Why I Canceled My First Session – Troy | Saratoga Springs | Albany | New York – Boudoir

I won’t lie, I was pretty shocked when I read this incredible woman’s blog for the first time.  When she cancelled her first session back in 2015, she told me it was her husband that didn’t want her to do the session…I wish I knew then what I know now so I could have supported her in the right way her first time booking…

As my mom tells me….Everything happens for a reason.  In 2015 we didn’t have Randi on staff and having the personal styling add-on has literally changed the face of LRP.

Our styling add-ons have become one of our most popular.  The ability to come in, see the space and have a professional style and fit you for your session takes away so much of the anxiety about doing something, that for so many of our clients is so far out of their comfort zone.  (To add a personal styling session onto your Self Love Experience, email Randi directly at Randi@photographybylindsayrae.com)

I wan’t to type forever about this woman here…but honestly, I think what she has to say is SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT!

Read it. all the way to the end….then maybe read it again:

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“My story:

My March 23rd session was actually my second booked session with Lindsay. I had a session booked back in the fall of 2015 but cancelled a few weeks before because I got in my own head that I wasn’t pretty enough to do one of these sessions. I hadn’t accepted my new figure after having my son and thought that no one would want to see pictures of me in a boudoir setting. That was a mistake.

Three years and another child later I took the leap and booked a session. Lindsay welcomed me back with open arms and the fact that Randi could personally help me pick my fashion and accessories made the decision that much easier; I’m a solid colors only, t-shirt and leggings kind of woman who didn’t own a shred of lingiere let alone knew where to start. I was incredibly excited when Randi sent me her idea board for my shoot and was glad I made the decision to re-book. It was still an emotional road up until the day of my session.

When I met with Randi to try on the looks she envisioned for me, we discovered that none of the bras/tops fit my chest. I’m a 38/40 J, K and sometimes even an  I so finding anything to hold in my girls is challenging. I was heartbroken and my excitement was dashed (some tears were shed as well). Randi assured me when her and Lindsay went to The City to shop, she’d find me tons of options. Later that day, Lindsay reached out to me also to reassure me she would take care of me and I would look fabulous! I was still nervous.

Since I lived 45 mins from The Loft and finding a sitter during the day in the week is difficult, I had to wait for the day of my session to try on the looks Lindsay and Randi picked out for me. Just two days before my session, I took a picture of myself in a bra and panties and was terrified; my boobs were droopy, my stomach was huge, covered in stretch marks and I looked tired. I was considering cancelling my session again I was so down on myself. I texted Randi and told her my concerns and she assured me everything would be fine. Little did I know, she reached out to Lindsay to tell her what was going on. Now, all my life I’ve had low self esteem, never very confident and only a handful of times thought I was pretty, rarely beautiful. People always were nice and positive and telling me what I wanted to hear. What I needed to hear was the truth from Tough Love Lindsay. She didn’t sugar coat anything. She called me out on being negative about myself. She was honest and that’s what I needed. I’m a plus sized woman, my boobs are large and my stomach bears the marks of a mother. I had to accept it and move on and love myself. “I’ve got you, boo.” Her last message to me before my session.

I had so many emotions that day; excited to finally be fulfilling a dream, nervous because I didn’t know what to expect but hopeful that Lindsay and Randi were right. From the moment I walked into the Loft, it was like I was with my girl friends of 10+ years. Every moment that passed I seemed to relax more and more. I picked out my looks where Randi and Lindsay told me what would photograph well and flatter my figure. There was just enough flattery and swearing for me to know they were being honest – boudoir with Lindsay is not for the faint of heart. I then met Erin who is a magician all on her own. What woman wouldn’t want to glammed from head to toe by a woman of her talents? When she was finished I didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror; she was bold, she was stunning and she was me. Curled hair, beautiful makeup and lashes for days made me feel like a woman and not just a mom. Then the moment of truth came. I put on my first look and after some stretching and deep breaths in the bathroom, we got started.

I was trembling. I didn’t know what was about to happen and how my pictures would come out. But Lindsay knows her shit. She coached me and adjusted me and helped me to form my body into that of a trained model. She showed me a sneak peak on her camera and I could have cried. I looked like a goddess, a queen. A woman who was confident and owned her body. I had never seen her and probably would have never on my own. It took three very strong, empowering women to show me the person who was always there and damn, she looked good! Through the rest of my session I felt more alive then I ever had. I felt confident and dare I even say sexy. By the end, I was lying topless on the floor and I was no longer embarrassed or afraid. I could tell how proud Lindsay was of me too but the joy I felt inside pushed all notions of self doubt away. I truly loved myself and have not lost that feeling ever since.

I originally wanted to do this session for my husband, rekindle an old spark. Yet looking back now I realize that this experience was solely for me. Yes, its nice to get a compliment from your significant other but it isn’t until you value yourself and see the beautiful woman that you are that you can truly love yourself. I thought I had to look like a model to be pretty. I thought if my stomach wasn’t flat that I wasn’t attractive. I believed that doing things to harm myself was the only way I would ever be beautiful and skinny again. I was so wrong. I am beautiful every single day whether in my mom uniform with dirty hair in a bun or going on a date with my husband. I am an amazing, confident woman capable of anything I put my mind to as long as I believe in myself. And I have continued these feelings every since I met Lindsay. Who would have thought this experience would have changed my life so greatly? These women not only gave me an incredible day of beauty but also a new outlook on myself that I will cherish forever. I am an LRP beauty and I will never forget it ” ~ Mrs. S

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