:: celebrating women :: (continued)

My next amazing woman is Megan. She's a fellow photographer, business owner and mama. One of the things I love about her, is how she uses her business to empower women...to show them their beauty and worth. Whether you're a size 2 or 22, she will make you feel beautiful and make you believe in your beauty. There's so much power in that. As photographers, we tend to be MUCH more comfortable behind the camera. We have our own insecurities and as much as we can tell others (and truly believe it) how beautiful and worthy they are, it's difficult to be that kind to ourselves. I wanted to give Megan what she gives to so many others. I asked her a few questions about her business philosophy (and a bunch of other things 🙂) “I am a portrait photographer and what I really love doing is empowering women and self-love through photography. I really wanted to start shooting boudoir sessions after hearing so many women (myself included) speak about themselves in such a negative light. We start hating our bodies at such a young age. I wanted to be able to showcase a woman’s beauty and individuality through these intimate sessions. I want them to see their beauty, BELIEVE in it, and fall in love with it. I do very minimal retouching because I want every woman that comes to me to see their true self in this moment of their life. I think it’s hard for women to feel beautiful because we are constantly comparing ourselves to someone else or even to ourselves from years ago. In every stage of our lives, we may lose or gain weight and we can’t ever appreciate our bodies for how far they’ve come and all they’ve been through. I feel so lucky that my clients trust me enough to help them embrace and love their bodies. That’s one of the reasons I have preached over the summer to “wear the damn shorts”. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers share this movement and I loved it right away. I spent years growing up and in early motherhood not wanting to wear shorts because I thought my thighs were too big. But why? No matter how small or big we think our legs are, why do we need to hide them away?! Life is too short to worry about this. Wear the damn shorts and appreciate where your legs have taken you.” When do you feel like your true self? “100% behind the camera, hyping up my clients. I could shoot these sessions all day. There’s just something about seeing these women loosen up and just start appreciating themselves. The whole vibe is contagious.” As a small business owner and mom of two school age kiddos, how has this pandemic affected you? “Virtual learning has been a little bit of a struggle in our house. My 8th grader doesn’t mind it as much, even though she does miss her friends. It’s tough with my elementary school aged daughter, though. We’re trying our best but Mama isn’t a teacher. They really miss being in a classroom. Not to complain, because I do love having them safely at home and it’s given me lots of time with them. As far as the business side goes, there were a few months there that I was unable to work because I was considered a non-essential. Fortunately, I’ve been very busy since I was able to reopen. As a boudoir photographer, I have had clients come to me saying that they have gained weight during the pandemic, so they are a little nervous to book. Ha, I’ve even gained a good amount of weight myself. But being able to capture this time of their life and still showing them how worthy they are at any shape and size is everything to me.” MUA extraordinaire: K Artistry

Amazing Jewelry: Julie Ellyn Designs

Megan's beautiful photography page: Lay in the Breeze Photography