Tag Archives: san luis obispo boudoir photographers

August 20, 2024

Persephone Unleashed | Whidbey Island, WA

Five years and thirteen retreats ago, I never could have dreamed I would find myself half-naked in a PNW forest getting a dose of my own medicine.
Five years and thirteen retreats ago, I felt small and alone and thought maybe other women felt the same way and would like a safe place to practice taking up space, to be fully seen, heard & celebrated.
Five years and thirteen retreats ago, I never could have seen all this coming — that I would travel to Whidbey Island with a small group of women, in search of what ‘Wild’ means to us.
Five years and thirteen retreats ago, I was a wholly different woman.

Putting each retreat into a blog post is especially hard, because it is physically impossible to describe, explain, or show you what unfolded in these 5 days.
I cannot put into words, the metamorphosis I witnessed in these women, the grief that was processed, the old beliefs that were shed, the rebirth that was claimed.
But I do know the power of photographs, how they can transport you to a moment, even if you weren’t even there when the moment happened. So here we go.

On the fourth weekend of the fifth month of this year, we journeyed to Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington.
Amidst the cedar, fir & wysteria we shared conversation, laughter, and tears.
We shed our layers (literally), adorned our bodies with color, and created works of art using our own skin.
We gathered around a table, clinked glasses, taked story, and nourished our bodies.
We danced like animals, shook our tail feathers, and sat in meditative council with our guides.
We stepped outside comfort zones, and found it not nearly as scary as we thought.
We hugged trees, danced barefoot, and laughed till our bellies were sore.
And we were never the same

September 14, 2023

Lindsay + Sean | Intimate Couples Session

When Lindsay first reached out to me to celebrate her and Sean’s engagement alongside the launching of a new business, I never could have guessed that it would lead to one of the most powerful couples sessions of my career. As she described her empowered intimacy + pleasure coaching business, Wolf + Moon Coaching, I knew in my gut I’d finally found the perfect pair to experiment with a new and intimate style of photographing partners. I asked if they would be game to end their session in their chonies, and trust me to document the magnetism of their bodies tangling together.

The session began as most typical engagement sessions do: wandering hand in hand through nature, reminiscing on how they met. It didn’t take long for me to recognize that this isn’t the first lifetime Sean & Lindsay’s souls have found each other. They way they moved, laughed, and gently held one another was like poetry given life. This session moves in three parts, and just gets steamier with each outfit change.

I am so grateful that Sean & Lindsay trusted me with abandon for this session. There wasn’t a single moment that was weird or awkward, which speaks volumes to the safety and wholeness they feel together.
But don’t take my word for it…

January 29, 2022

Persephone Unleashed | Leah’s 40th Birthday Retreat | Whisper Valley Ranch, Santa Margarita

Back in November, I had the distinct honor of hosting a special edition of Persephone Unleashed for a retreat alumni’s 40th birthday. This gaggle of goddesses welcomed me into their girl squad like I’d been there the whole time.

Whisper Valley Ranch set the perfect space and backdrop to our retreat — complete with zero cell service and not another soul or house for MILES. This being a birthday party, we opted for a more playful approach to nourishing ourselves, vs. the spiritual & emotional healing of Persephone’s past. We leaned into creativity and sisterhood, and laughed from sunup to sundown every single day.

As always, the photo shoot portion of the retreat blew my mind and filled my heart. I watched as each of these 6 women dropped out of their heads and into their bodies, releasing a lifetime of social expectations, shame, fear, and self-hatred. I watched as they stepped out of fear and into their own power, and it. was. epic.

This retreat wouldn’t have been what it was without the incredible team of women who brought it to life:

Whisper Valley Ranch, for inviting us into their sacred space and land.
Flora & Fauna Fine Foods, for making the trek out into the middle of nowhere to feed us 3 times a day.
Rozetree Bridal, for treating these women like the queens they are and enhancing their natural beauty for their photo shoots.
Events by Lilies of the Field, for helping us make floral crowns fit for forest nymph royalty and supplying stunning florals for our dining experiences.
All About Events, for bringing elegance to our dining ambiance, making every meal feel like a royal banquet.
Beauty Poet, for loving on these weary goddesses’ bodies with the healing touch of therapeutic massage.
Fable Rune, for making our skin glow from day one with their natural ayurvedic facials and clay mask bar.
Jena Baird, for guiding us through morning yoga practices and bringing healing through both movement and sound.
Jennifer DeTrèglodè, for teaching us the ancient methods of Shibori Dye and allowing us to stretch some creative muscles.
& Nicole Joy, for painting these stunning portraits of our goddesses, something they will treasure forever.

There are still a few seats available for 2022 retreats (registration for the March retreat closes Feb 1st!) — I invite you to say YES to yourself in this big way and claim one of those seats for yourself.

October 13, 2021

J the Joy Goddess | A Bare Session

There once was a Goddess of Joy, who’s spark was snuffed out by another.
One day, the Goddess saw how very dim her light had grown,
And decided to do something about it.
She filled the room with music and began to shed her skin.
As she opened her heart and body to receive the gifts of Joy again,
Light crept through her cracked edges and illuminated her beautiful shadows.
A smile burst from her heart and onto her face as her true and original power settled in once more.

{hair & makeup by The Queens Bees}

January 14, 2020

Air Goddess – San Luis Obispo Boudoir Photographer

There once was a goddess who’s lungs were full to the brim.
She flew through her life, with the wind in her curls and the road beneath her wheels.
Her path led her through forests and earth, and brought her to the edge of the continent.
There, her lungs greeted the sea with the deepest of exhales.
And upon the exhale, a pause. And upon the pause, an inhale once more.
As the wind rose to meet her, she was reset.