You Don’t Have to Love Your Body to Be Photographed | A Self-Love Portrait Session
I’ve spent years using portraits of myself to understand the different seasons of my life. When I look back at those images, I don’t just see what I looked like — I can feel who I was.
That is a huge part of why I photograph women.
I don’t believe you need to feel completely confident before stepping in front of a camera. Sometimes, the experience of being photographed can actually be part of finding your confidence.
And that was exactly what Eliya wanted to explore during her self-love portrait session.
You don’t have to feel confident to say yes
Eliya was very honest about how she felt before her session.
“Standing in front of a camera is something I never thought I would feel confident enough to do.”
She hadn't booked her photoshoot because she had suddenly become completely comfortable with her body.
In fact, it was almost the opposite.
She had experienced moments of feeling uncomfortable in her body, questioning herself, comparing herself and wondering if she was enough.
So saying yes to a photoshoot felt like stepping outside of her comfort zone.
But there was also a part of her that really wanted to know what it would feel like to simply be seen.
And I think that is something many women can relate to.
What does self-love actually mean?
We often talk about self-love as though it means looking in the mirror and loving everything about ourselves every single day.
But that isn't necessarily what self-love looks like.
For Eliya, it has become much more about how she speaks to herself, how she treats herself and how she feels living inside her own body.
“For me, self-love is not about looking in the mirror every day and loving everything you see. It is much more about how you speak to yourself, how you treat yourself, and how you feel living inside your own body.”
I love this because it takes the pressure away from having to suddenly feel confident.
There are going to be days when you feel strong and connected to yourself, and days when you don't.
That doesn't make you any less worthy of being photographed.
Your body changes. So does how you feel about it.
Eliya spoke beautifully about the relationship between our bodies and everything else happening in our lives.
Our moods change. Our circumstances change. We move through different stages of life. Our bodies change too.
Some days we might feel strong and confident. Other days we might feel tired, disconnected or uncomfortable in our own skin.
“Our bodies and emotions can change so much. Our menstrual cycle, our mood, different stages of life and everything happening around us can completely change how we feel about ourselves from one day to another.”
But there is something important in remembering that it is still your body.
You shouldn't only appreciate it on the days when you think you look good.
Learning to listen instead of judge
Eliya has also been exploring this through yoga and her own personal journey — learning more about presence, acceptance and listening to what her body actually needs.
Movement.
Rest.
Nourishment.
Softness.
Strength.
Care.
Rather than making everything about appearance, she is learning to respond to herself with more kindness.
And I think this is such an important part of a self-love photoshoot.
It isn't about creating photographs of a woman who has everything figured out.
It's about creating space for the woman who is still figuring it out.
Why she wanted to be photographed
One of the reasons Eliya wanted to do this session was because she wanted to share the experience with other women.
She wanted to put herself somewhere that genuinely scared her, stand in front of the camera with her own insecurities and be honest about the fact that she doesn't always feel confident.
“Not because I have completely figured out self-love or because I feel confident in my body every day, but because I don’t.”
That honesty is what makes her photographs so powerful to me.
There is no pretending.
No waiting for the “perfect” version of yourself.
Just a woman allowing herself to be seen exactly where she is.
You don't have to wait until you feel ready
I think so many women believe they need to reach a certain point before they can have photographs taken of themselves.
When they lose weight.
When they feel more confident.
When they have more time.
When their body changes.
When they finally feel like themselves again.
But what if the photographs don't need to be about proving that you've reached that point?
What if they can simply be a record of who you are right now?
For me, that is one of the most meaningful things about portrait photography.
When I look back at photographs of myself from different points in my life, I can remember far more than what I looked like. I remember how I felt. What I was going through. Who I was becoming.
And I want to give other women that same opportunity.
Allowing yourself to be seen
For Eliya, the photoshoot became a way of practising what she is trying to bring more into her life:
“Being present with myself, allowing myself to be seen, and giving my body care and attention wherever I am that day.”
You don't have to love every part of yourself before you step in front of my camera.
You don't have to feel confident every day.
You don't have to wait until you think you look your best.
You can simply come as you are.
Because sometimes, being photographed isn't about showing the world that you've finally learned to love yourself.
Sometimes it's about giving yourself permission to be seen while you're still learning.
Ready to be seen?
You don't have to wait until you feel completely confident in yourself or your body.
If part of you has been wondering what it would feel like to step in front of the camera, perhaps that's enough of a reason to explore it.
My self-love portrait sessions are a space to slow down, reconnect with yourself and create photographs that reflect who you are right now — not who you think you need to become first.
You don't have to be ready. You just have to say yes.
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