“We all want to look extra special sometimes. We want to feel beautiful. We look in the mirror after primping for an obscene amount of time and we feel confident. We love our mirror selves. We smile at our reflection, and then head out for the night feeling like you and your mirror self FINALLY look like the same person. You have some laughs, take some photos, and have a great time. The next day, your friend posts the photo of you guys from the night before. You think she looks fantastic. You look at yourself and feel your stomach drop with insecurity and you feel a tinge of betrayal. Why didn’t my friend tell me i actually look like that…? I thought my reflection and I had an understanding? Is that all in my head? I looked like a million bucks and now I look like Jabba the Hutt. So the well known cycle of self doubt starts from the beginning.
Mitzi is able to summon your mirror self effortlessly. That ideal version of yourself IS real; I promise. When you see the photos, you’ll see her looking back at you in every. Single. One. No smoke and mirrors magic, no filters, no secret tricks. That’s actually you.
I thought getting Beyoncé-level glam was going to be my favorite part. Maybe it was the “girl, YES!” approval after she coached my facial expression into perfection. Maybe I thought the moment I saw my fabulous preview photo was the high point and it couldn’t get better from there. I’m telling you, though, it keeps getting better. She keeps impressing me with her attention to detail in regards to the vision I had for my session. After viewing the final photos, there’s really no way my confidence will waver. That’s ME. I’M that fox who can take on the world. I’M the woman in lingerie who isn’t concerned with her belly or her chin or any other insecurity. This girl doesn’t doubt herself. She’s absolutely certain of who she is.
After this experience, I can say without any hesitation, my favorite part was learning to LOVE my body. I didn’t realize my time with Mitzi was going to transcend a tangible product. I was given the gift of loving who I am. I didn’t just FEEL beautiful, I know now that I AM beautiful. You owe it to yourself to love who you are. That’s not fleeting, that’s priceless.” -April K
Mitzi Starkweather Photography 