Debbie and Derek's Story

Derek: "My shoot was always intended to be an 'ice-breaker' for my wife, Debbie, but it turned out to be one of the most fun things that I have ever done. I have to admit that I was quite nervous about doing it - I'm not short of self-confidence, but I was way out of my normal comfort zone. I now have complete sympathy with any woman's body image concerns! However, I felt completely relaxed and came away on such a high that I felt about half my age! (I still don't know how I managed to keep it a secret until Valentine's Day). I'm still really chuffed that I did it and that the images came out so well, and Debbie was delighted with the album - the look on her face when she opened it was something worth seeing! Just goes to show, it's not just for the girls - even a slightly overweight fifty-five year old man can look good and amaze his wife with a bit of magic from Mighty Aphrodite!

Debbie has had a long uphill struggle with her weight, and that's one of many reasons that I'm so proud of her and of what she has now achieved. After so many years of hating being overweight she still had the idea in her mind that she was unattractive and needed to cover up, and was reluctant about having photos taken and invariably hated the results. She was, nevertheless, really excited about coming for her shoot, and had great fun getting her 'secret' wardrobe together, but she was fairly sure that topless would be her limit, and pretty certain that she wouldn't want to go any further.

Once again, the two of you put all her worries to rest. Like me, she thoroughly enjoyed being in your company, and loved every moment of the day. Right from the start she was far more relaxed than I had expected her to be, partly due to you both putting her so much at ease when we first arrived, but also because Zena did such a great job of settling her into the studio environment while doing her make-up. From the moment that a client walks in, to the time they leave, you really do a very good job of running your sessions, professional and fun at the same time.

I knew that Debbie would really enjoy the lingerie shots and have no problem with going topless, but I was genuinely amazed that with only a brief moment of hesitation about 'baring all' for the first time, she not only decided to go on to the nude shots, but looked really comfortable and had a great time doing them! The final 'Artistic Nude' set was fantastic. We both think that the images are stunning and she's amazed at how good she looks. A year ago she wouldn't even go onto a nude beach anymore, she so hated her body, and there she was being photographed lying naked on the floor, covered in baby oil and water, and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it! That's what you've done for her confidence - she came away absolutely buzzing, and hasn't really come down from the high yet!

To you, your photography is a business, but don't ever underestimate the effect that you can have on someone like Debbie. She was so thrilled that you asked her to do the "Clients Stories" page, and, to my total surprise, she jumped at the opportunity (I was expecting - "There's no way I'm having nude photos of me put on public display on the Internet for everyone to see!"). That was the 'icing on the cake' for her, realising that you think that she looks good enough to be on display on your website. It was the final confidence builder that was needed to get the 'old' Debbie back again."