My boudoir experience with Andrew Wood Photography

There is a great experience I haven’t told you about yet, mostly due to some technical issues I’ve had recently (read: I wrote an entire post about it and it vanished before publishing, thanks to WordPress). However I can no longer postpone rewriting the whole story to you, since I believe there are so many of my dear friends as well anticipating to hear about my experience with Andrew Wood Photography and my boudoir shoot with them. 

A while ago I saw George of Fuller Figure Fuller Bust posting a bunch of lovely pictures of her and to my surprise the very same studio held a competition with FFFB to giveaway a few complimentary photoshoots for some lucky ladies. When I got the email saying I was one of those ladies chosen to do a boudoir photoshoot with Andrew Wood Photography I couldn’t believe my luck. I never win anything! I rushed to call the studio and in no time had booked my very first boudoir shoot. The lovely lady on the phone gave me clear instructions what to bring with me and also told what was going to happen, on my own terms of course.

 

When the day arrived I was super nervous and ran to the bus stop at seven in the morning, and guess what – I fell. Face down, to the pavement. The bus driver felt so bad for me he literally let me in the bus without even paying anything for it. No wonder, my face was bleeding and bruised. Soon I could see my blood vessels through my cheek, becoming dark and very notable. I thought my shoot would be ruined and called Andrew to ask whether we should do it another time. He was absolutely lovely and told me to get there anyway since the makeup artist was a pro and they could also do some pretty magical airbrushing. Tearing up at the train station I got my ass in the train and finally arrived at the studio in Manchester to face very sympathetic yet a bit amused faces. I got myself a glass of bubbly and finally sat down to the makeup artist’s chair aka the the place where magic happens.

And magic it was. First of all, Rebecca is one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. So funny, bubbly and apparently gets along with everyone. She is also a perfectionist and very creative which meant me getting a total makeover from the bruised corpse bride to Cinderella. I requested a vintage-like look which was also one of Rebecca’s favourites to do so we hit off right from the start. As trying desperately to make my victory rolls (apparently my hair is in great condition which means it’s super hard to work with) Rebecca decided to make me a whole crown of rolls pinned up to the top of my head. Needless to say, it looked awesome.

When my makeup and hair was done I got whisked off my photoshoot with Kayleigh who was so lovely and listened to all my wishes and insecurities I had about my body. I am not comfortable showing my tummy area and wanted the pictures to highlight my best features. Kayleigh totally got me and worked with me to get the best out of my face and body. I felt really at ease and actually very confident around her which is great when you are photographed in your undies. 

Soon the photoshoot was over and I got back home with a confidence that my photos had turned out lovely. However when they offered me a time to view my pics when my bf was in town I turned the offer down since I wanted my viewing session to be more about me and wanted to be the very first person to see how I looked, just in case of some awkward poses which is always predictable with these kind of shoots (I am still in a fresh relationship so no embarrassing pictures of me shown to my bf yet, please). 

When I entered the FFFB competition in the first place, I wrote the judges a story about me growing out of my phase of anorexia and how it had affected my self-esteem. It is not easy for someone who has been obsessing about her weight for years to just not think about it anymore – every additional kilogram still makes my heart sink a bit and gives a fair amount of guilt (this is why I have ignored scales for the past two years. As so many people have said, the thoughts never go away permanently. I still struggle to see myself as I really am but the pictures Kayleigh took are helping, big time.

When I saw the retouched pictures (apparently I wasn’t made to look thinner which gave me a great deal of relief somehow) I felt amazing. I sat in the viewing room, tearing up and my mouth half open. I couldn’t believe why I still sometimes feel guilty about some extra pounds. I didn’t intend to buy this many of the pictures but as I see it now, it’s an investment in a better mental health. Andrew Wood Photography also offers the chance to pay for the pictures in a small parts which is exactly what I’m doing. Cause boohoo, I’m a poor student. 

If you, my dear reader, ever have a chance to do a boudoir photoshoot I would recommend it from the bottom of my heart. It can make such a difference to one’s well-being and confidence which a goes a long way when it comes to overall happiness. Hope you enjoyed my story! xx 

PS. If you want to tell me what you think of the pictures, feel free! Comments are always welcomed 🙂 Also, if you have done a boudoir photoshoot yourself, I would love to hear about you experience as well!

Photography: Andrew Wood Photography
Lingerie: Curvy Kate (Tease Me and Carmen, both in 30GG)
Dress: Dorothy Perkins (size 8)