Simply Extraordinary Photo Project: Samantha

Seen Through My Eyes: A Body Positive Photography Project

Beauty is not based on size, shape, measurements, or specific facial structures. Beauty is how we see the world around us; it is how we choose to see those around us. When we see this beauty, we can begin to recognize the beauty within ourselves.Through my camera I hope to inspire moments of feeling beautiful. I hope to capture soulful smiles and heartfelt giggles. I hope to capture confidence, apprehension, strength, weakness, sexiness, modesty, poise, and unruliness. I hope to capture the beauty of the woman in front of me, in all her unique glory. 

Simply Extraordinary Photo Project is my way of giving back to those around me. I treat each portrait as art without the use of Photoshop to change my model. Our bodies are gloriously beautiful as they are, no editing needed. 

Meet Samantha. Samantha is a special model for me. Sam was once a student of mine. I have watched her grow from an adorable middle schooler into a confident college student. I knew I wanted her shoot to be extra special.  I want to give the gift of personal empowerment with every model that stands in front of my camera, and with Sam, it gave additional purpose to the shoot. The person who stood before me was not a little girl, but a young woman beginning her journey as an adult. At a pivotal time in a person's life, I had the opportunity to remind Sam that she is a strong, confident, beautiful woman and I took that opportunity very seriously. 

Samantha and I talked about how she feels about her body on our drive to our photo location. The transition from a girl’s body into a woman's body is mentally challenging. American culture idealizes the thin young body and because of this, anyone who doesn't wear the smaller single number pants sizes feels left out. That message was there when I was 19 and it is still there for current 19 year olds. Sam is a "normal" young lady, in a love/hate relationship with her body. We all are. Regardless of age we, as people, are always in a love/hate relationship with our bodies. Wanting to be perfect and learning to forgive ourselves for not being perfect. Let us remember there is no "perfect" body. 

 Then there is that one thing we wish we could change about ourselves. We all have something. Our “this or that” would be better if they were “this way or that way”. For Sam, it is her hair she wishes was different. Her thick luxurious curly locks are not her favorite feature. They can be unruly and difficult to tame. I adore her hair and made it my mission to highlight it in her shoot. I am in love with results!

This will always be a special shoot for me. To have had the opportunity to photograph a young lady I watched grow up with the purpose of inspiring her to love herself now; that was the greatest gift I could receive. I am honored to be trusted to capture these empowered moments. Sam, you are a natural in front of the camera. Thank you for being a part of my body positive photo project. You will inspire others to embrace their "new" bodies with confidence and pride. 

To the young girls becoming women and finding themselves in changing bodies, this one is for you...

Thank you Sam for participating in my photo project! Your confidence is contagious. 

In your empowered moment you will set other young women free to feel empowered in their beauty. 

Thank you for trusting me to photograph you with love and care. 

If you are in the Las Vegas area and would like to participate in Simply Extraordinary please contact me via email at Alyson@newfigureforward.com. Let me treat you like a model for an hour! 

Simply Extraordinary Photo Project: Liz

Seen Through My Eyes: A Body Positive Photography Project

Beauty is not based on size, shape, measurements, or specific facial structures. Beauty is how we see the world around us; it is how we choose to see those around us. When we see this beauty, we can begin to recognize the beauty within ourselves. Through my camera I hope to inspire moments of feeling beautiful. I hope to capture soulful smiles and heartfelt giggles. I hope to capture confidence, apprehension, strength, weakness, sexiness, modesty, poise, and unruliness. I hope to capture the beauty of the woman in front of me, in all her unique glory. 

Simply Extraordinary Photo Project is my way of giving back to those around me. I treat each portrait as art without the use of Photoshop to change my model. Our bodies are gloriously beautiful as they are, no editing needed. 

Meet Liz. I have known Liz for 8 years. She has a passion for dance and movement and finds her power within her own physical strength and abilities. Her body, like her spirit, thrives on music and movement. Liz let me into her world of beats, rhythm, and harmony between body and mind, and the results are gorgeous photos!  She has a calm peace about her that pops out of these images. 

