Hannah Morrow- Experience Blog- Blackfalds Boudie Babe

I have struggled with body image quite a bit the past few years. I have had a very unhealthy relationship with food and my body since graduating university, and have steady battled with disordered eating since I was about 18. I thought boudoir could be an avenue for me to explore what is beautiful about my body, my soul, and my journey. My biggest fear was that I would do this, pay all this money, and then get my photos and hate how I looked in them.

 When looking into a photographer for a shoot I never had any interest in any other studio. I had seen two girls I know post pictures done by Erika and I adored her style and her lack of editing out the "bad" stuff. She leaves the stretch marks, the real shape of your body, and shows you why they don't need to be edited out. I wanted to be convinced I could love my body as it is, and that’s exactly what happened.

 Prior my shoot I didn't really know what I was expecting, Honestly? I was a bit skeptical. My hair was done, and my makeup was done but I still didn't know how to feel in the outfits I brought. I was like, "how is this cute, confident, bubbly girl going to make me not feel like a big lumpy mess?" BUT at my session I felt like a FRIGGIN' supermodel. Erika and I had SO much fun. I wore four different outfits and every time I put a new one on, Erika's reaction made me feel so.... powerful. "OH MY GOD, LOOK AT YOU!!!" She would squeal and I wasn't afraid to look in the mirror and think, "yeah.... look at me!" I became so confident with the camera I was posing on my own, moving, breathing my own life and personality into my pictures and I LOVED every minute of it.

 The first time I saw my images I was shocked. Completely in awe that I could like my body how it looked in real time with no editing. I couldn't believe what didn't bug me about my photos. Nothing bugged me. I just felt totally gorgeous. My first thought was how do I pick??  

My favorite part of my session I think was the shoot. Even though I had no idea what to expect later and the feeling I got seeing my images was incredible, my newfound confidence started well before I saw those photos. It started the moment Erika said "OH. MY. GOD!!" When she looked at the first image, she took of me. My life is completely changed. All I thought before my session I was all "I'm at my heaviest, and I've never looked this bad."  But after my session all I could think of was, "why would I want my body any other way?"

I have found so much enjoyment and so much love being a part of the EFP community, and I have absolutely adored getting to know the other ladies in The Babe Cave group and reading what their journeys have meant to them. I have found so much purpose sharing my session with other ladies and showing them life is so much better when we are no longer afraid of knowing ourselves and our inner beauty. Ladies Take the leap. Trust your gut; if you were looking into this, something inside of you knows you need this.