Nora Brown | testimonial

I turned 40 this past year, and I wanted to do something significant to record this life event – I wanted to have the experience of a professional photo shoot.  Several months passed between making this decision for myself and actually doing anything to make it a reality.  I knew this was something I wanted, but somehow, I still had a lot of fear-based feelings around it.  I felt shy about looking for a photographer, insecure about expressing my desire to have beautiful photos of myself, and, even though my family could afford it, I had some feelings of unworthiness about spending the money on myself.

While searching online I saw beautiful photographs of women taken by Amanda of Oralia Creative, and I knew I had found my photographer.  (I had to drive four hours to get to her studio, and it was absolutely worth it!)  We began our dialogue, and with each exchange I became more and more excited about our upcoming shoot.  Not only did Amanda immediately put me at ease about the logistics of the shoot, with clear, detailed written instructions and information, but it also became immediately evident that she knew exactly where I was coming from in my desire to have my photo taken.  Woman to woman, I found myself able to articulate what it was I was hoping to achieve from this session- and she totally “got it.”  You know the pictures you see of the beautiful woman in the dress?  I wanted to be that woman.  And I learned that one of Amanda’s main reasons for engaging in this type of photography is just that- to show every single one of us that we CAN be that woman.

The day of the shoot I arrived feeling a little nervous- what if there was something “wrong” with me and it wasn’t going to “work?”  Amanda and her aesthetician immediately put me at ease.  I was ushered into a beautiful and comfortable space and treated like a queen.  When I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t believe my reflection.  It was me, but my “best” me.  Amanda sorted through my outfits and we began the shoot.  She took care of everything with a confident expertise.   From background choices to small costume tweaks, I knew I was in good hands.  She had a bottomless bag of tricks for making me look glamorous, and also a willingness to entertain a few personal requests I made.  When something wasn’t working, she didn’t waste any time on it- we moved on.  Occasionally, when something really was working, she’d show me a shot from her camera, which helped me see that yes, I WAS doing it, and this helped build my confidence over the course of the shoot.

Amanda immediately made a really terrific shot available to me, and within the week, had completed the extensive post-shoot work.  It’s difficult to find the words to describe what seeing those images is like for me.  It’s like Amanda captured previously undiscovered bits of myself- interesting angles, flattering lighting, refined poses and facial expressions.  I am so grateful to her for the creation of each of those images.

If you are looking for a photographer who will make you feel like stunning creature worthy of the red-carpet treatment, call Amanda of Oralia Creative without hesitation.  You won’t be disappointed.