Letting Mom Truly See Herself

Trust me- you still got it.

As a mother you spend your days pouring into others- your partner, your kids, your coworkers- at the end of the day, you don’t exactly feel sexy and powerful. You feel exhausted. You see yourself in the mirror and see the messy bun, baggy shirt and leggings and think you’ve lost it. But this experience is all about seeing yourself in a whole new light. Sometimes you need to be able to truly see yourself past motherhood and see that you still got it.

confident mother Virginia Beach see herself

This beauty session was all about Miss M celebrating her 30th birthday. She wanted to do something special, something with champagne and happiness. She didn’t want to do boudoir, but as I always say it really isn’t about how much clothes you have on! We celebrated her confidence, beauty and grace with a little bit of bubbly!

Every time I edit a session whether it be a boudoir or a beauty session, I can’t help but think- I am so excited for her kids to get this. They can see a photo of their mother, not because she is done up, not because she is glamorous in that moment, but because she is allowing herself to just be.

I always say something magical happens during a photoshoot. You let down your guard, stop thinking so much and just. be. Your eyes start to twinkle the way you look at someone you love, and it is a look that your loved ones recognize. It is the one you don’t know you are making and honestly can’t replicate on command. But when you let yourself go, that look comes out.

Mom IS beautiful. No was about it.

Hampton Roads beauty photographer mother see herself

I distinctly remember seeing my own mother in this light. I was about 12 years old and went to work with my dad for my very first “take your daughter to work day”. As I glance around his desk, among stacks of engineering documents was an 80’s glamour photo. You know the one, softened all over, one 8×10 printed photo of my mother. It was probably at least 20 years old at the time I saw it, and I had just one thought. Mom is gorgeous. Not she was gorgeous, not that she had more wrinkles now, more gray hairs, or a different weight. Because that is what your kids think. That was the first time I had seen that photo, and she still looked like that to me.

So much of what we learn comes from our parents. I would love to help raise the next generation as strong powerful little ladies who don’t care about being called bossy (a rant for another day). I hope you enjoy some of my favorites from this gorgeous mama’s session!