My time photographing Liz was beautiful. She not only showcased her physical strength with elegance, she also shared her struggles with body image. The desire to be perfect is within all of us, having been brainwashed to believe we are only worthy to love ourselves at a certain size or weight. I sat across from an incredibly beautiful woman, someone to whom many of us is the ideal body image, and I realized she is human too. She struggles with appreciating her beauty, like so many us do. My goal became to capture her essence through my camera, to show her beauty, her inner peace, and her contagious sense of happiness.  

For every woman that sets herself free from her own insecurities, another woman is free as well.  Together we can give each other permission to just be as we are, right now. Live life with passion and purpose and kick society's beauty standards to the curb.  Thank you, Liz, for trusting me to capture your unique beauty.

Thank you Liz for participating in my photo project! You radiate peace and strength. In your empowered moment you will set other women free to feel empowered in their beauty. 

Thank you for trusting me to photograph you with love and care. 

If you are in the Las Vegas area and would like to participate in Simply Extraordinary please contact me via email at Alyson@newfigureforward.com. Let me treat you like a model for an hour! 

Simply Extraordinary Photo Project: Jacie

Seen Through My Eyes: A Body Positive Photography Project

Beauty is not based on size, shape, measurements, or specific facial structures. Beauty is how we see the world around us; it is how we choose to see those around us. When we see this beauty, we can begin to recognize the beauty within ourselves. Through my camera I hope to inspire moments of feeling beautiful. I hope to capture soulful smiles and heartfelt giggles. I hope to capture confidence, apprehension, strength, weakness, sexiness, modesty, poise, and unruliness. I hope to capture the beauty of the woman in front of me, in all her unique glory. 

Simply Extraordinary Photo Project is my way of giving back to those around me. I treat each portrait as art without the use of Photoshop to change my model. Our bodies are gloriously beautiful as they are, no editing needed. 

Meet Jacie. She is a friend I made at the gym. Jacie and I met at a local coffee shop before the photo shoot so we could spend a few minutes getting to know each other better. I sat across from an incredibly strong woman. A woman who has things to do for those around her that only she can do. Jacie radiates patience. She has a fantastic laugh.  

I had a blast shooting Jacie at a local park. I watched her blossom in front of my lense. Jacie told me after the shoot she was thankful she didn't cancel on me; she had fun working with me. Soon into the shoot she forgot to think about her bra strap or her pose and she just let herself be for an hour. We had talked about how she hides in pictures or is taking them. She explained how a full body shot made her uncomfortable but that she was willing to let me do it. It is clear to see that Jacie oozes confidence in her shots and she is not hiding behind anything. 

I enjoyed every minute of working with Jacie. Her photos are gorgeous, they just pop!    

Thank you Jacie for participating in my photo project! You radiate confidence and strength. In your empowered moment you will set other women free from hiding in or from pictures. Thank you for trusting me to photograph you with love and care. 

If you are in the Las Vegas area and would like to participate in Simply Extraordinary please contact me via email at Alyson@newfigureforward.com. Let me treat you like a model for an hour! 

Simply Extraordinary Photo Project: MarCia

Seen Through My Eyes: A Body Positive Photography Project

Beauty is not based on size, shape, measurements, or specific facial structures. Beauty is how we see the world around us; it is how we choose to see those around us. When we see this beauty, we can begin to recognize the beauty within ourselves. Through my camera I hope to inspire moments of feeling beautiful. I hope to capture soulful smiles and heartfelt giggles. I hope to capture confidence, apprehension, strength, weakness, sexiness, modesty, poise, and unruliness. I hope to capture the beauty of the woman in front of me, in all her unique glory. 

Simply Extraordinary Photo Project is my way of giving back to those around me. I treat each portrait as art without the use of Photoshop to change my model. Our bodies are gloriously beautiful as they are, no editing needed. 

Meet MarCia. She is a friend I made at the gym. I have watch her on her journey to find her healthy and she is inspiring. Always full of laughs and encouraging words, I look forward to my classes with her. I am honored to not only have captured her bright light for life but to have also gotten to know her better on a personal level. 

