ASHLEE JO PHOTOGRAPHY

ARKANSAS BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHER

INSTAGRAM @ASHLEEJOPHOTOGRAPHY

HMUA BY @looksbymarlana


What made you want to book a boudoir shoot? Tell us your story:

I had a friend who recently did a shoot. I’d always teetered with the idea of doing one but I was never confident enough to do it. I’ve struggled a lot with confidence and body image issues. I was tired of being stuck in the cycle of feeling like I was never good enough. I wanted to see what it was like to be in the lens of someone else. Being someone who grew up as a bigger girl, I was always made fun of and it really hurt my self esteem. I’ve been my own worst critic so I thought that being in front of the lens could help dissolve some of those negative thoughts I get from when I look at myself, and not by someone else.


How did you feel leading up to your Boudoir Session?

Excited, but definitely nervous. Being my size, I didn’t feel like I deserved to be in front of the camera. I thought about all of the what if’s, and I even almost talked myself out of it.


What was your favorite part about your session?

Everything. From the moment I walked in, to hair and make up, and the posing. But I knew this was my moment when I put on the piece that made me feel so confident. I didn’t care about how I’d felt before, all I knew in that moment was that it flipped a switch to where I didn’t look at myself and just feel awful.


How did you feel after your boudoir session?

Amazing. There are not enough words to describe how I felt. I looked at myself and started seeing someone who was worthy and deserving of looking beautiful. Women are capable of so much and just bad ass all around. The journey to self love isn’t an easy one. But this was just a starting point. I can finally tell the little girl inside that she is capable and beautiful of anything. The little girl in me can finally begin to heal after being told so long that she’s not worthy or will never amount to anything.


One or two words to describe how you felt when you saw your final images?

Confident and Beautiful


What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about doing a session?

Just do it. The whole experience is amazing. If you’ve ever thought about it but thought maybe I’m just not meant to do, please dont tell yourself that. Because boudoir helped me see a side that I thought didn’t exist.