Client Comments

An open letter to ladies considering boudoir photos with Lena:

Here’s the truth:  I’m not petite. I’m short. I’m not voluptuous. I’m curvy because I like potato chips.  I’m not toned because I’ve had two kids and no amount of crunches can fix that. I am my own worst critic.  And most likely, so are you.

Somewhere along the road of getting older I realized my self esteem had plummeted. It could have been mean words in high school, or significant others that didn’t know when to say “yes, hon, that looks great on you” or it could have been as simple as looking in the mirror one day and realizing that I was too hard on myself when I was younger because compared to now, I looked damn good at 20.  Perhaps some of the same things going through your mind.  Perhaps not.  We all have our own issues to fight.  Maybe you are perusing Lena’s site because you lost a lot of weight and want to celebrate (you go girl!), maybe you just know you look damn good (rock it woman!), or maybe, like me, you are in that hazy world of “how can some photographer make me like myself when I look like this” (and you pinch a roll of flesh for good measure to drive the point home).

I can’t count the number of times I visited Lena’s site, wavering in and out of decisions.  Looking at the beautiful women in her photos, reading every single little detail about a shoot.  Trying to decide if the price was really worth it (let’s face it – most of us have real lives, real bills and have been taught spending money on ourselves is self absorbent arrogance) and the ultimate “what if I spend all this money and HATE everything??” dilemma.  It took awhile to save for it and, I admit it, I found a dozen other things that I could’ve spent money on during that time but… I held on.  I actually told myself that if I chickened out I could always spend the money on a weekend vacation with the kids later.  We are women, after all, we always find an out when we are scared.

I gave in. I contacted her. She and I were laughing from the first email and, honestly, I’m a quiet little wallflower so that she made me feel so comfortable from the very start was a good sign.  Once we had a date picked I went on the lingerie hunt because, seriously, who has this crap in their closet? I mean stilettos are evil and stockings? I haven’t owned a pair in decades. I live in 5 year old jeans and t-shirts and I’m happy like that! I won’t lie to you: the shopping wasn’t fun. It was stressful and made me criticize every single part of my body.  It was trying, depressing, nerve wracking and all those things. ..like swimsuit season times a million.  But I soldiered on.

When the shoot finally arrived I was a nervous wreck.  God bless my hair and makeup artist Tina because I have no idea how she put up with me.  Every time she touched my face I jumped like a scared little rabbit.  I was so tense, so utterly terrified that I felt nauseous.  It was so bad that options like wine, tequila and Xanax were being tossed out.  Hopefully you won’t be as bad as I was but if you are: hang in there because you are gonna love what happens next.

I won’t give a detailed point by point of the shoot.  I know if you are scared like I was, you are probably hoping for that.  But here’s the thing: your shoot won’t be like mine. It will be yours and yours alone.  Once that door closes and Lena gets in her groove, it’s like slipping through the looking glass.  There will be laughter, there may be tears (did I mention how scared I was?) and there will be Lena.  Talking you through each pose, reminding you how beautiful you are and if you happen to forget, she’ll show you some of the photos as you go to remind you that what she sees (and the camera and the rest of the world) is not what we see in ourselves.  And you know what?  You’ll start to believe her.  You’ll loosen up, you’ll take a daring pose that makes her cheer you on and you’ll see that this choice you’ve made to do this? It’s one of the most memorable, most encouraging, most ethereal events of your life.

I’m still a jeans and tshirt gal. I’m still the woman who has piles of laundry and neverending dishes to wash.  But for that one afternoon I was daring, beautiful, less self critical…I was me.  And when I think of the shoot I remember what Tina and Lena did for me.  More than the photos or the friendly banter or the makeup they shared something that will never leave:  there is a sexy, courageous, beautiful woman inside me and, even if I don’t believe it on a daily basis, the photos are there to remind me that she exists if I only give her the chance to shine through.

Be brave and contact her. If you’ve taken the time to read this then you know you really want to, it’s just life holding you back.  Don’t let it.  Swallow the nerves and panic and let Lena show you exactly how beautiful of a woman you really are.