My own experience of growth via being photographed nude
Before I met the photographer at Spoon Book Publishing or ever thought of being photographed nude, I used to spend enormous amounts of money on clothes and jewelry. My objective was to be in style and have the latest blings in shinny stuff to attract attention to what I have on my body. The photographer impressed upon me that I had to start within myself and then focus on the gifts of my body. By “gifts of my body” he explained he meant my body in its entirety but also to emphasize the positive parts of my body that I liked until I could love it all. If I were interested in looking better and being attractive I had to work at improving my sense of self worth, skin, teeth, hair, nails, and posture. Frankly, I already knew that but I think I thought if I put enough fine clothing and jewelry on my body I could skip taking care of the mental and physical sides of me. The photographer explained that taking care of me was actually less costly than chasing a dream in the department store.
The photographer at Spoon Book Publishing worked with me slowly enough to have me get back to the basics of taking care of me without my realizing I was changing. We took pictures by the hundreds on many occasions; he would criticize his photography skills in the photos while I would without saying anything realize that I did not look like I wanted to look. Then one day as I was sitting by the window completely nude waiting for the photographer to get his lens and stuff affixed to his camera he took a picture of me like he was just seeing if his lens were right. That was the best picture of me in my life. I had no sparkle of lens fears in my eyes or posture of poking my chest out as if to say look at me; I was just me sitting there looking really good, healthy, and meditatively thanking God for me. Frankly the expression on my face told of how I was thinking of how weird it felt to be sitting there nude and he was not trying to lay me. My expression I think also revealed that I wanted him and I knew he wanted me. My eyes seemed to say I was thinking of ways to make him ask me but my brow was perked just enough to show I was considering seducing him. That photograph told the whole story. I admit it happened but that is not what I want to tell you. I want you to know that after seeing that photo I have a love of me nude. I am so in love with me nude I fear I might answer the door nude one day. Nudity is not a big deal if you think about it. It is only you and you ought to love yourself. I have never feared taking nude photos for personal use again. I have taking a gazillion more nude photos and even though I think some of them are good, none match the photo I took that day when I did not even realize I was being photographed.
I love me all over now; I do not need to shop until I drop to feel good about me. No matter how many or how few compliments I get these days, I do not need to have others validate me. My relationship is with me accepting what my parents and God gave me and making it shine with good tones, clean make-down instead of a lot of make-up. I do not have to do hootchie cootchie positions or postures to show I am sensual or sexy. I live my life now like I have the attitude of the cartoon character Popeye; “I am what I am” and I love me; thanks to the photographers at Spoon Book Publishing.