Dianna is best friends with my sister, Andrea—they met years ago when they worked together in retail. Since then, Dianna and Andrea shared in each other’s joy and sorrows, and along the way I got to know Dianna and her husband, Chris. This past April, Chris and Dianna celebrated a decade of marriage. Saying Chris adores Dianna is an understatement—these two are truly soul mates. Dianna wanted to do something special for Chris for their anniversary, so after talking to me about doing a boudoir session, I got her booked and prepared for her shoot. As you can see from the image above, Chris joined her for the contemporary glamour portion of the session. I don’t photograph men, per se, because my love is photographing women; HOWEVER! I do enjoy inviting the boyfriend or husband to the session so I can get a few of them together. As well as a few alone. Below is one of my favorites of just Chris. They had their portrait reveal last week and I left them both speechless (Gold Star for me!). I told them I cannot be held responsible for any “Boudoir Babies” that are made after the viewing of their portraits (I can sense Dianna blushing!). Don’t laugh! I’ve had four “Boudoir Babies”!! Enough of me making small talk—below you’ll find Dianna’s client interview. Please read through her responses, and if you find you relate, contact me today to schedule a complimentary consult so we can chat about your vision of your session and I can help put your mind at ease. How long have you been wanting to do a boudoir/contemporary glamour session and what made you decide now was the time to do one? On and off for a few years. I was unsure if I would be comfortable/confident enough.
Client Interview: Teresa | York PA Boudoir | Shannon Hemauer
Teresa, whom I blogged about in January, was just married in June—she took a moment before her big day and answered a few questions I had regarding her experience. Please take a moment to read through them and see if you can relate. How long have you been wanting to do a boudoir/contemporary glamour session and what made you decide now was the time to do one? I wanted to give a gift for my now-husband. Something that will wow him and get him ready for a life long marriage of ME 🙂 What made you decide Shannon Hemauer was the photographer to work with to do your boudoir/contemporary glamour session? I am actually not familiar with the area and just did a Google search. Shannon was the first photographer to contact me that was delightfully responsive. I stopped searching after talking to her. What was your favorite part out of the entire experience? The planning, the session, the reveal? The reveal part to my now-husband was my favorite part. Although, I only gave him one picture [leading up to the wedding day], it was still worth the planning. What did you think when you saw that first image of yourself? I can’t believe I did this… but I’m glad I did. How did shooting this session with Shannon Hemauer change your outlook on yourself? Are you more confident? I actually was not in the weight range I would have liked to be when doing the session, but after seeing the photos, I was very happy with the way my body was depicted. Before this experience, did you feel you were photogenic? If no, do you feel you are photogenic now? I never really had an issue with having my photos taken. I did have an issue with having my photo
Angela: A Fitness Inspiration | Hershey PA Boudoir | Shannon Hemauer
Flashback! What was going on a year ago? Well, Angela was preparing for her fitness competition and decide to do a boudoir session because she wanted to see her body for its true shape—she wanted to replace the image in her mind so she could be mentally prepared. Take a look through her story—I think you’ll be inspired to step out of your own comfort zone yourself…and if you are feeling a bit daring, contact me today so we can discuss your ideas for a session. Angela: A Fitness Inspiration Angela wanted to shoot a boudoir session with me because she is competing in the United States Bodybuilding Federation (USBF) Battle of York Natural fitness competition on June 11, 2016—she had worked hard to lose 15 pounds and sculpt her body, but she was having a difficult time connecting with the woman she now saw in the mirror. To her, she was still 15 pounds heavier and was hoping a boudoir session would replace the images in her mind with the truth of how she really looks. She also felt shooting a boudoir session would boost her confidence for her competition. And here is the truly inspiring part: Angela was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease in the fall of 2015. I had my first symptom (Raynaud) in October 2014. It wasn’t until the Spring of 2015 that it affected my daily life—swelling, loss of strength, loss of mobility, pain, tiredness. Fall of 2015 is when I was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease and treatment began. I was already working out 5 days a week. I knew it hurt to start, but I always felt better when I finished. I noticed that since I didn’t work out on weekends, [on] Sunday and Monday symptoms were stronger. I took a guess that maybe the working out
Anne | Shannon Hemauer Photography
I meet Anne at a Carlisle Chamber of Commerce luncheon—I went to hear Carlisle sisters Emily Núñez Cavness and Betsy Núñez, founders of Sword & Plough (their company repurposes military materials, such as parachutes, uniforms, shell casings, etc, into beautiful bags, wallets, jewelry, and so forth) discuss how they got started and how their business hires many veterans to create the items they sell. Very inspiring story about perseverance! Anyway, Anne was sitting next to me during the lunch and we started chatting about what I do…long story short, Anne decided she wanted to treat herself with a photo shoot and that these portraits would be her husband’s 71st birthday gift. I’ll let Anne take it from here: My mother once had a glamour shot taken. She was 19 at the time, but she always treasured that photo and so have I. Mom died almost a year ago, and I have had that glamour shot photo in my bedroom ever since. When I met Shannon at a luncheon and she explained what she did I was interested and started thinking about it. “Why not do it. Life’s too short! I’m not getting any younger.” I said to myself. After all, it would be nice to leave a really good photo of myself, one that I’m proud of, for my children and grandchildren to remember me by. Thank you, Shannon, for making a wish come true with little effort on my part. You and your crew are very professional, thorough and delightful to be around. It was an experience I will treasure for many years to come. Her husband retired from the Marines (thank you sir for your service!) and during her wardrobe consult she mentioned she had a pair of earrings that she had worn to every military ball, so of course I
Alison | Boudoir New Cumberland PA | Shannon Hemauer Photography
I met Alison at the 2016 Ladies’ Night at Lehman Volvo of Mechanicsburg—she was there as a vendor and decided to purchase a raffle ticket or two…and, as you can guess, it was her ticket that was pulled for the complimentary contemporary glamour portrait session I was offering. Alison was floored—she told me she never wins anything (Glad I could change that!) and was nervous because she really didn’t like her photograph taken… Well guess, what?! I was glad I could change that as well! And here is a funny story about the blue dress in the next image: When Alison came over to try on the original dress we had selected for her included dress rental, the dress turned out to be WAY MORE low cut than I thought, and I could tell she was uncomfortable with showing that much. The dress was so low cut that I even joked with her she was making a boudoir photographer blush with all of that cleavage! Thankfully we had time to to exchange the dress for a different style, and I think the new style was perfect for her! I LOVE that blue color on her! Doesn’t she look like a Country music singer in the next image? Thank you to my lead hair/makeup stylist, Nath Kreider, for doing a great job glamming Alison up! Until next time, Shannon Contact me today to schedule your phone consult! Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Boudoir Gallery | Couple’s Boudoir Gallery | Before & After Gallery Pennsylvania Boudoir Photography Near Carlisle PA • Dillsburg PA • Gettysburg PA • Harrisburg PA • Hershey PA • Lancaster PA • Mechanicsburg PA • New Cumberland PA • York PA