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
the official story of how I got started in photography
The story of how it all started. Plus the wisdom to those wanting to follow their bliss. Read it all here.
I was sitting outside of my apartment smoking as I saw them carry furniture and lots of boxes into the apartment two doors down.
She was a below average woman with disheveled strawberry blond hair, glasses, and plump cheeks. I shyly waived, said hello and went back to my smoking meditation.
One thing smoking does for you is that it allows you to see your neighbors much more often than you would otherwise. I was born in Russia, where you go to your neighbors to borrow salt, eggs, or a chaser for your vodka. The lady’s name was Kimberly and when I ran out of cigarettes, I would bum them from her. We would talk more and more. One day when I knocked on her door, she was on the phone so she waived for me to come in.
As I crossed over the threshold, it was like I entered another world. There were books everywhere - in the bookcase, on the table, some books in freshly arrived Amazon boxes on the floor next to her desk. I saw an altar set up next to a Quan Yin tapestry on the wall, but back then I didn't know it was Quan Yin. The scent of incense was filling the air, candles burning among crystals and statues of more than thirty Goddesses all over the room. Her apartment was like a Goddess wonderland, something that I had never seen before in my life.
Kimberly was the one who taught me about Goddesses, took me to my very first Moon Circle, gave me books about spirituality. She opened up a whole new world for me. She also showed me her digital camera - it was a Canon Rebel 3Ti - the camera she used for taking photos for her food and Goddesses blogs. When I told her about how photography always fascinated me, she said, “Why don’t you get a digital camera and give it a try?”
Don’t you love it how people who give advice always make it sounds so easy?
Spend $600 on a camera and do it.
Is there a guarantee that it will all work out fine and it will be the correct decision? $600 is a lot of money after all! And how do I do it? I have never studied photography.
“You can sign up for a class at the Boca Raton Museum School of Art so they can teach you the basics.”
Oh… Well… If you put it that way it doesn’t sound that complicated anymore… I think. I have always liked it, after all. Maybe it is worth a shot?
Maybe it is worth a shot... or maybe two! who's counting anyway? Shots is what I loved doing at that time. Along with beer and wine of any color. The wine had a tendency to run out when you were having the best time and forced me to go get another bottle which ended up being too much. This was the story of my life for many years. I knew I had a drinking problem and my attempts to stop the addiction ended in me in front of the bottle sooner or later. After I realized I needed help, I went to an all-women’s AA group on April 18, 2013 and have been sober since. Oh, I also quit smoking on the following day.
Now that my evenings and weekends were not filled with the fog of inebriation, the little voice inside me was getting louder and louder. The voice that I had been ignoring since my early twenties. The voice that kept telling me to try my hand at photography. The voice that was filled with trepidation every time I would spend my last college money on a fashion magazine to look at the pictures inside. I handled each magazine with so much care as if it was sacred.
That voice that I no longer shut up with alcohol made me by the same digital camera as my neighbor Kimberly had. And to make things easier, I followed Kimberly’s advice to the tee. I signed up for Introduction to Digital Photography and Photoshop for Beginners class at a local art school. If I fail miserably, it wasn’t my idea - my neighbor made me do it.
And here I am, nine years later, calling myself Francesca Bliss, the artist, the Goddess photographer, the intuitive artist… I cannot imagine my life without photography and the women whose lives I help transform. I have followed my bliss and became Francesca Bliss :)
As I reflect on this experience of getting started I have a revelation.
Our brains love certainty. It is predictable, therefore, safe.
Starting something new means UNcertainty = scary
And because we want a guarantee of a pretty outcome with a bow on top, we decide go forego the experience altogether.
There is no bow on top and it’s NOT pretty.
It is messy, it is awkward because you have no idea what you are doing.
Sometimes it is expensive and it makes you make sacrifices.
It is also joyful, makes you meet new friends, and opens up a whole new world to you and it makes you grow, grow, GROW.
I am so thankful for Kimberly and other people on my path who have encouraged me to follow my bliss. And I feel that it is now my duty to pass the same teachings onto other people who might need a nudge to pursue their dreams. My words of wisdom are the quote by John Burroughs that I first read in Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way:
“Jump and the net will appear.”
The Universe is mysterious this way, it supports you in your desires of the heart. You just need to start. There is magic in action. The magic that will take you onto the other side, the side where your dreams live. The worst thing that can happen is that you try and you don't like it. And the best thing? Well... The best thing depends on HOW MUCH you end up loving it :)
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on the link and buy a product, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
If you want more nudging in the direction of your dreams, get this book:
you may also like:
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
sexy over sixty: goddess photoshoot for sexty-three year old Lourdes Starshower
I knew she would say “I feel the most alive at the ocean” when we were discussing the location for her Goddess Photoshoot. And she did :)
I knew she would say “I feel the most alive at the ocean” when we were discussing the location for her Goddess Photoshoot. And she did :)
Lourdes Starshower, a tantra healer, had turned sexty-three earlier that year. That was a reason enough to celebrate with a photoshoot! In addition to that, to embrace the feminine AND masculine in her, she had just changed her hairstyle. Her hair was now cut short on one side and was longer on the other side. And on top of that, Lourdes wanted to connect more to the sensual, sexy and playful goddess inside her; she felt that she had shut that part off a little bit in a way when she was with her previous partner.
The video below sums up Lourdes’ photoshoot into four and a half minutes. The part of the video you do not want to miss is at 3:50 - please be sure to check it out.
And here is how it unfolded from the beginning if you are curious about the whole process step by step ;)
I got to the park well ahead of time because I wanted to prepare everything for this one shot… I had a vision for an image I wanted to create when Lourdes sent me photos of her outfits. I saw her lying on the ground in the red dress, surrounded by green fern leaves and red roses. I didn’t tell Lourdes about my idea, but got all my necessary supplies before heading to her photoshoot.
Check out a quick video below about how we created this photo:
I must also mention that we created the shot with the roses much later, not in the beginning of the shoot. You see, when Lourdes got there, she was like a toddler - wanting to go here and there and climb the trees. She ended up changing into a more tree-climb-conducive green dress and we created the images below first. I set up the fern and roses on the ground but we got to them much later. The light shifted by then but we were lucky that it still worked well, though there were patches of bright direct sunlight on her body, but I am ok with that.
Lourdes changed into the red dress and we created the images on the ground plus photos of her with the crown, which I love!
And a few playful images with another fascinator right after that:
It was now time to head to the beach, before the sun set completely.
The waves were so loud on that day, we heard them from the woody area. They were also so powerful that when I was photographing Lourdes kneeling on the sand, I almost got knocked over by a wave and washed away into the ocean!
Lourdes really got into her sensual playful lioness spirit while posing for me on the sand. The images we created are so playful and joyful, take a look:
And this sequence of images of Lourdes being splashed by a wave is one of my favorites!
It was an incredible photoshoot and I am so happy with the images Lourdes and I created. Her Goddess Photoshoot was a great fnew beginning of bringing more of the sensual and playful Goddess into her life. ♥
Is ocean and the beach a place where you feel most alive? If you were to have your photos taken at the beach, how do you envision them? Please reach out for a free twenty-minute discovery call if you want to talk about what your beach photoshoot would look like.
other goddess photoshoot stories:
branding photoshoot for OZO2 eco dry cleaners in palm beach
“We want people to think of us as a SPA for CLOTHES, not as dry cleaners” says Irina with a smile about their business, OZO2 eco dry cleaner.
“We want people to think of us as a SPA for CLOTHES, not as dry cleaners” says Irina with a smile about their business, OZO2 eco dry cleaner.
And their Palm Beach store has exactly that luxury vibe! It is not a place where you just run in to drop off your stuff to be cleaned. It is a place where you bring clothing you love, perhaps designer pieces, or items you have curated and collected over the years, to be cleaned and cared for. OZO2 cleaners Palm Beach location looks and feels like a boutique, and its owners are Irina and Jurate, two fashionistas with a sense of humor.
When the ladies approached me for a branding photoshoot, we talked about ideas for images, and most of the visualizing had already been done by the very creative Irina. Having worked in a marketing and modeling industry before, Irina knew exactly what kind of images would convey the message of their brand.
To demonstrate that an item of clothing receives personalized attention, and to illustrate the idea of laundering and what kind of clothing they can take care of, Irina suggested we pin a blouse or another fashionable piece of clothing to a rope/clothesline and Jurate and Irina would both hold it. Whimsical exaggeration at its best, I immediately loved the idea (and to this day wonder if I would have ever thought of it myself!) We recreated that image in several variations to make sure we got the winning shot which would then be published in this edition of Modern Luxury Palm Beach magazine.
