If I ever got married—unlikely as it seemed—I’d want a dress that made me feel as confident as Sasha looked. I photographed a lot of brides in my line of work, and I always wondered if they were as happy as they seemed. If they’d found their soul mate. True love.
I wanted to believe it was possible. But the older I got, the more convinced I became that fairy tales only existed in River’s bedtime stories.
“Great,” I finally said when Harper lowered her camera. We were coming up on the end of our session. “We’re almost done. Are there any other spots or poses you wanted to try?”
Sasha had come in with very clear ideas of the look she wanted. She’d even shared a Pinterest board of inspiration. I’d studied it and made notes on my phone as to all the shots we’d need to take. It seemed like we’d covered it all, but I wanted to make sure she agreed. My clients were everything.
They’d helped me build my business—putting their trust in a new photographer. And they’d helped me grow, by sharing their experiences on social media and with friends and family. Most of my business came through word of mouth, and I no longer worried about making my mortgage payment or putting food on the table for my son—not that my family would ever let us starve, but it was something I needed to do for myself. To provide for my son.
I could remember the day I’d hired Harper on as a second photographer. It had been both scary and exhilarating. Knowing we’d need to continue bringing in enough business to cover her salary, but also realizing that my business had grown enough to justify it. But overriding it all was an overwhelming sense of relief. I was no longer solely responsible for documenting my clients’ memories; I could rely on someone else.
“You’ve been very thorough,” Sasha said to me. “Which is exactly why I hired you. I think we’re good.”
“Great!” Harper smiled, and I nodded.
“We should have the proofs for you in the next week or so. I’ll email when they’re ready, and then we can schedule an appointment.”
“Perfect,” Sasha said as Harper and I started packing up. “And when can we do the boudoir shoot?” she asked Harper as we headed back to the main building so she could change.
I’d attempted a boudoir session once a few years ago and never since. The past few months, we’d been getting more requests, and Harper had volunteered to do them. She really had a knack for them, and I was grateful we could offer the service without my having to be the photographer.
“I had a spot open up next week, if that works.”
“For sure.” Sasha squealed. “God, I’m so excited. I think I’m even more excited about that than I was about today.”
“Me too!” Harper squeezed Sasha’s arm.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel the same enthusiasm for a boudoir shoot. It didn’t matter which side of the camera I was on, I always felt uncomfortable. Exposed.
And if I were the one being photographed, I couldn’t imagine ever showing the images to anyone else. I shivered. Allowing them to pore over all your imperfections. To memorialize your body for the world to see for the rest of time. Hell to the no.
“Thank you so much, ladies. I would hug you, but—” She glanced down at her dress.
“No.” I laughed. “Of course. Have to protect the dress.”
As she walked off, holding up her train so it wouldn’t get dirty, Harper turned to me. “Want to join us for the boudoir shoot?”
I rolled my eyes. “What do you think?”
“I think you should try it—just once. Like I think you should consider giving a dating app a shot. One of our clients was talking about one recently—LoveBirds, I think. It’s just for the Alondra Valley and surrounding region.”
“Ihavetried a boudoir shoot, and you weren’t there to see how awful it was.”
“Yeah, but—” she rolled her eyes “—it was Bonnie.” After a beat, she said, “Fine, I see you still aren’t convinced. But what about the app?”
“I might check it out.”
“Good. And if you want me to take some pictures of you for your profile, let me know.”
“Whoa. Whoa.” I held up my hands. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
She laughed and headed for her car, and I did the same. As I drove back to the studio, I thought about the dating app. If nothing else, maybe it would be a good way to meet some people. Put myself out there and build my confidence.
The more I thought about it, the more excited I grew. Maybe Harper was right. Maybe this was exactly what I needed. By the time I met Harper back at Little Bird Studios, I was ready.
“Okay.” I strode through the studio with newfound confidence. “Let’s do this! I want to try LoveBirds.”
Harper slowly lifted her head, a smile playing at her lips. “Awesome. I already have the site pulled up.”
