light - the sun is already behind a tall Hilton building. I am just using available light, a 35 mm lens for wider shots and 85 mm for tighter portraits.
As it gets darker and darker, I get really inspired by the view of the mosque against the dark blue sky. I use the street light to light my gorgeous model. As she turn her face up and to the right, she is lit perfectly, and I am very happy with the final shots.
I wanted to create some photos of Ellen looking back at the mosque. I had Ellen turned toward me, but whenever I gave her a signal, she would turn back to look at the mosque behind her. It created beautiful movement in some of the shots and made her hair fly.
Some of my most favorite photos are these:
The moral of the story is this: flexibility is key. If you can’t find what you are looking for, “settling” for another option might be the very option that was meant to be for you at that moment ;)
other stories from Turkey:
6 ways to do your Goddess Photoshoot
These 6 strategies for going about planning and preparing for your Goddess Photoshoot will take the overwhelm out of it and give your creative process direction.
The idea of a Goddess Photoshoot sounds exciting, but then the questions of what to wear, where to photograph, what else to bring can overwhelm you. The 6 ways to do your Goddess Photoshoot that I am suggesting below will help answer some questions as soon you decide which method resonates with you.
“Goddess Photoshoot? Uuuu, sounds juicy. But what exactly does it look like?”, women sometimes ask me.
A Goddess Photoshoot is a photography experience.
“So it’s a portrait photography session? Like photos in a studio?”
Kind of. But it is more than just pretty pictures of you smiling into the camera.
I am a portrait photographer - women are my inspiration, and so is nature. And since our human nature in its origin is wild, nature is where I love to photograph my subjects. Nature is a safe place where we can connect to the deepest parts of ourselves, our primal parts, the wild parts of ourselves that we have been suppressing to fit in, to be “normal”, to be liked.
During a Goddess Photoshoot I invite you to allow Your Inner Goddess to come out and play. We play in nature and create portraits of you that show different aspects of your essence. Like an actress in theater who steps into a role, with each outfit change you have the permission to portray parts of you that are wanting to be expressed.
When women see photos of themselves, their perception of self changes. “I never realized what a beautiful, soulful woman I am, thank you so much for showing it to me”, one woman said. Anyway, I am not here to sell you on a Goddess Photoshoot, I am here to educate you on 6 different ways you can go about doing your Goddess Photoshoot.
You can think of the suggestions below as THEMES for your photoshoot. It is something that gives direction and narrows down your options and thus makes it less overwhelming. And if you are deeply spiritual and feel connected to a particular deity, these suggestions will only seem natural.
6 ways to go about your Goddess Photoshoot
1. EMBODY YOUR GODDESS.
Have a Goddess Card reading to find out which Goddess energy resonates with you, or what your Goddess archetype is and EMBODY THAT GODDESS during your photoshoot. A Goddess card reading is an intuitive card reading that can be done in person or over the phone.
If you already know to which Goddess you feel strongly connected, you can embody that Goddess during your photoshoot. For example, Claudia of the Red Tent Goddess Sisterhood has a very strong connection to Isis, a Goddess that she has been working with for many years. Claudia used golden wings, an ankh cross and included other symbols of Isis in her photos.
Once you know your Goddess and what colors and symbols are associated with her, we select the location for your Goddess Photoshoot that resonates with her, and your outfits and props are inspired by your Goddess.
Here are several examples of women who did a Goddess reading before their photoshoot. Please note that these photoshoot happened a few years earlier, and I feel like my skills have evolved since then, so don’t judge my photography too harshly :)) Aside from my photography, you might find some of the stories interesting.
2. INVITE THE GODDESS INTO YOUR LIFE.
Think of what you want to bring more of into your life, for example, prosperity, compassion, fertility, creativity, success, etc. Then find out which Goddess boasts those attributes and resonates with you and embody that Goddess. Think of it as an INVITATION OF THAT GODDESS INTO YOUR LIFE. Then all the details of your Goddess Photoshoot will be inspired by your Goddess - from the location, to props and the color of your outfits.
The best example of this type of photoshoot is Lina’s Lakshmi Photoshoot. Lina wanted to invite more abundance and prosperity into her life. That is why she chose to embody Lakshmi and wore a red dress and lavish gold jewelry. Take a look at the behind-the-scenes video of how her makeup was created and how we photographed, and the final images of four-armed Lakshmi on a blue lotus.
3. AWAKEN THE INNER GODDESS.
“I’m a Goddess and I know it.” said a woman named Jennifer Nicole during her consultation once. “I am going to be myself”.
YOU ARE THE EMBODIMENT OF THE DIVINE FEMININE and YOU ARE A GODDESS! Just be you and you have yourself a Goddess Photoshoot.