While we were at it, we also captured some images of Jurate and Irina working side by side, choosing the best detergents and cleaning products for their clients and the environment:
The company offers pick-up and delivery services so we grabbed one quick image with their van, which can often be seen on luxurious Worth Avenue and streets of Palm Beach:
Irina had another brilliant idea of a photo with the van, but we ended up not executing it simply because we did not have time. We did create other images of them working in the store:
Individual photo of each wonder woman during our branding photoshoot was a must:
And a few more images of the two women together:
To create variety in the photos that we created, not only did we use different backgrounds for the photos, but Irina and Jurate changed their outfits several times. And being true fashionistas they are, their outfits ranged from simple and tasteful to dazzling and glamorous.
To illustrate individual attention to very delicate items we shot this image of Irina talking an employee while looking at a lace blouse:
Going along with the brand image of being fashionable yet tongue in cheek, we created these parody of high fashion photos image. It was lots of fun to create these!
We also took a couple of shots of owners outside of their store, with the sign in the background, set against gorgeous Florida blue sky.
For the last part of our shoot we headed to a Palm Beach boutique to recreate the image of a blouse hanging on a clothes line. Since that image would be used for a publication, we wanted to make sure we got our bases covered, so we re-created the same shot in another boutique.
Which image won? Well, the image that got printed in Modern Luxury Palm Beach in an article called Dynamic Women was this one:
This branding photoshoot with two powerful women was lots of fun and very inspiring. It was good to be around women who see dressing up as art, in a way, women who value beautiful pieces of clothing. Because what we wear is an expression of our inner world, it is a form of art, and the fact that they have built an empire around that is even more inspiring. Serving other fashionistas like themselves and other affluent clients who value quality and personalized attention, while using eco-friendly products, these dynamic women are surely changing the world. For more information about OZO2 cleaners, please visit their website and follow them on Instagram. And here are a few more images from our branding photoshoot in fashionable Palm Beach:
Have a small business and would love images that translate your company spirit, values, services or products into powerful photos? I would love to work with you! Send me a text or an email and let’s talk!
divine feminine power: what it is and 6 ways to step into yours
You know that feeling when you have your hair done? You feel magical, notice the attention you get from everyone, can’t stop admiring yourself in the mirror and even when you are NOT looking at your reflection in the mirror, you can’t help but smile because you KNOW that you totally ROCK? That feeling. Would you like more of that?
You know that feeling when you have your hair done? You feel magical, notice the attention you get from everyone, can’t stop admiring yourself in the mirror and even when you are NOT looking at your reflection in the mirror, you can’t help but smile because you KNOW that you totally ROCK? That feeling. Would you like more of that?
You might also feel this way when you wear an outfit in which you know you look good and in which you FEEL CONFIDENT. There is this electrifying energy that comes FROM INSIDE OF YOU and people can’t help but SEE and FEEL it.
When you feel all magical after a haircut or feel like a superhero when you are dressed for success, YOU ARE IN YOUR POWER!
When you are in your power, you are aware of your awesomeness.
When you are in your power, you know that you are amazing and it shines so brightly that others KNOW it too. It’s like a blinding light that radiates from you that people simply cannot ignore. That’s what being in your power is.
For me, being in my power means fully owning my talents, special gifts, knowledge, wisdom, and expertise. Growing up in the Soviet Union, talking about yourself in a positive way always meant bragging and it was not good. You were supposed to be like everyone else and not stick out.
Because of that, I learned to downplay my strong sides, and say that they are “nothing, not a big deal”, that “it is not me, it just happened to me, it is genetics or whatever”. When someone would say “You are so good with languages, it is incredible that you speak several of them”, I would say “Oh, with good teachers anyone can do that. Languages come easy to me, it is not a big deal.”
Even now, when I seem to be doing much better in owning my power, when someone says “you are so talented”, I say, “no, i am not, it is not something that I do consciously, it is something that happens through me, i am just a vessel.”
Though there is a lot of truth in that last sentence when it comes to my creative process, owning my creativity and talents is exactly what being in my power means.
I am talented.
I am creative.
I am proud of myself.
I have worked hard to get to where I am (though it didn’t feel like hard work, more like creative play) and I will continue to grow. That’s what being in your power means.
“Being in my power means listening to my own voice over the voice of others & following through with my word on my beliefs.” another woman said.
Being in your power means not being a victim of circumstances. You have the power to change either your actions, or at least your attitude so you are not in a victim role, ever. You don’t blame others for what happens to you, but you also don’t blame yourself, you just learn from the experience and move on.
When you are in your power, you don’t use excuses to cover up your inability to do something. Instead, you find ways to do what you need to do. You don’t say “I can’t do this because of something that is outside of my control.” You say, HOW can I do it? Is there any way I can accomplish this?”
As my mom used to say (in Russian), “Those who don’t want to do something, find reasons and excuses, those who want to do it, find ways and opportunities to do it.
When you are in your power, you understand the power of the words you use. You say things with intention. Every word has meaning. You don’t say “I am trying to get in shape”, you say “I am getting in shape”. You also speak lovingly about yourself and your body.
When you are in your power, you take good care of your body because you understand that you need your physical body to be capable of doing all the things you set out to do. You admire your body and thank it for all the simple yet wonderful things it enables you to do.
So using simple language, you could say that being in your power is being CONFIDENT.
Confident that you are smart, capable, beautiful, to do whatever you set out to accomplish.
Confident that you are enough.
Confident that you have all the talent, wisdom or access to resources that you need to complete a task.
Confident that everything will work out well.
Confidence is awesome, I just like the word POWER better because it’s more electrifying. It makes me think of
MIGHT
DRIVE
ELECTRIC
PASSION
CHARGE
ENERGY
SUPERPOWER
AUTHORITY
POWERHOUSE
POWER UP
When I taught American accent training to foreign students, one of the tips that I gave them was to EXAGGERATE their American accent when we were practicing. Because when they went back to speaking English in their everyday life, they would shrink back to about 30% of what they learned in class. So the more they exaggerated their American accent in class, the higher their chance was to sounding more American in everyday interaction.
The same with being in your power and confidence. The more passionate you are about your talents and positive traits in front of a bathroom mirror, the higher the chance you will actually speak and act confidently in the real world. (A bathroom mirror is like our classroom :))
There is nothing wrong with the word “confidence”. But I feel like it is being shy of its accomplishments, that’s why we need to give it a boost and talk about electric words to get ourselves powered up. That’s why motivational speakers sound like they had a six pack of Red Bull or a pot of coffee when they teach. They need to energize you to their level so that you can affect change in your life.
Only people who are PASSIONATE about something can affect change. Many humans seek the path of least resistance and to really affect change you have to be a real powerhouse that can get others to believe in what you believe.
So I don’t invite you to become confident.
I invite you to STEP INTO YOUR POWER.
I invite you to put on your SUPERHERO outfit and follow your PASSION. Be the AUTHORITY to your clients if you have a business, be the LEADER to your followers. Use your ENERGY to live a full and rich life and by shining your light CONFIDENTLY this way, you will give the permission to many others to step into their POWER.
(Uff… I feel like I just ran a marathon. Being a motivational speaker is not easy :))
Check out this video to learn more about the Goddess Photoshoot and how it can help you connect to your divine feminine power:
Here are few simple ways to step into your power:
Move your body, literally electrify your body through walking, dancing, doing some yoga, running outside with your kids
Make a list of all the qualities that you admire or like in yourself, hang that list by the mirror and read it aloud to yourself when you look in the mirror daily.
When someone pays you a compliment, don’t rush to answer it. Hear it, digest it, and think whether what you are about to say downplays your role in it, or if it affirms your special efforts, or talents. Remember, OWN YOUR AWESOMENESS.
Be mindful of how you speak. Use empowering language that sets you up for success, talk lovingly about your body, never make self-degrading comments even if jokingly.
Have a digital portrait of yourself created. Basically, you email your photo to a digital artist and she creates a piece of art in which you are depicted as a goddess, superhero, whatever you want to be. Check out my girl Katie for this service. This one requires a larger investment that the previous tips, but it is totally worth it,
Have professional photos of yourself taken. Another way of stepping into your power that costs money but that can enhance your life in so many ways. Having an artist create portraits of you so you can see how powerful and beautiful you already are, so you can admire yourself and see how the world sees you. Have your portraits printed and display them in your house for a daily reminder of your amazingness. You can also use these photos for your social media or website, if you have a business or service.
When you are in your power, the sky’s the limit! When you have the confidence that you are enough, that you will succeed, even if it is on twentieth time, you boldly go in the direction of your dreams and create the life you want. By being in your power you give others the permission to do the same. By being the most unapologetic and strong version of you you are making the world a better place! If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for the good of the world!
Now to you.
What does being in your power look like to you? Please share in the comments or send me a personal message.
With love and gratitude,
Francesca Bliss
life lessons from a chicken
My husband promised our daughters (6.5 and 5 years old) baby chicks when we got to Turkey. His father, the Turkish grandpa, got two hens before we came here. The girls named them Raspberry and Chocolate.
