Allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m Veronica, your boudoir photographer. I’m intentional about practicing what I preach. These images are in celebration of my (upcoming) 40th birthday.

I believe a woman should have body autonomy and the freedom to express herself in WHATEVER way she chooses. Women are powerful, beautiful, exquisite, intelligent, resilient and deserving. That’s why I focus on celebrating us through boudoir photography.

Last week, I went to Atlanta, Georgia to see my beautiful friend, Ria. She’s an amazing boudoir photographer and artist who’s work I just CANNOT get over. I went with the intent to celebrate where I am in my life. I wanted to document this fire, this solid confidence I’ve gained since deciding to take control of my own happiness.

In the past, I had poured so much of myself into the roles of wife and mom, I forgot about VERONICA. I had lost ME. And at 36 years old, I looked in the mirror; I was 70lbs overweight and depressed. I felt like merely a ghost of the woman I was once. I felt like things happened TO me in my life but after truly thinking about how things were going, I realized the problem was ME. Instead of me showing up for myself and making things happen I allowed myself to become a prisoner to the mother and wife by completely neglecting everything I needed. I had assimilated to the kind of life I’d always said I never wanted. And worse, I was so far in I didn’t know how to get out. The pain of that realization was too deep to bare.

It was then I decided I wanted my life to look different. I set out with the intention to do everything that made me happy. I didn’t know what that meant at the time but I had only ONE rule: NO MOM GUILT ALLOWED.

An amazing thing happened as I took those baby steps to finding my own happiness outside of fulfilling all of my family’s needs and wants. For me, that looked like starting a fitness program with a personal trainer and dropping 56 pounds, spending time alone (introverts need that from time to time), and speaking more positively to and about myself.

Since then my life has opened up in more ways than I can count and my overall sense of well-being has sky-rocketed. When I focused on my own happiness, the heaviness in the entire household had also lifted. My family reaped the benefits of a happy wife and mom and I discovered that no one suffered or lacked when I decided to stop putting my own needs aside.

And a few years after turning that corner, I wanted to commemorate it all with a boudoir shoot as I celebrate the tail end of my 40th revolution around the sun. I wanted Ria to capture who I’ve grown into and the woman I’m becoming.

I came back from this experience with a beautiful love letter to myself in the form of images. I have been re-energized and even more so, I have been changed by this experience. I know that I can be even better than I was the day before. A better woman, a better wife, a better mom. A better artist.

I am beautiful, better, daily. I am your photographer.

-Veronica

IMAGES CAPTURED BY: Maria Rouse | @boudoirbyria | www.boudoirbyria.com | Atlanta, GA