This type of photoshoot can also be called your INNER GODDESS PHOTOSHOOT and there are two ways to do it:
a) You can either come as you are - just bring several pretty outfits and we will play to create your portraits. Or,
b) spend some time reflecting on what your inner goddess is like (journal about it, visualize, think of what colors you see, maybe even create a mood board of images that inspire you.
Examples of INNER GODDESS PHOTOSHOOTS are:
Powerful and Gentle - Jennifer Nicole’s Goddess Photoshoot
Eliza - includes the behind-the-scenes movie about that photoshoot!
Katie’s Goddess Photoshoot (she is a South Florida Drum Temple leader/facilitator and an amazing digital art creator)
Lourdes’ Sexy over Sixty Photoshoot
An example of “come as you are” inner goddess photoshoot: Sasha’s Palm Beach photoshoot I guess this type of photoshoot is what normal people would call a portrait photography session, but I am not normal :)) And Sasha is such a Goddess - she deserves nothing less than a Goddess Photoshoot!)
4. SENSUAL GODDESS PHOTOSHOOT.
If you feel that at this stage of your life you want to express your sensuality, let it become the main theme of your Goddess Photoshoot. This type of photoshoot can be done in nature or indoors - think boudoir photoshoot, but the main goal is not just the outward seduction, but also a deep connection to your own body and sensuality/sexuality. Depending on how brave you feel, you can be partially nude, completely nude, or implied nude (where you appear nude but breasts or private areas are not showing).
5. ELEMENTAL GODDESS.
“I feel very drawn to fire lately”, Christina said to me before her last Goddess Photoshoot. I have photographed this woman several times and because she is a wordsmith, she writes very poetic essays about her Goddess Photoshoots with me :) This interpretation of a Goddess Photoshoot came to me just recently but I find it very inspiring: ELEMENTAL GODDESS.
Explore the element that you feel drawn to, or YOUR element and we build your photoshoot around it. If it is water, we can create some sensual photos of you submerged in the water, you pouring water, playing with water, or simply being next to water.
6. BRANDING GODDESS PHOTOSHOOT
If you are a healer, a spiritual entrepreneur, or an artist, we can translate your energy into unique photos that you can use not only for your personal enjoyment, but also for marketing of your business. In addition to a two-hour option, this type of photoshoot has a longer and more expensive four-hour version which allows us to strategically create visual content for your upcoming offerings. This type of photoshoot typically requires more preparation, but I guide my Goddesses every step of the way so they don’t feel lost. And the results are also very rewarding - you get a ton of amazing content that you can use for months to come.
Some examples of Branding Goddess Photoshoots are:
Branding Photoshoot for a Holistic Healer and Yoga Teacher - with step by step breakdown of a the branding shoot process and behind-the-scenes magic.
Goddess Photoshoot for a Nomadic Ecstatic Dancer
Personal Branding for a Chef, Health Coach and Green Goddess
Coming up with a theme for your Goddess Photoshoot gives it direction and takes the overwhelm out of it. I always recommend to my clients that they create a mood board for their photoshoot. Think of all of it as creative play and let your inspiration lead you to, perhaps, discovering parts of yourself that are ready to see the light ;)
And I better wrap up this story now before I come up with 27 other ways to do it, because other themes that come to mind are Warrior Goddess, Wise Woman, Rewild to name a few :)
I hope the examples above help you decide how YOU want to be portrayed. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment or send me a private message - I will happily answer! ♥
With love and gratitude,
Francesca Bliss
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
Goddess photoshoot for a nomadic ecstatic dancer
She was sitting in a hammock tied to two giant pine trees next to a creek in the woods of West Virgina. She was smiling, so carefree and joyful that I was immediately drawn to her. Being in that neck of the woods was an adventure for me. I left my two kids under the age of 4 with my husband and went to the East Coast Tantra Festival to photograph.
She was sitting in a hammock tied to two giant pine trees next to a creek in the woods of West Virgina. She was smiling, so carefree and joyful that I was immediately drawn to her. Being in that neck of the woods was an adventure for me. I left my two kids under the age of 4 with my husband and went to the East Coast Tantra Festival to photograph. Little did I know that this experience would be so much more than just a photography assignment. (If you are curious to read more about that event, check out this blog article).
The joyous woman I met at the Tantra Festival was Leianna Love and two years later I finally get a chance to do a photoshoot with her, when she came to South Florida. She travels in her RV, together with her cat Stevie, who got to start in the photos as well!