One afternoon I noticed a box in the chicken coop. It had holes in it for air.
I told Lila (my five-year-old) there was someone in the box and we should let them out so they don’t suffocate. We opened the box and let out a very fluffed up white rooster and a giant white hen with some rust stained feathers.
The rooster got whiter over time and we named him Snowball. The hen got even rustier, but we still named her Marshmallow.
The new hen, the one that came in the same box with the rooster, was very big. At times, she challenged the rooster. She was the first one to chase away the cat when it came near. “This hen has balls” we thought. My husband and I didn’t even call her Marshmallow anymore, we called her Alpha Female. And I was so proud that this girl was standing up for herself in the animal kingdom.
One late night, when we came back from a two-day road trip, the grandpa, who normally goes to sleep with the chickens, was still up to greet us. He was so excited!
“I have a surprise for you, kids!" he said.
We all go outside to the chicken coop, the headlights of the car lighting it up.
“Two baby chicks have hatched!!!”
They were tiny, fluffy little things, you could fit them in the palm of your hand. Total cuteness overload not just for the kids, but for us, adults.
The next day another one hatched, and one more the next day. We now have four chicks! And if you want a visual definition of "smothering", watch these girls pick up the chicks every two minutes to play with them.
After another four-day road trip to Ankara, the capital, my husband asks, “Did you notice that the rooster’s voice got deeper while we were away?”
But as it turned out later, it wasn’t the rooster whose voice got deeper. It was the Alpha Female who was making that noise! She turned out to be a rooster!
“But her crest is so small, how can she be a rooster?” I asked.
“He is still growing, and his crest IS getting bigger, look." I didn’t know roosters don’t start crowing until they mature.
He pulls his neck down, forward and up and crows like a grandpa, a faint scratchy sound barely escaping his vocal chords. Then his crowing becomes more confident. Now we call her The Hen Who is Actually a Rooster.
Why am I telling you this story? Well, first of all, it’s funny. Second, it teaches us a powerful lesson about life.
How often do we jump to conclusions that something is not working, that something oughta be a certain way but it’s not and we just give up on it?
I can especially relate to it as an entrepreneur. When at times I put so much into my business but there seems to be no growth, there’s no sound of it getting to the next level. And I can relate to it as an artist. When I am agonizing over wanting to get getter, learning, trying out new techniques, but don't see any improvement.
But in reality, growth happens.
Slow, incremental, almost invisible growth, that when compounded, helps you make a quantum leap into a full blown cock-a-doodle-dooing giant rooster.
We just got to be patient, allowing that inner growth to take place, observing it and continuing the work.
With love and gratitude,
Francesca Bliss
more of my personal stories:
portrait photography session in palm beach or what to expect before, during and after a photoshoot
The idea of a professional photoshoot can be exciting and intimidating at once. Even the most confident women have insecurities and they all come out when you are about to face the camera.
The idea of a professional photoshoot can be exciting and intimidating at once. Even the most confident women have insecurities and they all come out when you are about to face the camera.
To give you an idea of what a photoshoot with me looks like, here is how the process worked for me and the gorgeous babe Sasha in these photos. She looks like a total supermodel, right? But, believe me, even she had her fears before and during the shoot.
Creating beautiful portraits is a three-part magic process:
preparation for the photoshoot
the photoshoot itself
editing of the photos
part I: preparation for the photoshoot
Before the photoshoot
We clear our calendars for the evening of the photoshoot. Husbands are notified of their children-caring responsibilities so we leave knowing we have several hours of uninterrupted time just for ourselves. Keeping our fingers crossed for the weather to conspire with us (spoiler alert: she does).
Important questions to answer now:
What to wear?
Where will we photograph?
What do I do with my hair and makeup? (gosh, I am already freaking out!)
I provide guidance with all three questions and here is how we handle them:
What to wear to a photoshoot?
Go through your closet and choose several outfits that you like and that resonate with you. It is important that outfit colors harmonize with the location and make your photos look cohesive. For that reason I ask my clients to send me selfies or pictures of clothing beforehand. This way we can dial in on the two or three outfits for the shoot. Another way to handle this is to bring four to five outfits to the photoshoot. Right before we start photographing, I will tell you which clothing combinations will photograph better. This second option adds a little more stress to the day of the photoshoot and I only recommend if you absolutely cannot zero in on two outfits.
Remember your accessories! Jewelry, a purse, a scarf, a hat, bracelets - things that will complete your outfit and will bring out the Goddess inside.
Sasha’s case: Sasha used to have a fashion blog so this goddess knows how to dress. “I wanted to show two different moods, both of which represent me” she says about how she chose what to wear for her photoshoot. One was very feminine and sophisticated (a white vintage Ralph Lauren dress) and the second one was bold and daring chic (green jeans and screaming colorful jacket). Sasha accessorized both outfits with a green belt, green purse, and a straw hat for the first look.
Where will we photograph?
Some women I photograph know exactly where they want to be photographed. Others don’t have a clue. I will provide you with a list of places that I think will be great for your photoshoot and you choose the location that speaks to you and that you are excited about.
Any place we choose usually offers several backdrops so that we can create a variety of photos for you. If you love the beach, it can be photos on the sand, on the rocks, against the backdrop of water, in the water, in the green area near the beach. Variety IS the spice of portrait photography, especially because you are paying for it!
Sasha loves vintage stuff, details, unique things with history and character. Based on her preferences and taking into consideration the outfits she chose, we decided to photograph on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.
What do I do with my hair and makeup?
First of all, breathe! The basics: your hair must be freshly washed the day before or on the day of the photoshoot. Your eyebrows need to be plucked. Your fingernails either painted or completely without nail polish. The camera sees everything and it is not as easy to “just remove it in Photoshop”. You can style your hair they way you normally do. If you want something extra special, for $100-$200 a hair stylist/makeup artist can do your hair and makeup. If you normally don’t wear makeup, you might want to add some mascara, foundation and lip gloss for your photos. You can also go completely au naturel, or go all in with makeup, it all depends on the look you are going for.
Sasha’s case: Sasha did her own makeup.
The hardest part is done! Now the only thing you need to do is SHOW up for yourself. Show up to acknowledge your beauty, your strength, your uniqueness. Show up to LOVE yourself and to be seen.
Try to get adequate sleep and eat well before your photoshoot. You want to feel rested and replenished.
part II: the photoshoot
How will I know how to pose during the photoshoot?
We meet at the location of our photoshoot and start photographing in the first outfit. From this moment on, you don’t need to worry about anything. Most likely, you will be VERY camera shy the first ten-fifteen minutes. Most people are. But after that, you will get more relaxed. I will guide you in terms of how to pose and if you have some ideas you want to try out, we will try them out. We flow from pose to pose, then switch to the second outfit and do the same. At a certain point you will feel confident enough and your inner super model will come out. I want you to remember this feeling of confidence. You will see it again in your final photos and remember feeling powerful.
The important thing: I might ask you to dance, I might ask you to make a fake loud laughter, I might ask you to scream (not in a crowded street, I promise). These things might sound and feel awkward. They are. But once you do them, you will let your guard down, you will relax some more and allow my camera to see a little bit more of the REAL YOU. So I can show you how the world sees you, so you can witness what an amazing Goddess you are.
Sasha’s case: Sasha is basically a supermodel, and she did work for the camera. I also gave her suggestions on what to do when she ran out of ideas. In the photo below she is looking at her reflection in a window. A few minutes after that I made her dance. We were both laughing and pedestrians were wondering what celebrity Sasha was ;)
“A photoshoot with Francesca is a chance to release tightness and stress, it is a liberating experience. At a certain point you allow yourself to let go of control and let the flow of the creative process carry you. And you enjoy being the REAL you: light, joyful, relaxed, unique, special. ”
When will I receive my photos?
You did it! The photoshoot is over and you feel amazing! You did great! You know now that it is not as scary to face the camera, and you know how that those photos we created today will be ah-mazing! And now you can’t wait to see the final images. “When will the photos be ready?” you ask me impatiently.
part III: editing of the final photos
This is the part you don’t need to worry about at all, it is all on me! The third part of the magic process is editing of the photos. Editing means I load the photos into my computer (I usually can’t wait to get to see them on a big screen, the magic we created). Then I cull the photos. “Culling” means I delete the photos that don’t pass the quality test (eyes closed, lack of expression, awkward pose, bad lighting, picture out of focus, etc.). Then I go through those best images of you and color correct them in my editing style, remove any blemishes, fly away hairs, etc. I don’t do extensive face and body retouching because I want you to admire the real YOU, not the dolled up version of you that doesn’t exist. I may remove a pimple and soften the skin under the eyes, but I don’t do heavy retouching.
