Photoshoot as self-care

I like to think that a photoshoot results in much more than just its results aka good photos.

Best case scenario, a photoshoot can be a moment when you slow down, take a deep breath and take care of number one: you.

We live in a world where we constantly view ourselves through the lenses of productivity culture, measure our value in metrics such as likes, comments and reposts and constantly find ourselves in positions where we cannot help but compare ourselves to someone. That is why I feel like it is so important to create spaces where we can just be. Spaces where we don´t have to be productive, perfect or compare ourselves to anything. A space where we can just let our own true and beautiful selves shine through.

I want my photoshoots to feel like a breath of fresh air for you. Where you can calm down, settle into the moment and be yourself. I create a space for you to dance, laugh, be sensitive, be nurturing, let your inner light shine and even cry if you want to.

You don´t need to know what to do with your hands. You don´t have to know how to pose. And no matter what social media says, you don´t have to look a certain way to be photographed.

Often times people tell me that they are surprised how recharged they feel after a photoshoot and I feel like that is more important than the perfect Pinterest esque photo.

I learned photography through self-portraits. I needed to slow down to navigate through the camera settings (shooting in manual mode was terrifying at first), learn how to position my subject (in this case me) and how to use the lighting basically as a prop in photos. Being “forced” to slow down by all the new information cluttering my thoughts (in a good way) and seeing how the photos started to turn out by having to exist more mindfully in front of the camera made me want to continue taking self-portraits long after I already knew how to use a camera. It is still, to this day one of my favorite things to do when I am alone. I get to be creative, have fun, enjoy the process and be me, just the way I am in that moment in time.

And that feeling of relaxation is the exact thing I want people who I take photos of to feel.

Self-care is not always candles, face masks and spa weekends. Sometimes it is that moment when you slow down and you start to see your just a bit more kindly.

I love to capture people the way they are, no pressure, having fun and enjoying themselves. And when people ask me “why documentary-style photography?”, that´s my why… <3