We got go photograph at two locations - one at a church site where Leianna was staying that had a huge open space with a labyrinth. “I love the beach too!” she said, so we worked fast and took a drive to the beach and photographed there as well. That day the sun set into clouds before it rolled behind the horizon so we did not have golden light on the beach. Instead we had a moody sky and the images came out uniquely beautiful.
Here are the results of our collaboration with Leianna. I hope you enjoy viewing these images as much as I enjoyed creating them ♥
Check out this video on my YouTube channel about what East Coast Tantra Festival where we met looked like. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to be notified of new videos I publish.
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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.
how accurately do goddess readings portray you? 5 ways this girl convinced me they are dead-on!
First of all, what is a goddess reading? Goddess reading is an intuitive reading usually done over the phone, during which the woman who is having the reading done, finds out the energy of which goddess she embodies. For the curios, a goddess reading is used as a tool to set the direction for the Goddess Photoshoot, for deeply spiritual people it is a way to connect more deeply to the Divine Feminine. Some women use it just as a way to choose the outfits, props and location for the photoshoot based on the goddess mythology. Others go as far as setting up altars to the Goddess and learning mantras and affirmations associated with their particular Goddess.
First of all, what is a goddess reading? Goddess reading is an intuitive reading usually done over the phone, during which the woman who is having the reading done, finds out the energy of which goddess she embodies. For the curios, a goddess reading is used as a tool to set the direction for the Goddess Photoshoot, for deeply spiritual people it is a way to connect more deeply to the Divine Feminine. Some women use it just as a way to choose the outfits, props and location for the photoshoot based on the goddess mythology. Others go as far as setting up altars to the Goddess and learning mantras and affirmations associated with their particular Goddess.
My personal encounter with the different goddesses happened through Goddess Photoshoots that I did, and I have learned about Diana, Aphrodite, Isis, The Changing Woman, Oonagh, Yemaya, Quan Yin, and others. When I met this girl named Celeste, she was feminine, but at the same time very different from all the other women. When she had her goddess reading done by Kimberly Moore of http://shaktiwomyn.com/, Celeste found out that her goddess was Kali.
"Born from the brow of Parvati, Kali killed the demonic forces that were threatening the world. She danced with the Lord of the Dance, Shiva, and it is said the dance grew wilder and wilder, and as the dance continues, it will one day shake the world to pieces. She killed other demons during another battle, and it is said that after they were dead, Kali was exhilarated, laughing and roaring, drinking their blood, dancing in frenzy, hence Her dance of death and destruction.
She is seen as a Dark Goddess, as She dances the dance of death and destruction, but She is also keeper of time and will be there when new things emerge from Her destruction. When you see Her, there is no mistaking Her. She wears a necklace of skulls around Her neck, She holds weapons in Her numerous hands. Her tongue protrudes from Her mouth. She can be terrifying to behold and to work with. Do not ask from Her which you are incapable of receiving as She is fierce in her love for Her daughters."
[Above is an excerpt from http://themotherhouseofthegoddess.com/2016/07/27/the-wild-she-kali-susan-morgaine/]
So this goddess is not your usual soft and delicate type of lady. This goddess is kind of wild! Since when I first met Celeste, I did not know her well, I really got a first really good glimpse of her when we met for our photoshoot.
The first thing that I see before Celeste even gets out of the car when she pulls into the parking lot of Lake Ida Park is the bumper sticker that reads "Namaste, bitches.". How much more Kali can it get?
Once we start heading to the trees where we will photograph, I ask Celeste to do a simple pose for me, so I can just snap a quick portrait. And as she puts her hand on her waist, I see a small batch of underarm hair. As I think to myself, that she probably will not want me to photoshop it out, as if she read my mind, she says, "I was going to color my underarm hair purple, so that is why I have been growing it out." Seriously, how bold is that?
Another thing that was "so Kali" about Celeste was that she had dreadlocks!
Once Celeste changes into a different outfit, a scarf that now becomes her top bares of one of her tattoos, and the tattoo is of a skull!
And the last thing was that Celeste had a raspy voice. Whenever I recover from a cold and once my scratchy throat gets better, I always love that slight hoarse sounding vibration that my voice gets. Celeste just has that sexy voice all the time.
You can accuse me of finding meaning where none exists, but I thought those little details about Celeste were so distinctive and so different from your typical vision of what a feminine goddess "should be", that I felt compelled to share these details here.
Every woman is distinctive, and even if two women do a goddess reading and it reveals the same goddess, the way that energy manifests in each one of them will be different, with some features more strongly highlighted than others.
Want to reveal YOUR goddess? Contact Kimberly and schedule your goddess reading today. You might learn something new about yourself or might start perceiving yourself a little differently ;)
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: