At Show Your Spark, one of the most heartwarming things we encounter is the returning clients for a second boudoir photography session.
Spark Alumni Madison, one such remarkable client, joined Lindsay, owner and photographer of Show Your Spark, for a conversation on Instagram. Madison’s two Spark Sessions (aka boudoir sessions) sessions have been nothing short of transformational, empowering her to embrace her true self and celebrate the amazing person she is. If you’ve ever wondered about the power of boudoir photography to transform lives, Madison’s story is a must-read.
Join us as we share the transcript of their conversation below. Get ready to be moved, and inspired, and maybe even consider booking your session as Madison reminds us all: “You’re going to get to see a different side of yourself than you ever thought possible.”
Read on to discover how Madison discovered herself and a newfound strength through the power of boudoir photography.
Enjoy the conversation. Let it spark your own journey.
Welcome to Madison’s Journey
Lindsay:
Welcome, Maddie. I’m so excited to have you on, as always. I love just talking to you. Maddie, your story has just inspired so many people as you’ve been generous to share on our blog. Your photos are a fan favorite. So thank you for being here and sharing a little bit about you and your story. So I’ll let you introduce yourself.
Madison:
My name is Madison Smith. I’ve done two Spark Sessions with Lindsay now. I did one in the beginning of 202 a month before everything shut down from the pandemic. That was to celebrate the kickoff of transitioning. I wanted to do something that I never thought I could do before. I never had confidence before and that Spark Session showed me that I can really live life on my own terms. What better way than to do an amazing boudoir session?
Madison’s First Spark Session
Lindsay:
Absolutely. That was so big. That was a huge moment to celebrate you becoming you. I remember when you said that you finally saw on the outside who you’d always felt like you were on the inside. That was something that always stood out to me.
Madison:
It’s so true. Not only was the premiere of my photos from that first Spark Session mind-blowing to see myself looking like a model up on a wall, life-sized, but it finally drove home that is who I am. That woman on the screen was I’ve always been and that’s who the world is going to see.
Madison’s Second Spark Session
Lindsay:
Yes. So, that’s how your first Spark Session went. Can you tell me more about your second session?
Madison:
About six months ago, I came in for my second Spark Session. I used this session as a way to mark the end of my first year being out full-time at work. It was almost three years after my first session, and I wanted to see the difference. It’s mind-blowing to see where I started versus where I ended up.
Lindsay:
It’s such a privilege to be a part of your journey. Thank you for trusting us to go on this journey and allowing us to celebrate your essence through photography so you can see it later. It is a big privilege to be able to hear your story and to have you share your perspective with us.
Madison:
Thank you for making the space for me to feel comfortable and have such a wonderful experience. If I didn’t feel comfortable and safe coming into your studio or working with you, I never would have done this. So thank you for making the first move by creating such a wonderful environment for people to step into their power.
The Power of Boudoir Photography Portraits
Lindsay:
It’s full-body chills! I remember talking to you before you even booked. I said to you, “I want this to be a space where you can feel free to be yourself and what can I do to help make this experience feel safe for you?” It’s really important to me that you feel safe in our space because it’s such an amazing privilege to celebrate the spark as it starts to grow and become visible outside. So, now that you’re out, how does it feel seeing your photos now compared to the first time you saw your photos? How does it feel now that you’re a bit more visible in your daily life?
Madison:
My portraits are a constant reminder of who I am and how I want to show up in the world. I have two pieces of artwork from my last photo shoot in my bedroom. So every single day I see an amazing piece of art with photos of me looking gorgeous and truly owning who I am. It’s that nice little reminder of yesterday might have sucked, but today doesn’t have to as well.
Lindsay:
Your photos are straight-fire. The ones in the satin sheets with your red hair– I just love those. They look amazing. The level of confidence in who you are is mind-blowing. I love seeing you step into that. I started to see it in your first session, and now in your second session, it’s like, whoa, watch out world. This is Madison! So confident. How do you feel looking at both? Sort of seeing yourself reflected back where you were and then who you are today and seeing that journey?