Oh, and I know that you CANNOT WAIT to see the photos, and I, equally impatiently, CANNOT WAIT TO SHOW you how beautiful you are. I usually send out a couple of edited sneak peek photos a few days after the photoshoot. At that point, sneak peeks don’t quench your thirst for wanting to see the photos. Once you see one or two photos of how amazing you are, you usually cannot wait to see them ALL.
Within two-three weeks from the day of your photoshoot you will receive an email from me with a link to your gallery of images. I recommend you download the images onto your computer right away. It is also a good idea to backup the images somewhere else just in case.
Sasha’s case: seeing the woman’s face when she sees the photos we create together is absolutely priceless. So if it physically possible, I present the digital images in person. In addition to that, I also present you with box of printed 8 by 10 images for you to frame and display in your home. These images do you no good if they are living somewhere on the hard drive of your computer and you get to see them only when you remember where you saved them. I am also offering a large canvas/metal/wooden wall art print that you can purchase at additional cost.
classy Palm Beach portrait photography session on Worth Avenue
The day of the photoshoot will forever live in our memories as a day when you got to show up for yourself and channel your supermodel. It was fun, we got to see a gorgeous golden sunset, and now you have a collection of amazing images that show you how beautiful, playful, sexy, confident, strong you are. Look at these images often to remind yourself what a CONFIDENT, beautiful, powerful woman you are. A woman who respects her boundaries (and makes other respect them, too), a woman who loves herself and takes good care of herself, a woman who knows what she wants, a woman who is not afraid to take action and goes boldly in the direction of her dreams.
As Sasha blows you a farewell kiss, here are her words describing how she felt when she received her final photos.
“When you see the final images, you see yourself the way you never see yourself. We all have some horrible notions about ourselves, about our flaws, what is good and what is bad, and usually it is a lot of bad and not a lot of good. And when you see photos like this, your love for yourself awakens, as if you remember how much you love yourself, and you feel very touched by what you see. And it really changes the way you perceive yourself, it is very therapeutic. You remember the moment that photo was taken and you try to remember that feeling of being liberated, relaxed, joyful, beautiful, light, magical, wonderful. And you think to yourself, just chillax, take it easy, BE YOU. Because when you are the real you, there is nothing more beautiful. ”
If this is the time for you to have a confidence boost and see how the world sees you, please reach out to me and let’s talk about your photoshoot experience. I would love to create transformational portraits of you, for you and with you! ♥
Goddess Photoshoot in a Secret Garden
This girl made me break the law.
But in a very innocent type of way, the way jaywalking is kinda breaking a rule but it is not serious offense :)
This girl made me break the law.
But in a very innocent type of way, the way jaywalking is kinda breaking a rule but it is not serious offense :)
And she didn’t really “make me”, but what she suggested was sooo good, that I couldn’t resist.
“Well, the Arboretum has been under construction for a while, but it is SO BEAUTIFUL in there, we HAVE TO photograph there, I know how to get in there.” she says as we brainstorm location ideas for her Goddess Photoshoot.
So we did it. As we were sneaking in, I realized that I forgot a whole bag of props that I prepared for Katie’s photoshoot at home! It turned out to be perfectly fine because the props might have gotten me too distracted and rushed. Instead, I was able to focus on the goddess in front of me and she brought enough outfit changes that we were able to create a variety of images, especially because the location offered as so many gorgeous backdrops.
There was a peaceful little lake, gorgeous trees surrounding it, and a huge banyan tree, and a Rose of Venezuela (also called Panama Flame Tree) flower, which I fell absolutely in love with:
Katie trusted her instincts about what kind of photos she wanted to create and we tried out the ideas she had. She was also open to posing suggestions that I had and the entire experience was a beautiful collaboration of two creatives. (When I work with people who are not officially considered “creatives”, it is the same thing: we create TOGETHER. I offer guidance in terms of where and how to photograph, but these are YOUR photos, so we try out YOUR ideas too because there are no right or wrong ideas when it comes to creating).
On the day Katie’s photos were ready, we met in a park, sat on the grass, and we looked at all the photos we created together, prints and digitals. I felt like for both of us it was an incredible experience, and we both received deep satisfaction from the process and outcome of this Goddess Photoshoot.
Here are a few reels that show a sneak peek into our creative process, enjoy:
The digital portraits and digital fantasy art Katie creates are out of this world. Katie can take an ordinary photo of you and by adding ethereal skies, gold jewelry, glowing third eyes, sacred geometry and other symbols, she is able to create truly divine pieces. These regal portraits of you will help you see yourself in your highest power and you can use them in your sacred business or for your own empowerment.
Katie Berns Lee talks about her creative journey:
”Originally a painter and drawer who was ADAMANT about never getting into digital art, I one day decided to download Photoshop…just to add my signature to my nature photography shots so I could sell them.
But then I started playing around. And I started to see what could happen when I would add this or that, blend here and there, change the color of that…and so on, and it EXCITED me.
I started creating portraits of myself and friends as a space queen, an Aztec warrior princess, a faerie…anything I could think of. And then I felt the draw to GROUND my work. So I began adding art historical elements, ancient artifacts, ancient symbology, and lots of architecture. And I fell in love.
Already on the spiritual path, this was a natural extension of me. I was just starting to deepen my connection to the ancestors, to all things ancient, and to the old ways of being. So I began creating out of ritual, in trance, and for goddesses,”
To get to know Katie better and to work with her, follow her on Instagram @of_our_ancestors. She is also an amazing djembe and darbuka player and I love watching her stories as she creates these magical rhythms with her fingertips.
personal branding photoshoot for a Men's Sexual Health and Wellness Educator
Olga came down from New Jersey for her personal branding photoshoot and we got lucky because we got to photograph in a location that perfectly suits her brand!
“This woman knows what she is doing and she means business!” I thought to myself when I got her email. Olga, who was coming to Boca Raton from New Jersey and who was referred to me by another client, emailed me a document that in great detail explained her brand, services, and ideal client which made my job of preparing for her shoot so much easier! Of course, we spoke on the phone first and it was clear that we were a good fit, so we proceeded with preparations for the shoot.
With a branding photoshoot, there a so many different possibilities of how you, the business owner, the face of the brand, can be depicted to visually communicate your process and what it is like to work with you. I suggested several ideas for Olga of what I thought could work for her brand. She preferred to focus mostly on headshots and lifestyle photos of her so we did exactly that. I also knew that many of the photos we were creating would be used for Olga’s website, which was under construction at that time, so I was mindful of that and created many horizontal photos which usually work well for wide banner images on a website.
Because of who Olga’s ideal client is, it was important for us to find an upscale, luxurious looking backdrop for her lifestyle photos. We got very lucky and were able to do our photoshoot in the gorgeous Boca Raton Resort. (Honestly, we were so discreet and almost invisible, that it is almost as if it didn’t happen. :))
Olga brought six or seven outfits with her, as well as jewelry to match it, and once we met, we chose which outfits would go best with each scene. We ended up not using all of the outfits, but I definitely think it is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. I did a beach photoshoot for a yoga teacher once and the only pair of shorts she brought got splashed by the sunrise waves and she had to wear wet shorts for the rest of her shoot (so I photographer her mostly from the waist up). You don’t want that. Bring more than you may need, you never know how the photoshoot unfolds, you may even use all of the outfits and create a great variety of images!
“Oh my, I look so good!” she exclaims when I show her one of the images on the back of my camera. This makes her more comfortable, she relaxes more into her natural state and starts being more confident in front of the camera. I love it. For me personally, it is like an explosion of visual orgasms when I look on my camera screen. I have this wise goddess in this gorgeous setting and she looks amazing, I just want to scream (and I normally would, when I photograph in nature, but we were trying to be invisible, so I kept quiet and just grinned from ear to ear :))
“Can you imagine that we got to photograph in this beautiful place?” she laughs in disbelief.
“I know” I reply. And like two giddy little girls we go from one section of the hotel to another to see where we can play.
I create several images like the one above where Olga’s graphic designer can add text off to the side. If a client who hires me has a graphic designer who is very specific about the types of images they need for the website, a client will provide me with a list of shots they need. Oftentimes, however, it doesn’t work like that. People come to me because they know they will need photos for a website, and we create a variety of images. Having created several websites and marketing materials (even though I am not a graphic designer) myself I know what kind of photos work well and I always create them for a client.
Olga received 30 images from her personal branding photoshoot and the ones presented here are my personal favorites. In my opinion, Olga looks classy, elegant, refined, knowledgeable and projects an image of wisdom, trustworthiness, and warmth.
Need to create brand photos for your business? I would love to work with you! If you are just in the beginning stages of starting a business, or if you are rebranding an existing one, I have the experience, talent, intuition, gear and desire to create great images for you :) Please reach out and let’s see if we are a good fit.
epic couples photoshoot in boca raton for two artists
Love story of Johannah and Alex, the epic photos we created, and the behind-the-scenes footage from that magical day.
