“In another world, my mother does not become a mother. She doesn't meet my dad or at the very least, she never falls in love with him. Instead, she goes to a college out of state and pursues her dream of becoming a nurse and she travels the world in her free time, taking photos in france and trying new foods in tokyo and maybe she adopts a dog, a four year old golden retriever named Sparky who sees the world with her and she never has to wonder about what if's in life because she is too busy living it. In another world, I do not exist, but my mother gets to live, not just survive.” — Mae Setrova
I want outrageous promises and to ask for outrageous demands. I want to create magic not for, but with my clients. I don’t want limitations based on based experiences or beliefs. I want to live in a world where we create our own, unique experiences. I’m not just offering an end product of art on their walls, I’m demanding we go on a journey together where there is no option other than growth and being uncomfortable at times. I want vulnerability that leads to courage. I want richness that we feel in our bones when we create together.
Although my story has changed dramatically over the last 10 years of photographing boudoir, my voice has always remained the same. I’m here to tell women’s stories. The purpose and power of this type of art is to get to the other side of vulnerability. It’s to face parts of ourselves that we’ve been holding onto for years. Art is to create and to let go.
The women I’ve photographed to help find their voice have helped me find my own.
My goal is to merge the women I photograph with the fine art they would hang in their home.
Living in such a beautiful place like Palm Beach, most of my clients are art collectors. But, for some reason there is a disconnect for many of them. They are moved by a photograph of a nude stranger, in their home, but the thought of the woman in that photograph being them is uncomfortable.
“For so long, I felt like I had only thought about beauty from a man's perspective and trying to be what he must find beautiful or sexy. I realized I was starting to develop my own definition of beauty and a way of appreciating it, and wanted to be a part of creating artful images that reflected/communicated my sense of beauty... a woman's sense of what's beautiful, aware that my definition of beauty is passed down to my daughter. I needed to demonstrate more self love for my body exactly the way that it is.”
