The Secret Penthouse
Have you ever met someone who just floats? Someone whose energy is so sweet that they just glide in and out of a room?
That was my beautiful, extraordinary client, Carolina. Her light and airy demeanor uplifts everyone she meets. She has a strong, yet understated confidence.
Carolina approached me to create a secret bridal boudoir portrait session. Her style was clean, simple and classic. When we had our Planning Consultation, we went over the in-depth questions I love to ask - what’s your dream shoot look like? What do you love most about yourself? Her answers were beautifully authentic.
She had the same concerns that most women have - little worries and insecurities about her body and wondering if she was really daring enough to pull this off. Her Pinterest Board looked like a mixture of a Vogue magazine layout and an Annie Leibovitz portrait. It was gorgeous! One of MY dream shoots! I told her to simply be herself and the shoot would be perfect.
Not to over-romanticize shoot day, but there was something about the way the sun rose that day, it just felt awesome. We went to this gorgeous resort on Fort Lauderdale beach (yes, I’m going to overuse the word “gorgeous” and no, I’m not going to tell you which hotel exactly! LOL). The client just happened to have the most incredible 3 bedroom penthouse suite with balconies overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, a full kitchen, decor that was clean and modern and a flood of natural light in all the right places.
After our mimosa toast and while she sat in makeup, I played with the clothes and jewelry she brought, matching them with the different rooms and decor. I love creating cinematic scenes - where the light, the furniture, artwork, and the outfits all support a storyline. Once all of these things align, its magic.
Carolina’s easygoing personality made the session such fun! We played with the simplest of props: wine, cheese, grapes. We played with clothes: an old concert t-shirt, lingerie and even a Diane Von Furstenburg-inspired wrap dress. I swear she looked like Sophia Loren. We had so much fun.
In the end, her images looked like a Vogue magazine layout after all. They are, hands down, some of my favorite images of all time. Some of my best work without a doubt.
I WISH I could show them to you!
Alas, Carolina is a physician and images from her session simply can’t be put on the internet for the world to see. Of course, client confidentiality is paramount, so the images are staying locked in the vault! At least I can share this story, and this one, singular image.
I have to tell you about her Image Reveal Session. Carolina had flown in from out-of-state for her shoot and had to get back on a plane soon - we had no time to spare! I got her proofs ready same-day and we met up to pour over the images. I love playing a little slideshow of the images with music to get things started.
As the music played and the images faded on and off the screen, I sat in silence, watching her. Have you ever seen a butterfly alight near you and you knew that if you moved it would fly away? That’s what it felt like to watch Carolina take in her images. She was completely entranced; she held her breath for a few seconds, and then the tears started to flow.
Naturally, my own tears followed.
It is such a privilege to witness someone’s humanity.
Her cathartic experience was punctuated with a story of her youthful journey through self-esteem and confidence - a tale as old as time.
That’s the thing about a boudoir shoot - you think its about pretty pictures and lingerie, but its so much more. Its a transformative and empowering (and sometimes cathartic) experience.
Oh, and yes, her husband was surprised and floored with the heirloom quality, custom designed album we put together. It was magnificent.
Carolina, thank you for entrusting me with this beautiful experience and your journey.