Last year, I completed a holistic health program at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and was certified to be a Holistic Health Coach... We were taught in a truly holistic way, with lectures and instruction from the top people in their fields ranging from Dr. Andrew Weil, to Deepak Chopra and Debbie Ford. The list goes on and on, and it was a spectacular experience of the mind, body and soul... We were led to recognise our dreams, visions and goals, and the course was supposed to culminate in us being set to go into the world as coaches in all aspects of holistic health.
For me, there was an irony. I chose to park one of my loves during the course, which is photography; the idea being I'd pick it back up when the year-long course was over. During all the journaling exercises we did, which were designed to help us w/ clarity in our vision, my vision became more and more about photography, and less about health coaching. I want to include healing in my future, (I just got certified in Reiki), but being a fashion and portrait photographer is where I learned my passions are. As soon as we graduated, my classmates went off to start their practices, I jumped into the business of manifesting a profile as a fashion photographer. I won't get into how rapidly the manifestations were developed and how the flow of getting into this discipline felt so right. Even so, there was a slight guilty feeling of abandoning my original intention.
Or did I? Lately, I've been toying with this idea of 'holistic photography'. I'm finding that there is a certain esteem between myself and the models I'm working with. There is trust and integrity on the set. There is a sense of collaboration and accomplishment... I'm learning a lot from these models about the beauty of positive self-image. What if that could be brought to the average woman? What if the average woman had the attention and treatment models do before a shoot; expert make up, beautiful clothes, an attentive hair stylist? With all of that; the trust, the professional treatment, fun and laughter on the set, positive energy, wouldn't it be great to have a portrait series of oneself from that setting?
All that said, I'm beginning to imagine a beautiful place with a photography studio, a dressing room with closets and amoires of elegant vintage couture, the ability to get reiki, massage, hair/makeup, work with a stylist, and THEN have a photo shoot when one is in a beautiful, blissful state of mind and body.
...And all this coming from woman who pretty much hates to have her picture taken :)
Just imagine.
For me, there was an irony. I chose to park one of my loves during the course, which is photography; the idea being I'd pick it back up when the year-long course was over. During all the journaling exercises we did, which were designed to help us w/ clarity in our vision, my vision became more and more about photography, and less about health coaching. I want to include healing in my future, (I just got certified in Reiki), but being a fashion and portrait photographer is where I learned my passions are. As soon as we graduated, my classmates went off to start their practices, I jumped into the business of manifesting a profile as a fashion photographer. I won't get into how rapidly the manifestations were developed and how the flow of getting into this discipline felt so right. Even so, there was a slight guilty feeling of abandoning my original intention.
Or did I? Lately, I've been toying with this idea of 'holistic photography'. I'm finding that there is a certain esteem between myself and the models I'm working with. There is trust and integrity on the set. There is a sense of collaboration and accomplishment... I'm learning a lot from these models about the beauty of positive self-image. What if that could be brought to the average woman? What if the average woman had the attention and treatment models do before a shoot; expert make up, beautiful clothes, an attentive hair stylist? With all of that; the trust, the professional treatment, fun and laughter on the set, positive energy, wouldn't it be great to have a portrait series of oneself from that setting?
All that said, I'm beginning to imagine a beautiful place with a photography studio, a dressing room with closets and amoires of elegant vintage couture, the ability to get reiki, massage, hair/makeup, work with a stylist, and THEN have a photo shoot when one is in a beautiful, blissful state of mind and body.
...And all this coming from woman who pretty much hates to have her picture taken :)
Just imagine.
