I have always loved the idea of an intimate photoshoot and was super excited for my best friend at the time when she told me she was having one. I ended up liking the studio’s page just in time to see them put out a model call; I jumped on it like sweat on a male stripper and they picked me!
I was so excited about that because when you have a disability, especially being in a wheelchair, you tend to become invisible or somehow it is taboo for you to be disabled AND sexy. I not only wanted the pictures for myself but I also wanted Chris to be able to use them publicly to show able-bodied people that a wheelchair is just a method of transportation. It’s not who I am, it has nothing to do with my sexuality or sensuality… does your car define yours? I also wanted to inspire others with disabilities who might think about an intimate shoot but are letting their disability hold them back.
I didn’t hide my wheelchair, I used it as a prop, I owned it. It didn’t then, and does not own me now.
I am also a big ally in loving who you choose to love, I don’t believe only a man and a woman constitute a couple. With that in mind, my best friend and I took intimate pictures together because I hoped to add more versatility to Chris’s portfolio to show same-sex couples who may be interested. They will also be a hoot for the grandkids to find one day after I’m gone!
I’m very comfortable with my body and the shoot was an extremely fun experience, lots of laughing and joking around. My husband was the one that was a bit uncomfortable and that’s totally normal for some guys – I mean, their wife is getting nekked in front of a guy with a camera despite there being female assistants. Chris had absolutely no problem with him sitting in on the shoot which was really cool of him.
If I could give one piece of advice to someone thinking about doing a shoot it would be to stop thinking, get out of your own head and just book it. If you stay in your own head you will probably never do it, think of it as an adventure, an acting job. You get to wear sexy costumes and dig deep inside to find your inner vixen, enchantress, seductress. Don’t worry about your thighs or your stomach or whatever your trouble spot is, Chris will show you the picture in the camera and if you don’t like the way a certain part of your body looks he will change the angle or lighting. Pooch, what pooch? Hellloooo bodacious tatas!
One piece of advice when you review your pictures, there are going to be a TON, some are going to be spectacular some are just going to be WTF. You will do well if you can laugh at yourself, in one I looked like a sumo wrestler, damn shadows….or maybe bacon…. but I have so many amazing shots and we had some good belly laughs over the bloopers.
HerStory is a blog written by our clients with images they chose to share from their session: what led them to do a photoshoot, how the session made them feel, and how they feel about it now. We have worked with hundreds of clients, and each of their stories teaches us something about ourselves. –Chris Connelly Photography
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