“There was a double rainbow on the day we met.” they say almost in unison when asked to describe the day they met.
Johannah is a painter and an author and Alex is an author, too. They met through mutual friends at one of the gatherings organized by the Red Tent Goddess Sisterhood.
“She gave me a rose. We exchanged books and while everyone was talking and mingling we just sat there reading each other’s books.” Alex recollects.
When they reached out to have their engagement photos taken, I wanted to create more than pretty pictures for them. I wanted to capture a story of how they met and how they fell in love, to paint a picture of their love with a story.
One day, as I was driving, I noticed this giant Royal Poinciana tree on the side of the road. It caught my attention because it was so big, and its branches reached all the way down to the ground. On another day I paid a visit to the tree at sunrise to see if it was indeed a good location for the photoshoot and what the light looked like at that hour. I fell in love with it and I knew they would, too!
We met early in the morning and created magic that day. It was absolutely amazing! After I finished editing the photos I put them into a slideshow with music to enhance the effect of the photos on them :) It worked. Even though I wasn’t there to witness when they saw the photos for the first time, Alex told me Johannah cried and they watched the video ten times on the first day.
And if you are curious about the process, here is a behind-the-scenes video from that day that shows how the magic happened.
I don’t say the word “proud” when I describe how I feel about something that I create because pride is the thing of the ego and I want to think that my art comes from a spiritual place. But with these photos I just feel plain proud of what we created! It gives me so much satisfaction and joy to think about them, look at them, describe them to others, and show them off. I pour my heart and soul into my (art)work and it is especially apparent in the photo series for this couple. So grateful to have had the experience of working with these two beautiful souls ♥
Want to have your couples or engagement photos taken? Reach out to me and let’s talk about how we can capture YOUR LOVE STORY in a unique way.
5 superhero confidence hacks that work
“Scholars are coming to see (confidence) as an essential element of internal well-being and happiness, a necessity for a fulfilled life. Without it you can’t achieve flow, the almost euphoric state described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as perfect concentration; the alignment of one’s skills with the task at hand.”
Here are 5 confidence boosters that have worked for me.
When I was eight years old, I taught a friend how to ride a bicycle because I was convinced that I knew how to do it.
And it was only during the following summer at my grandma's house, surrounded by my cousins, when I attempted to ride a two-wheeler and kept falling over, did I discover that I did not know how to ride it ...
Confidence (or over-inflated confidence in my childhood case) is what scientists claim is an ESSENTIAL ingredient for success:
“Scholars are coming to see (confidence) as an essential element of internal well-being and happiness, a necessity for a fulfilled life. Without it you can’t achieve flow, the almost euphoric state described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as perfect concentration; the alignment of one’s skills with the task at hand.”
Do you remember a time when you were really confident? You probably felt like a million bucks, looked the part, and was convinced that you could handle anything coming your way. It is a great feeling, isn't it?
If we start on skin-level, these confidence and beauty quotes come to mind:
The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.
Beauty begins the most you decide to be yourself. (self-acceptance)
Beauty is really all about confidence. If you feel beautiful, then you are beautiful. (WOW!)
To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.
True beauty is the flame of self-confidence that shines from the inside out.
Too much confidence, and we are looking at arrogance, but coupled with just the right amount of humility, it becomes the magic formula for success in life.
Too much humility and we find ourselves in a self-deprecation pit. What is humility?
“Genuine humility is a reflection of neither weakness nor insecurity. Instead, it implies a respectful appreciation of the strengths of others, a lack of personal pretension and a more relaxed sense of confidence that doesn’t require external recognition.” * (from The Humility-Confidence SeeSaw: The Untold Secret of Great Leaders”)
So if it is not just something that is NICE TO HAVE, but it is something that is ESSENTIAL to a great life, how So if it is not just something that is NICE TO HAVE, but it is something that is ESSENTIAL to a great life, how can we get more of it?
Here are 5 confidence boosters that have worked for me.
1. Acclaim your amazingness.
“You have completely reinvented yourself” my friend Jenya says about my journey in photography that started 8 years ago. When I hear these words, I think to myself, "Wow! I am pretty amazing." In my mind though, all I did was pick up a camera and learned to take pictures. It’s like she took what happened and wrote a really beautiful line for a resume. A line full of impact, full of action, full of drama.
Imagine that you are about to write YOUR resume and you are doing a brainstorm of all your accomplishments and positive traits. Make a list of all the things that you are proud of, qualities that you like about yourself or that people usually compliment you on, and read that list to yourself often. I bet it will do more good than the berating self-talk!
Why not try rewriting simple and seemingly insignificant statements about yourself like “I’m just a guy who works at an insignificant job position” into more impressive “I use my experience and skills to provide for my family”. Do you feel the difference? Start giving yourself more credit for what you do. Instead of “I'm just an ordinary person” rewrite it into “I am an incredible one-of-a-kind person who is {insert your three admirable qualities} who can do {insert your skill here, whether it is doing payroll, quesadilla, or composting} very well.” And say it to yourself every day.
2. Receive compliments gratefully and joyously.
When someone compliments you, do you downplay your role something to the effect, "oh, it's nothing"? Instead of negating what you are being praised for, practice accepting the compliment and simply say “thank you. I appreciate that.” Then notice how it feels.
(OMG, do I sound like a therapist? I totally am not, but I just love how these small tweaks can make a HUGE impact on how we see ourselves and what we can create in life as a result of that!)
3. Dress like a superhero.
Another way that helps me personally feel like a badass is dressing up. Not necessarily dressing up in fancy clothes, but taking the time and thought to get dressed in an outfit that resonates with how I feel that day and how I perceive myself. I get dressed and if I don't feel ecstatic about how the clothes make me feel, I change into something that highlights the mood I am in. With makeup on and dressed well, I engage more openly and happily with people and I generously give out compliments to everyone I see and build relationships more easily.
It's like donning a super-hero costume to actually become a superhero.
The thing is, it takes guts to dress like a superhero, so you kinda have to be a superhero before you dare to dress like one.
But I bet you can reverse the process and start with the dressing up thing first and see how the superhero feeling will follow, if you are willing to try it out. WOULD you?
4. Have professional photos of yourself taken.
Wearing a superhero costume to become a superhero is similar to how I feel photography can help people gain self-confidence and teach self-love.
We don’t notice how cool we are until someone tells us. Or we may not see how beautiful we are until someone photographs us and shows us our portraits.
The last time I had a very successful photoshoot with my girlfriend Sasha, I felt so confident afterwards because I got to see how hot I am :) Ok, I normally don't talk like this about myself but. seriously, seeing myself from the side (not in the mirror) gave me an appreciation for how I look, for the way that I am, and I became more confident as a result of it.
Have professional portraits taken and see how the way you see yourself changes. It is possible that you will start taking care of yourself a couple of weeks before the photoshoot (if you want to get in a better shape, buy some new clothes, get your hair done, etc.) and that is fine. It is ok to have photos taken for your own personal pleasure, but I can guarantee you that you will find your new photos useful in more than one way. You can update your profile photo on Facebook and LinkedIn, use photos for a dating site, start showing up more regularly to build relationships on social media, have photos printed to remind you of your awesomeness on a daily basis. I truly believe that once you see yourselves how the world sees you, you may start loving yourself more.
5. Use empowering language.
Our language shapes so much of what we are, that it is important for us to identify words and phrases that limit us and pull them out of vocabulary like weeds from the garden.
The word "try" is not a part of my lexicon. I am not going to try and do an art experiment. I will just do it, and I might fail miserably at it, or I might learn anything, but in any case, it is a win. I also don't use the "have to" so much. I don't ever have to do editing. I simply need to do it and I do it joyfully because it is a part of my creative process. (Okay, sometimes, I HAVE TO cook, and it sucks. In that case I talk to my husband and we order out or he cooks, but I am not a victim of my circumstances. )
If you are curious on the topic of empowering language, start noticing how you talk, speak to a life coach, or google the topic and see if there are any free resources can help you. Using empowered speech is like donning that superhero costume and then watching yourself being able to soar. (tweet that :))
Whichever method you use to boost your confidence, I hope you realize your awesomeness this month and rewrite your humble story into a more empowering one. Because once empowered, you can live a full, enriching, magical life. ♥
With gratitude,
Francesca Bliss
branding photoshoot for a holistic healer and yoga teacher + behind the scenes
Amy needed photos for her new business, Inner Bloom Wellness, so she reached out to me. Here is the process we went through to arrive at the photos that we created together.
Amy needed photos for her new business, Inner Bloom Wellness, so she reached out to me. Here is the process we went through to arrive at the photos that we created together.
This is a screenshot from Amy’s website with a photo we created during her branding photoshoot. Read on to understand how we arrived at creating these images and check out the behind-the-scenes magic of these images at the end of the article!
