Name: ELISSA
Age: 53 & 3/4's
Dress Size: 14-16
Reason For Shoot:
JUST FOR MYSELF
The main reason for doing a shoot was entirely personal and a little bit selfish! Having spent more than 6 years being a full time sole carer for my very poorly husband and holding down a full time job, I realized I'd "forgotten" my sense of being a woman and felt old, frumpy and a little bit lost. As my husband's illness progressed, things changed and I realised I needed to try and "find myself" again. One of the positive things I decided to do was to spend some time redecorating parts of my home. As I considered the decor for my bedroom, I was thinking about artwork for the walls and I remembered a conversation my husband and I had had many years before his debilitating illness about how we both liked erotic art but found mainstream art too "impersonal". After some days thinking about this, another conversation came to mind from about 13 years earlier where my husband had asked me if I would be interested in a "photo shoot". Putting these two ideas together, I then found Mighty Aphrodite online and suddenly those remembered conversations and a chance to make my art choices both erotic AND personal clicked together.
Before the shoot, I was nervous, but oddly determined. I was utterly convinced I would look my age, and, even worse, just look rather "plain and uninteresting". The morning of my shoot arrived very quickly and taking heed from Zena's warning about having something to eat, I managed a small breakfast before heading off to the studio. I didn't have any particular worries other than the worry I might just frighten the photographer half to death! From the moment I stepped through the door, I knew I was in the right place. Leigh and Zena made me so incredibly welcome and put me at ease immediately with reassurances that they would not ask me to do anything I didn't feel comfortable with. By the time we entered the studio my sense of "Right - let's do this and enjoy it because it's never going to happen again" kicked in and I felt a little light headed!
The shoot was everything and nothing like I'd imagined... First off I couldn't ever have imagined being completely naked in a room with two people I'd only just met! Secondly I was intrigued how they could make me look good enough to hang on my bedroom walls! In fact, getting naked was the easy bit! Once I'd made the decision I knew there would be no stopping me. One of the best things was being able to view each shot as it was taken on the computer... that was very interesting and allowed me to add my small input or suggestions if I wanted to. The words of support and encouragement from Leigh and Zena made me feel empowered and emboldened.
After the shoot had finished I felt absolutely amazing! I was so pleased that I'd done it! I wanted to do it all over again! The professionalism, encouragement, attention, patience and friendliness from both Zena and Leigh during my shoot made me feel like I'd known them for years and although I felt quite exhausted I also felt exhilarated, elated, and - well - chuffed to bits!
The absolute best bit though was after I'd chosen my final album selections and Leigh had worked his magic - I was blown away with how absolutely spectacular he had made me look! My memories of my photo shoot and my photographs are something I will always treasure. From being worried I would look "plain and uninteresting" Leigh has made me look simply stunning. I sometimes forget that it is me in the pictures! I have shown some carefully selected pictures to some very dear girlfriends... one reaction in particular pleased me no end - it was "Wow - I can't believe you had the guts to do a nude shoot - AND pull it off so fantastically".
The main recipient of the photos is of course my husband, and despite his illness, his delight and appreciation of the final pictures in my album made every shred of doubt or worry I'd had just melt away. He loved them as much as I do. My advice is "You only live once" - If you're reading this site then you're obviously thinking about it either for yourself or someone you love. Well, don't think - DO! I absolutely love the end result. The aluminium prints and the album are truly first class work. Leigh and Zena know what they are doing and I am thrilled beyond words with both the experience and the end results.