Madison:
I hate to keep saying mind-blowing, but it was. I can see the difference in how I looked before compared to now. My hair grew six inches, I can see physical changes in my face, and the way I carried myself changed as well. I am so much more myself in the second round of photos than I was in the first because, in the first, I still wasn’t out to my family. I wasn’t out at work. I was out to maybe a handful of people, including yourself and I was still kind of nervous. There was that little voice in the back of my mind saying, if this doesn’t work, you can still hit stop. Now, three years later, there’s no way in hell I’m going to stop.
Lindsay:
Yes. You just keep going up from here.
Madison:
And seeing the photos now gives me that little push to be stronger, be who I know I am. When I have a bad couple of days at work, I look at those photos and am reminded that I’m stronger than a lot of people give me credit for. I can do things that other people never would think of. I’ve done things that I told myself I never could do.
A Reminder of Strength
Lindsay:
How does it feel when you know that you have this reminder of that? I feel like a lot of us go through the world underestimated. People judge us on the surface. You can see it in visible form, but also as a confirmation of what’s inside you, of who you truly are. How does it feel when you get home and you see that reminder? What does that do to your brain when you can reset at the end of the day?
Madison:
It helps me take stock of where I let myself down throughout the day so I know where to step in and remind myself tomorrow. Doing a spark session, let alone doing two, has completely changed how I view myself. Wow, I wish more people could do this.
Lindsay:
I love that so much because it is true. It totally changes how you see yourself, and it makes those pathways in your brain stronger that tell you that you’re capable of so much more than you thought you were. When you think about the photos from your most recent session, can you tell us a little bit about what you wanted to showcase in those? You had a very different vision going in than we did the first time. Why did you want to show those sides?
Madison:
When it came time to do my second session, I was pretty run down. About a month and a half after that session, I was clinically diagnosed with depression. I knew going into that second session that I wanted something to remind myself of how strong I am.
My first year of being out full-time was not easy. Between my girlfriend getting sick with Lyme disease and having to take care of her, I missed a lot of work. I had to deal with a lot of paperwork at my job just to get my work IDs and email addresses switched over. It took months to get that through. I was working in a less than supportive work environment, constantly having to remind people of my name, and my pronouns, and defend what bathroom I use. So I needed some type of reminder that I am strong. So when it came time to do the second session, I wanted something sexy, I wanted something dark, I wanted something powerful. You delivered exactly that.
Cracking Open the Foundation for Self-Love
Lindsay:
Thank you. Thank you for showing up and being willing to go there for you. That’s what makes it a success, right? People ask me a lot of times, “How do I know I’m going to like the pictures?” I always tell people, it’s a collaboration. You walk in with the willingness to see yourself as that strong, badass person you want to express and we’ll help make it happen. You showed up knowing that you were willing to go there. So thank you for participating and being willing to let down any walls or any voices that may have been previously taking up space.
Madison:
I learned how to do that through my first spark session. Before my first session, I had never liked a single photo ever taken of myself. They always felt staged and I never looked exactly happy. It took everything in the world to get me to genuinely smile. My first session cracked open that foundation and has allowed the rest of me to pour out. I just needed that little push and you gave that to me. So thank you so much.
Lindsay:
Thank you. Well, it’s the trust. It’s such a gift for me to be able to do this with people. It’s almost like you handed me the chisel and gave me permission to crack the foundation. Then I did.
Madison:
There are some things that we cannot do on our own. That was something that I needed help with. Who better to help than an amazing photographer who does nothing but take badass photos of badass women? You are the perfect person to help with that.
The Photographer-Client Collaboration
Lindsay:
So some people ask; “I don’t know how to pose”, “I don’t know what to wear”, or “I’m not sure which style of photography I want.” What would you say to people who are sort of stuck in their heads about what they should ask for in a session? Or if they begin to doubt if they should have a session? What would you say?
Madison:
The answer to if you should have a session is “Yes.” Trusting yourself is something that you should do. This experience will help you see yourself in a more positive light. As for choosing your look for the session, think of this as a chance to show off who you are as a person. Find a style and look that makes you love how you look. It’s not vain. You’re allowed to like how you look. Some people think this is an exercise in vanity, but it’s not. It’s an exercise in self-love and appreciating who you are for who you are.