UNDERSTANDING THE BRAND
First, I needed to understand what Amy does and what words she uses to describe her brand. During our initial phone consultation, Amy explained that she is a a clinical social worker, a teacher of ecstatic dance and yoga nidra, and a holistic healer. She uses the following words to describe her brand: wellness, grounding, healing, therapeutic, connection, growth, inner bloom.
BRAND COLORS
Amy’s website draft was under way when we started preparing for the shoot, I was able to see Amy’s logo and colors that she will be associating with the brand: earthy tones, greens, golden hues, peachy and rose feminine hues.
INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF WORK
In order to understand which storylines to focus on, I also need to have a better idea of Amy as a person. In addition to shots of her working at a laptop, pulling cards, or meditating in her home yoga studio, we wanted to give Amy’s audience a glimpse of her outside of her work. Naturally, she loves nature, dancing, enjoys cooking, gardening, spending time with her husband and her fur babies (a cat and a dog).
Amy’s dog Yogi is a big part of her life. It is possible that her potential customers who have dogs will be drawn to her precisely for this common love that they share with Amy.
SHOOTING LOCATION and TIME
Coming up with the storylines in the previous step enabled us to pinpoint the locations where we would photograph. We decided to photograph on the beach at sunrise (a magical time of the day that both Amy and I love!), in the green area next to the beach, and then at Amy’s home and garden.
This is one of my most favorite images from Amy’s branding photoshoot!
INSPIRATION BOARD
I asked Amy to prepare an inspiration board for our photoshoot. Even though I started forming a vision for Amy’s photos, it was important for me to understand how SHE sees them. When she sent me the link to the Pinterest board she created, a glimpse of which you can see here, I kept scrolling and scrolling and was amazing at how thorough this goddess was! She included images/inspiration for every storyline that we identified during our phone consultation/brainstorming session! (Sometimes clients give me a perfunctory board of visual ideas so I didn’t expect to see an in-depth view of it, but this girl doesn’t mess around! I admire her for that!)
PROPS AND OUTFITS
Amy chose a flowy dress that matched the colors of the beach at sunrise, a pair of flowy pants and a simple white tank top for the beach part of the shoot. When we returned home, Amy had two more outfits for when she was working on her computer and another one for the gardening and hanging out with loved ones part.
Props: singing bowl, sage, oracle cards, laptop, a heart-shaped rock (Amy “collects” all heart-shaped things that she sees!)
STORYLINES
We decided to focus on the following storylines for Amy’s brand:
healer
ecstatic dancer
gardening, spending time in nature
spending time with the fam
cooking
yoga teacher
Do you want to know how the photoshoot ended? It ended with THIS SHOT! This beautiful monarch butterfly just flew into Amy’s garden as if signaling to us that it was ok to be complete at that moment. It was a beautiful conclusion to a magical morning of creative labor ♥
FINAL IMAGES ON THE WEBSITE
We created such a great variety of images, that Amy was able to use the images we created on ALL of the pages of her website! Here are a few screenshots and I invite you to visit her website www.innerbloomwellness.com to learn more about Amy’s gifts.
SOCIAL MEDIA
In addition to website, Amy was also able to use a lot of photos on her social media. Here is a snapshot of her Instagram feed. Out of these 9 images, 6 were created during our branding photoshoot! And follow Amy @amyogilife - she is very wise and I love reading the insights she shares.
AMY’S TESTIMONIAL
And of course, I would be withholding from you if I didn’t show you the text Amy sent me after I showed her a few unedited images from our photoshoot —>
FINAL IMAGES GALLERY
BEHIND THE SCENES MAGIC
I saved the best for the last - check out this video to see what a magical morning it was. Enjoy!
Branding photoshoot for a therapist and healer in Boynton Beach, FL.
Can your brand benefit from photos similar to Amy’s?
If the answer yes, please reach out to me and get the conversation started. Delaying getting personal branding photos done will only delay your coming into your greatness, and the world must hear your message now.
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.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
how a little bit of creativity might infuse more JOY into your life
Do you feel like you can use a little more JOY in your life? This is an amazing book for EVERYONE who wants to experience more JOY in their life, and certainly a must-read for artists and creatives.
As I take a step back to have a better angle at my model -- a rosy, delicate pastry sitting atop a silver mirror-like platter, an unusual model for a portrait photographer, a door opens and a woman who works in this café comes out and throws a glance at my setup. Her eyes light up and she says, “ah, beautiful!” She must be in her thirties, half of her strawberry blond hair is shaved on the bottom, and the rest is tied into a messy ponytail on top. Her eyes are pale green and she wears glasses. She starts asking me questions and rambling on about something and I don’t even understand WHAT she is saying but I understand what she is FEELING: JOY.
And her feeling is familiar to me. I start wondering why people get so excited when they come in contact with the PROCESS of CREATION. Do you ever notice how people gather around an artist painting on the street, or a musician playing guitar in the town square? People are drawn to art, to the process of creation. And it gets me thinking about the book that I am reading right now by Julia Cameron called The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. Judging by the title alone, someone might think that this is a book for creators, someone who is already a writer, photographer, painter, but it is not so. I believe this book is for everyone who wants to experience (more) JOY in LIFE.
In her book the author invites everyone to do art just because it is FUN. Not because we want to become world-famous artists but because it is ENJOYABLE. And it is not even art per se, but doing activities that you have been dreaming of, things that you FEEL will make you happy but the things your rational mind is advising you against. By allowing our inner child creative play we get in touch with the creative Source, with what we truly want to do, and bring joy into our lives.
How many adults do things just because they are fun? People who are not in creative professions who allow themselves to paint, mold something out of clay, or take up a pottery class? It is rare. As a creative myself, whenever an idea strikes me, I get fired up for a moment and then the voice in my head says, “well, can you make money with it?” Or “can it give you fame?” How about doing it just because it is a great idea! And I am already in the creative profession! How many accountants or real estate agents say, “hey, I'm going to go get some beads in Michael’s and start making jewelry just because it feels good”?
The main premise of the book is that "WE ARE ALL CREATIVE and with the use of a few simple tools we can become more creative. Creativity is a spiritual practice. We have only to open ourselves up to the Great Creator working through us". It is not a philosophical or theoretical book that talks about creativity - it GIVES you SPECIFIC TOOLS to bring your creativity to life, the creativity that does exist in you, but might not have been given a chance to show itself. Just like you need to invest time into growing your muscles or making your body fit, you will need to invest time into become CREATIVE or more creative. But one promise I can make to you is that unbottling your creativity, ALLOWING yourself to FEEL JOY, will have a tremendous impact on your life.
Many people are, what the author calls them, BLOCKED CREATIVES. They are people who unknowingly do not allow themselves to express their creativity. You know, I used to be a blocked creative! In my early thirties I labeled myself as "not talented". It was clear: I didn't know how to play a musical instrument, I didn't do any crafts, hence, I had no talents. And even though I had been drawn to photography since I was in my early twenties, I didn't DARE to try photography because, clearly, “I had no talent”. And only when I quit drinking on April 18, 2013, about a month later, I bought a digital camera and signed up for a photography class at a local art school. (Actually, Julia Cameron, the author of the book, is a recovered alcoholic, too!)
Fear is holding many of us back because fear does not like change, it does not like the status quo to be challenged. Out of fear it is safer to stay creatively blocked, something that feels like an old comfy chair rather than venture into the unknown territory of exploring your creativity.
The concept of Creative Source may feel awkward to some, but the author invites us to have an open mind. She explains that by tuning into the frequency of the creative force around us we are capable of becoming more creative. I have been able to experience this first-hand. The reason I chose the name Francesca Bliss for my artist is because when I started photographing, it felt like it was not something that was being created by me, but instead, something that was happening THROUGH me.
When I see people who are obviously yearning for something, but don’t allow themselves to do it because they "don't have time", or "it is stupid", or "they can't earn a living with it", it makes my heart ache. One such person is as close to me as it gets. It is my husband.
Isaac is originally from Turkey, he has an amazing voice, sings beautifully, plays guitar, loves, I mean, LOVES, music, AND has a sex appeal and dreaminess about him to be a musician. He picks up the guitar every now and then, looks up chords on the internet and plays and sings to us. He learned to play the guitar when he was a teenager, saved up money for a guitar and signed up for classes and then plucked those strings until he got blisters on his fingers. To this day he has a grainy video of him with long hair performing a Metallica song on stage at an event of some sort back in his hometown of Adana. He can can sit down at the piano and figure out how to play a simple tune even though he has never even learned to play piano. And the way he sings... Ah, especially those overly dramatic Turkish songs (he translates them for me) - they will make you want to jump off the balcony.
