The Woman in the mirror - seeing your own reflection
“Photography cannot change the way you see yourself overnight, but sometimes a photograph can give you a reason to look again.”
Most of us are familiar with looking in a mirror. We might glance at our reflection while getting ready, checking and adjusting with a critical eye, there is often very little room in that moment to appreciate what we see. We notice the things we would change before we notice the things we love.
When you are photographed, you have the opportunity to see yourself from outside your usual perspective. Sometimes it can be surprising to realise how different that image is from the one you have carried around in your own mind.
There can be a vulnerability in having your photograph taken, particularly when the photographs are intimate. Standing in front of a camera means allowing someone else to see you closely, to observe in detail, and that can bring up all the little insecurities we carry about our bodies and the way we look.
It can take courage to stay in that moment rather than retreat into the familiar habit of hiding the things we are unsure about.
There is something incredibly powerful about moving through that feeling and allowing yourself to be photographed anyway, to surrender to the experience.
BLOG: Photoshoot inspiration - Bringing nature into the studio
These women are not professional models. They are women who came into the studio for their own reasons, and the images you see here are from real sessions with real women.
Choosing to be photographed is choosing to take up space, to be present, and to let yourself be seen exactly as you are. These women have chosen to look at themselves, to be looked at, and to recognise that they deserve to be visible.
A mirror within that photograph makes the experience even more interesting because you are looking at yourself looking at yourself. The reflection becomes part of the story, allowing the image to explore not just how a woman looks, but how she feels about being seen, creating a sense that we are witnessing something slightly private.
Visually, mirrors give us so much to work with. They allow us to photograph a woman from an unexpected angle, to bring her reflection into the composition and to create images that feel layered and almost dreamlike. A reflection can change the way a body occupies the frame, creating shapes and perspectives that would not otherwise be possible.
There is a moment that can happen when you finally see your photographs, when the critical voice becomes a little quieter and you are able to look at yourself with the same curiosity and appreciation you might have for someone else. You might notice the curve you normally try to hide, the expression you never see in your own mirror, or simply the confidence that comes through when you stop worrying about how you are supposed to look.
Photography cannot change the way you see yourself overnight, but sometimes a photograph can give you a reason to look again.
And sometimes, when you look again, you see something you had been missing all along.
Hopefully we will be seeing you soon
-Jessica Truscott
If you are interested in booking a Zest Photography family, couple, modern glamour, boudoir or nude portrait photography experience, call 0862453150 or email us at info@zestphotography.com.au.