For the second session, I wanted to showcase the physical changes in my body since starting HRT. I also wanted to celebrate getting through one hell of a year. We did that in the dark and moody sets showing sexy strength. I think comfortable confidence radiates from some of my photos.
The Power of Boudoir Photography Artwork
Lindsay:
When you think about seeing those photographs in your home at the end of the day, what word would you use to describe that photo that you’re looking at right now? Who is she?
Madison:
She’s a badass and no one is going to change that.
Lindsay:
Hell, yeah. I love that. So, you purchased some wall art to display on the walls in your home and also an album. After your session, you got to see your photos on our big screen and then select the ones you wanted to turn into wall art or include in your beautiful album. How would you describe the album in your hands right now?
Madison:
First of all, this is a hefty album. It’s not some cheesy Walmart print-off of photos. This is a top-of-the-line, professionally-made album. It’s a small glimpse into everything that I have done to get where I am. It’s a portable reminder of how strong I am.
The fact that you get to be a centerfold in your own album, that’s amazing.
Lindsay:
Thank you for sharing pieces of your album with us. They’re beautiful, and I’m so glad that they bring you that portable reminder. When you were saying “portable reminder”, I actually thought of the word portal. It’s like a portal of confidence that you can just step into as well.
Madison:
Every time I see those photos, I stand a little taller, I hold myself a little straighter. I get a reminder of who I am. We all forget. We have jobs and kids and school and chores and groceries to buy and this and that. It’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle of our own daily lives. Looking at these photos, right back to a day that I took for myself to celebrate who I am.
Prioritizing Self-Love Amid a Hectic Life
Lindsay:
And you have a very busy life. You have a lot going on. What advice would you give to someone who might be thinking “Okay, that sounds awesome, but I have 5 million things on my to-do list every single day. How did you make time for this? And how did you make it a priority for you?”
Madison:
First, I chose to value myself over other things in my life. I’m not saying that other things aren’t valuable. I work a full-time job where I’m on call 24/7. I was in school taking two classes per semester. I was apartment hunting with my girlfriend. I was doing everything to get ready for the holidays. I was getting ready to travel to visit my family out West. I had a lot going on and yet I chose myself as something that needed time and space.
I didn’t get to go to the gym. I didn’t get to control my diet the way that I wanted to beforehand. But I took the time to constantly remind myself, this is worth it. I told myself “You will love the results. You love the results from the first one.”
I encourage you to take five minutes, literally five minutes a day, to just sit and remind yourself that you are worth doing something special for. That’s the easiest way to do it. And after that five minutes, go back into the hustle. If you can get ten minutes tomorrow. You get ten minutes tomorrow. Is that easy?
Lindsay:
Thank you for sharing that. It’s so interesting helping people through this journey. I’ve noticed that the closer people get to their session the more they begin to doubt their decision to book a session. They begin to ask “What did I get myself into? Am I worth it?”
Then they start to question with a “Yes, I am worth it”
Life tries to convince you otherwise. I love that you’ve created this practice for yourself. There’s so much wisdom in what you’re sharing with us.
Lindsay:
Do you have final thoughts you’d like to share?
Madison:
All those questions and doubts you may have going into a session will disappear. When the day comes, push all of that out of your mind and just enjoy the day. You’re going to love the photos. You’re going to have fun. You’re going to get to see a different side of yourself than you ever thought possible. You are going to love yourself even more. I can’t wait to do another session.
The Spark Experience– It’s Worth It!
Madison’s journey encapsulates the power of self-discovery and self-love through boudoir photography. Her sessions encouraged her to take bold steps in her life and now help her stand in her strength even on the hard days. We’ve been so honored to be a small part of her journey through the power of photography.
This kind of empowerment is available for you as well.
If you are ready to experience the benefits of a boudoir session, we are ready to help you reach your goals. Simply contact us by filling out our inquiry form and we’ll take it from there!
Here’s what to expect when you contact us!
- Schedule a free consultation call to have all your questions answered and start planning your Spark Experience.
- Select a Spark Session date that fits your schedule.
- Rock the session like the bright light you are, and create beautiful, tangible artwork to inspire you for the rest of your life.
Remember, you are powerful, courageous, and one of a kind! It’s time to show your spark!
