"This was my second time at Vavoom. My last shoot was 3 years ago, I had been really nervous, but everyone was so great, so supportive, so much fun. And the pictures were fantastic! Since then I’ve gained 40lbs, cut off my hair,  and let the grey come in. I was struggling to come to terms with this new body and I decided the best way to do that and celebrate turning 50 was to come back and have Heather and the ladies work their magic on me one more time. I think I was even more nervous, and the bar was set pretty high. I was surprised at how much more emotional I was at this shoot, but I had even more fun. And I’m so happy with the pictures I chose.

The session itself helped me become more comfortable with this new body, let go, be less self-conscious. And going through the pictures afterwards was a real lesson in perspective. If I saw a bad picture of myself, I assumed that’s how I looked all the time. Going through the dozens of pictures right after the shoot, some were everything I was afraid of, some not so bad, some good, some really good, then fantastic and I realized that the difference between “Oh my god, I look like a manatee in a wig” and “Holy crap, I look AMAZING” in only a few seconds, a couple minutes. I have become more forgiving of the bad pictures and more forgiving of what's in the mirror when it isn’t what I thought I would see. I know it’s just a moment. I know that the woman in these pictures is also there."