I remember when I was young(er) and reckless, back in my smoking days, an older woman saw me with a cigarette, and in a very quiet, non-preaching voice said, "Imagine, a friend gives you a beautiful vase as a gift. You take it from your friend, spit into it and put it on the table."
"Why would I do that?" I reply, trying to figure out the point she is trying to make.
"Well, you are doing just that now. God gave you lungs to breathe, and you are spitting into his gift."
That was totally over my head back then. But I use the same metaphor now when I try to talk my husband into using his talent.
"The Universe gave you a gift", I say. "You have an obligation to the world to do something with it!" I desperately try to convince him.
In response he says something about the fact that right now we need to focus on making money, blah.. blah... blah...
Remembering that In The Artist's Way the author explains that it is FEAR that is blocking us from pursuing our creative endeavors, I ask him, "If you were guaranteed 100% that if you do the music thing, you cannot fail, would you do it?"
"Of course!", he says as his eyes light up.
(At this point I just want to shake him up and put him in a musician boot camp where people are forced into being musicians, even if it is against their will.)
For many people whose gift may not be as obvious as that of my husband, exploring your creativity is something that will not be a waste of time and energy. I am convinced that it will bring you JOY, a SENSE of FULFILMENET, CONFIDENCE, and those qualities will affect all areas of your life - health, nutrition, choice of friends, overall outlook on life, and maybe the whole course of your life!
If you feel that you can use a little more joy, a little more creativity in your life, get a copy of the book The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron and see if any of it resonates with you. As the author says, “Leap, and the net will appear.”
Until next time, my friend! May the New Year be your MOST CREATIVE YEAR yet, the year when you ALLOW and CONSCIOUSLY INVITE more JOY into your life, when you allow your inner child to do the things she or he yearns for. Be JOYFUL and be well!
Francesca Bliss
8 tips for a successful personal branding photoshoot
Great things don’t happen by accident. Personal branding photoshoots are no exceptions. Check out these 8 tips to make sure your next (or first) personal branding photoshoot is a great success.
how to get the most out of apersonal branding photoshoot:
MAKE A LIST OF MUST-HAVE SHOTS.
Think of campaigns or posts you want to create in the next four to six weeks. Do you need photos for your website, if yes, make a list of photos for which pages will need photos and their orientation (vertical, horizontal, extra wide and narrow banners for pages). What kind of social media posts do you have in mind? What kind of photos will go best with them? Write it all out and then share with your photographer.
To help my clients prepare, I use a Personal Branding Questionnaire that I created.
COMMUNICATE YOUR VISION.
It is important for your photographer to understand what kind of photos you set out to create and perhaps the best way to do it is to show photos of others that inspire you, that appeal to you in terms of color, posing, overall mood. Share with your photographer the list of must-have shots and all your other wishes pertaining to photos and be prepared for the magic to unfold.
PREPARE OUTFITS, ACCESSORIES, AND PROPS.
Choose several outfits, make sure they are clean and ironed. Choose matching accessories. Props will show your audience which tools of trade you use and will make posing so much easier. Some examples of props could be a journal and a pen, a laptop, favorite books, a coffee mug, crystals, sage, candles, etc.
PRACTICE IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR.
Your photographer will guide you through the posing process but it is good to be prepared. “Try on” the poses that you found in photos of other people, see if you feel comfortable, if they are “you”, and play in front of the mirror to see what looks and feels right. This will give you the extra confidence when facing the stare of the lens on the day of the photoshoot.
DECIDE ON HAIR AND MAKEUP.
Decide whether you will do your hair and makeup yourself or if you will hire someone to do it for you. A word of caution with makeup: some makeup artists who are not very skilled sometimes apply so much makeup that it looks cakey, or is just simply too much. You don’t want to look like a clown in the final photos, you want to make sure you look like YOU, so if you have a chance, do a trial makeup session with that artist first or trust a professional with whom you have worked before.
I’ve put together this video for women who can’t decide whether they should have professional makeup done before a photoshoot, check it out:
DON’T FACE THE CAMERA HUNGRY.
Be sure to be well fed before your photoshoot! Modeling is demanding work, but you will surely ace it if you follow the suggested steps above and if you chose the right photographer, of course? How can you know if you chose the right photographer? I will share that in the article I will post this month, so stay tuned!
ARRIVE TO YOUR PHOTOSHOOT ON TIME.
Arriving on time shows respect, builds trust and sets a good tone to the interaction you will have with your photographer. It might be a no-brainer for many, but I wanted to stress the importance of this aspect because I have had a couple cases where the model was 40 minutes late. Needless to say, my attitude toward the person I was about to photograph changed and it affected the energy of the photoshoot.
TRUST THE PROCESS.
I know that facing the camera is scary. I have been in your shoes a few times (and even wrote an article about it - check it out!) so I understand that you might be a little apprehensive about the process. The last piece of advice for a successful photoshoot is to just trust the process and surrender to the creative flow. You have prepared well for this photoshoot, you chose the perfect spot for your shoot, your photographer will guide you through the posing process, and you will create beautiful photos together.
I hope these tips above have been helpful ♥
If you would like to see some samples of personal branding photos I created together with a fitness coach Ingrid, check out the video below.
Looking to grow YOUR BRAND? I can help! I have been helping entrepreneurs to promote and grow their businesses and my track record is excellent. I offer different packages to suit everyone’s budget and will be happy to work with you. Please feel free to reach out to talk about what kind of photos might work best for your brand.
more personal branding photography client stories
personal branding for a chef, health coach, and green goddess Rachel
Photos from the photoshoot of Rachel Shapiro, a South Florida personal chef, nutritionist, gardener, and green goddess.
“I was so nervous, I wanted to cry and call you to cancel the photoshoot” Rachel confessed to me when we met at the location of her photoshoot - her friend’s gorgeous AirBnB where we got a permission to photograph.
Facing the camera is a very vulnerable and scary process. Even though I am mostly on the other side of the lens, I can relate, because sometimes I need to have my photos taken too. I talk about it in more detail in this story.
I was able to convince Rachel that it will be ok as she showed me around the gorgeous space that we had at our disposal.
portraying different aspects of herrself and her business
Rachel prepared four different outfits to show the different facets of who she is and what she does.
Chef. For her role as a chef, we photographed in the kitchen, Rachel wearing her chef coat. I brought fresh veggies and fruit and some kitchenware that matched Rachel’s brand. I also brought flowers that my husband had gifted me the day before (he rarely gives me flowers so it was a big deal. And perfect timing too! :))
Health coach, nutritionist. In this role Rachel wore a brown dress and we decided to photograph with a basket of veggies outside. There are a few shots of Rachel next to a grill and some headshots near a tree to show Rachel’s connection to Mother Earth and all things natural.
Mindfulness coach. Rachel wore yoga pants and a sports tank the color of her logo and we photographed next to the pool.
Conscious dancer, Goddess. Rachel wore a flowy silky dress and I photographed her with a bouquet of fallen yellow leaves against the backdrop of bamboo, dancing.
Chef branding photos
“I forgot my pants!” she exclaimed as she was changing into her chef outfit. The good thing was, she was standing behind the counter and it is not visible in the final photos that she is not wearing pants :)
These kitchen shots took the longest time to prepare for. Rachel set up the fruits and veggies in a basket and I laid out other things on the counter. The important thing with branding photos is that you don’t want clutter. Since we were photographing in a real kitchen, there were notes and magnets on the fridge, a toaster oven and black kettle on the counter. We were going for a clean and classy feel, so we removed all unnecessary objects from the shot. I am very happy with how these chef photos turned out!
We created a variety of images for Rachel to use in her social media marketing and for her website and we were both very pleased with the results of our work. To learn more about Rachel Shapiro and what she does, visit her website www.integroushealthsolutions.com
You are so much more than just your business! Research shows that we choose to do business with those people we see as similar to ourselves and those we like. Give your audience a chance to get to know you and thus better relate to you and LIKE YOU! Show them the many facets of your personality - what do you like to do in your free time, what is your family life like, how you contribute to your community - through visual story-telling of personal branding photography. Together we will select which stories to choose for your personal branding shoot, I will guide you through picking outfits (or we can employ help of a professional stylist who can help revamp your wardrobe and take your branding and confidence to a whole new level!) and together we will come up with the best locations for your photos. Then, after a few hours of photographing, you will have two, or even three, months’ worth of visual content for your social media platforms and for your website and online marketing. Contact me today for a no-obligation free consultation about what photos will be most beneficial for your business, or browse my personal branding photography gallery. I look forward to helping you elevate your business!
You may also like:
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.
personal branding photoshoot for a sex educator and mompreneur
“I will be honest, I feel a little anxious about our photoshoot today.”
That is the text message I receive a few hours before I head out to photograph Mary-Reid’s personal branding photoshoot.
Personal branding photoshoot for a mompreneur and sex educator Mary-Reid.
“I will be honest, I feel a little anxious about our photoshoot today.”
