Too ugly, too chubby, badly dressed. We rarely feel “well” in the photos. These snapshots that freeze us at a moment in our lives sometimes end up in the bottom of a drawer or in a computer file. However, these shots can reveal the best of ourselves.
Elodie Madureira, a 33-year-old photographer, is convinced that photography is “a tool for personal development” for those who have lost a little self-esteem or self-confidence. Since July 2014, the photographer has been offering people who are not at peace with their image the opportunity to follow a “photography-therapy” session. This individual workshop seeks to bring back a part of oneself that we thought we had lost (talents, skills, qualities). “People often don’t see what they really are,” explains Elodie. This 30-something knows what she’s talking about. The photo served as a liberator for her to accept her body. “Ten years ago, I had tuberculosis at an advanced stage. I had a lot of trouble accepting my body and the marks left by the disease, she confides. Posing naked in front of a photographer made me helped to regain confidence.
“No need for a dream physique”
Learn to let go in front of a goal. In the age of selfies, one might think that inner liberation through bodily expression is child’s play. It is not so. Many feel understandably intimidated by the equipment of a professional photographer. This is why Elodie begins the photo session with a first contact. The opportunity to understand the universe of the person and identify his qualities. This preliminary interview will serve as a source of inspiration for the rest (possible theme, place).
On D-Day, we are not put in front of the camera like a model is during a casting. The shoot is preceded by a relaxation session consisting of a breathing exercise or a head massage to calm any apprehensions.
The photo session is divided into two parts. The improvised intermission that divides it occurs as a beneficial parenthesis where one releases one’s first impressions, and above all, where one releases one’s last anxieties.
Gradually the barriers are falling. And we forget the goal. Elodie provides advice and guides her “models”. “During the shoot, I check that they are comfortable helping them to find natural positions. If the face is frozen, for example, I advise them to tell a pleasant memory”.
An accompaniment which bears fruit since the second part of the shooting, of approximately one hour, takes place in a much more relaxed atmosphere. A feeling that is expressed during the debriefing at the end of the session.
The look at the photos changes. A positive awareness told on the photographer’s website. Joshua, 25, suffered from great malaise after a breakup. This session served as a real shock: “you don’t need a dream physique to play in front of the lens”, he rejoices on the photographer’s website.
For Agathe, a 34-year-old mother, photography therapy helped get rid of a biased view of herself. A body dysmorphia of which she jokes today: “After having had 3 children, I thought I had a deformed body, less beautiful, less attractive. (…) I realized that I was not that bad !”
More info on photography therapy. http://www.madelphotographe.com/
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>> To read also: Self-esteem: 4 methods to love yourself