That is the text message I receive a few hours before I head out to photograph Mary-Reid’s personal branding photoshoot.
Phew. I am glad she said that. We were able to talk about it, put that anxiety to rest, and once I got to her house, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work - creating several sets for her personal branding photoshoot right there in her house.
Mary-Reid is a somatic sex educator, mom entrepreneur, who offers online and in-person classes for women, children and families. To get to know her and how she can help you, please visit her website https://www.theeroticalchemist.com
Somatic sex education is the practice of being in deep presence with clients and in body, mind and spirit. Using touch, breath, and movement clients are supported to access and inhabit their erotic selves, voice their desires, exercise choice and voice, and experience pleasure. Somatic sex education is a powerful tool for anyone, whether the goal is to rewire trauma response or simply experience new sensations. For more info on somatic sex education or find a somatic sex educator in your area, visit somaticsexeducators.com
After the initial phone consultation, to better understand Mary-Reid’s brand, I asked her to complete a personal branding photoshoot questionnaire. Answering a series of questions about her brand, colors associated with it, and what message she wanted to convey to her ideal client was a good starting point for us in preparing for her shoot.
Tip: When brainstorming ideas for visual stories when preparing for a personal branding shoot, think of all the different roles that you play on a regular basis. In Mary-Reid’s case it was:
self
mother
wife
sex educator
spiritual teacher
Then look at each relationship and think of how you could portray each of those roles in photos, there can be more than one way to do that for each role.
Based on Mary-Reid’s roles, we decided to focus her visual stories on the following areas:
Mary-Reid’s ideal clients are moms with kids of any age, most likely kids under the age of 12. Being a mom herself, Mary-Reid wanted to show this major role of her life in her photos, so one of the stories we wanted to focus on was her life as a mom - photos with husband and kids.
As someone whose goal is to teach women to get in touch with their sensual selves, discover or re-discover what feels good, and give themselves the permission to experience pleasure, to learn self-love, Mary-Reid’s next story focused on sensual photos of herself. As a main prop for these photos we used a lush red rose and she wore a cobalt blue baby doll.
The other part of her role as a sex educator involves various tools - sex toys, yoni eggs, etc. It was a really fun to photograph this segment because Mary-Reid allowed her playful and silly self shine through in these images.
Also, as an educator, someone who reads about and studies sexuality, we created some photos with books and of her journaling.
Life as a wife - a few photos with her husband, who brings out her playful, spontaneous, silly self, as well as a few sensual shots with him. As you can see, many of these photos are so alive and so real because Mary-Reid didn’t have to pose - one look at her husband and she dissolved into her natural self, just reacting to his admiring eyes, goofy jokes, and his touch. It was also thanks to her husband Tom that we had such beautiful props for our shoot - majestic big red and pink roses that he had given her for Valentine’s Day the day before.
As a goddess advocate, Mary-Reid does goddess card readings and energy work, so it was imperative for us to include some photos of her meditating, playing with her goddess deck, and with her spiritual props and symbols. We set up this shot in front of the fire place, Mary-Reid adorned the place with crystals, a gigantic pink shell, pink roses, saged the place and did a card spread. As I was trying to lie down on the floor to get a lower angle, which was quite a challenge because of my eight-months pregnant belly at the time, I started laughing and said that I would give birth right there. “It’s a good thing I’m a doula, too”, she laughed.
Just as the advice she gives to other busy moms to take the time for self-care and restoring one’s inner balance, through her photos Mary-Reid wanted to show how SHE does it. We were thinking of photos in a nearby park where she would be walking or perhaps journaling in nature. However, we did not get to that part because we spent quite a bit of time setting up the sets and then shooting inside the house , but we did take some beautiful photos outdoors right in her front yard. Those photos turned out to be very close to the images we had envisioned. We created some images of Mary-Reid hugging a tree and playing with a bouquet of red roses - the nature connection that almost every goddess yearns for. The portraits with the vibrant red roses that she had gotten for Valentine’s Day from her hubby were a perfect prop! The images with them just highlight Mary-Reid’s own juicy, vibrant, blossoming personality and stepping into her divine feminine power to unfold her business and take it to the next level. These images show how she embodies the Goddess.
Another part of the shoot that we skipped was photos of Mary-Reid in a place that she likes. She mentioned a small French cafe that she likes to visit from time to time. Mary-Reid showed me the most beautiful black leather crop jacket embroidered with red roses and I am dreaming of photographing her in a lace dress paired with that jacket sipping on a cup or glass of something.
Overall, we created a variety of images for Mary-Reid to use in her social media. And we managed to do all of that in just one location: her house and front-yard, in a matter of few hours. Mary-Reid did her homework well and before I arrived at her place, she’d had all her clothes picked out and hanging on a rack, and all her props and goddess books spread all over the dining room table.
It was lots of fun photographing Mary-Reid and as a huge fan of her work, I sincerely wish her well and hope her empire gains strength rapidly and empowers many women.
You are so much more than just your business! Research shows that we choose to do business with those people we see as similar to ourselves and those we like. Give your audience a chance to get to know you and thus better relate to you and LIKE YOU! Show them the many facets of your personality - what do you like to do in your free time, what is your family life like, how you contribute to your community - through visual story-telling of personal branding photography. Together we will select which stories to choose for your personal branding shoot, I will guide you through picking outfits (or we can employ help of a professional stylist who can help revamp your wardrobe and take your branding and confidence to a whole new level!) and together we will come up with the best locations for your photos. Then, after a few hours of photographing, you will have two, or even three, months’ worth of visual content for your social media platforms and for your website and online marketing. Contact me today for a no-obligation free consultation about what photos will be most beneficial for your business, or browse my personal branding photography gallery. I look forward to helping you elevate your business!
redhead power - a personal branding photoshoot for a store/cafe owner in boca raton
The truth is, I have been DREAMING about photographing this girl for a while. One look at her and you will understand why: a cascade of fiery red curls, super-long lashes and a beaming smile. But the one time that I actually got my lucky chance to work with her was when she NEEDED photos.
The truth is, I have been DREAMING about photographing this girl for a while. One look at her and you will understand why: a cascade of fiery red curls, super-long lashes and a beaming smile. But the one time that I actually got my lucky chance to work with her was when she NEEDED photos. I guess sometimes we think that having our photos taken for the sake of pleasure of it is a guilty one and should not be indulged… I don’t know what Olga’s case was and won’t speculate - I am just SO THANKFUL for the opportunity to photograph her, period. : )
“I needed to have some photos done and the first person I thought of was you,” was like music to my ears when Olga called me. When she explained that she was looking for some images of her working as well as a few shots of her on the beach, her favorite place for relaxing and recharging her batteries, we decided to classify her photoshoot as a mini-personal branding shoot with two locations and scheduled it as a sunrise session on the beach, followed by a session at her workplace.
Olga is a manager and partner of a Russian & International Market and Lublu Bakery & Cafe in Boca Raton. In case you have never visited those place, I suggest you do. From a full assortment of Russian foods to delicious prepared hot and cold items and sweet treats in the cafe, this is my favorite meeting place with friends and clients because I can have a double enjoyment from it! In the beginning of this pregnancy I would make special trips to the Russian store to indulge in a bowl of hot borscht. It would save me from constant morning sickness and make me feel so much better! Me being Russian and all, I LOVE their prepared foods, so if you are adventurous enough to try new ethnic cuisines, definitely visit the Russian store.
Here are the photos we created for Olga, and I am thrilled with them! I am starting with the work photos first, even though they were created last.
A few images of Olga walking from the car to the store and finding a minute to enjoy a coffee with croissant before the day begins.
Personal branding photography is not only about work - it is about showing you from different angles, including how you relax and what you like to do you in your free time, as well as images showing your personality. Because of that, Olga wanted some photos on the beach, a place she frequents on weekends and where she likes to relax with her husband. In the photos below you get to see the playful side of this serious store and cafe manager.
Showing your human, non-professional-life-side, can help create important connections with your existing and potential audiences.
Olga and I are both very pleased with the photos we created and I am so happy to have had a chance to finally photograph this goddess at work and at play.
Explore other images in the personal branding photography gallery and reach out to me if you would like to brainstorm some ideas for your personal branding session. I would love to help you create engaging images that will help you connect with your audience ♥
you may also like:
After I created this self-portrait I realized that the inspiration for the idea came from my daughter! On the conscious level I was experiencing what I call artistic hunger - not having an outlet for my creativity due to not having shot in over a month. My husband had given me a dozen red roses for our fourth-year anniversary and I made up my mind to photograph them. Since I am not as keen on photographing objects as opposed to people, it struck me as a brilliant idea to do a self-portrait. No makeup, but luckily, freshly washed hair, a nursing bra stained with breastmilk, I set up a tripod while my daughter was napping in a swing. I threw