If you are in the Las Vegas area and would like to participate in Simply Extraordinary please contact me via email at Alyson@newfigureforward.com. Let me treat you like a model for an hour or two! 

Seen Through My Eyes: A Body Positive Photography Project

     I love art. I am an artist. I write. I draw. I paint. I craft. I take pictures. That last one, take pictures, is my favorite. I wanted a way to combine my passion for body positivity and my camera lens.  Armed with my list of wants: I want a way to impact women around me, I want to pass along a feeling of empowerment and personal pride, I want to give an hour or two of my time to make someone feel like art, I started dreaming and that dream has been brought to fruition, I have officially begun my photography project entitled Simply Extraordinary.

     Simply Extraordinary is the idea, the spark, that ignited the artist in me. I, myself, am tired of seeing over-Photoshopped models. These visual lies that only perpetuate one type of beauty, skinny and flawless. Enough! This time I am taking matters into my own hands, I am creating art without erasing the human. I don't believe in flawless. I don't believe in perfection. I do believe in us empowering each other to feel incredible in our bodies. I do not use Photoshop for the purpose of erasing the natural human body. I use Photoshop to enhance the photo into my artistic vision. 

     Beauty is not based on size, shape, measurements, or specific facial structures. Beauty is how we see the world around us; it is how we choose to see those around us. When we see this beauty, we can begin to recognize the beauty within ourselves. Through my camera I hope to inspire moments of feeling beautiful. I hope to capture soulful smiles and heartfelt giggles. I hope to capture confidence, apprehension, strength, weakness, sexiness, modesty, poise, and unruliness. I hope to capture the beauty of the woman in front of me, in all her unique glory. 

I am proud to present my first model for Simply Extraordinary....
I am honored to begin this photographic journey with a great friend. 
Jacki, thank you for the laugher and lesson on power pose! 

If you are in the Las Vegas area and would like to participate in Simply Extraordinary please contact me via email at Alyson@newfigureforward.com. Let me treat you like a model for an hour or two! 

3 Steps to Improved Self Esteem

    Self esteem is an elusive concept for many. In a society that constantly feels the need to give us the 1,001 ways we need to fix ourselves, it is a wonder how anyone feels good about themselves. We have been trained to pick ourselves a part. We have been brainwashed into feeling that somehow the universe messed us up, how did everyone else turn out perfect and I get beat with the ugly stick? The truth is...no one is perfect. Even the models in real life don't look like the model in the magazine. We are being sold a fake image, one that is specifically made to keep our self esteem at bay. Imagine how many companies would be out of business if people woke up and felt good about themselves. In a society determined to keep us down, how do we build up our self esteem? How do we take back our mental health? We take back our control. Here's how...

1. Stop reading mainstream magazines. Seriously. 

     The growing amount of Photoshopped images in mainstream media is astounding. We have reached a point that we can no longer trust the images we see. Mainstream magazines are the leaders of visual lies. Models, from everything from fashion to toothpaste, are wiped clean of their human traits. Smile lines? Oh, no. Erase. Cellulite? The horror. Erase. Thighs touch? Unheard of! Erase. Geeze, no wonder so many of us suffer from low self esteem! There is not a human alive that is flawless and the sooner we stop trying to convince ourselves that flawless is obtainable the happier we will all be. 

     So I can never read a magazine again?! Have no fear, there are magazines that will help build self esteem instead of tearing it to shreds. Verily online magazine prides themselves on have zero Photoshopped images in their publication. They also focus on empowering women with articles that are not focused on sex.  Tired of seeing the “one body fits all” model? Open up your Google search and type in plus size magazines . Boom! Hello women of all shapes and sizes! I recommend this step for women of all sizes. Look at women of all sizes, see the physical diversity that is our planet. When we can accept the reality of what the human body actually looks like we learn to accept our own bodies at our size. 

2. Follow models that YOU find attractive on social media sites. 

   

     We can control the images we see, we just have to put some work into it. First step is allowing yourself permission to see all sizes as beautiful. We have been trained to focus on the flaws of others, too fat, too thin, bad hair, crazy eyebrows, and so on. What if we just stopped picking each other a part? What if we just let each other be? How does one begin to reprogram their brain to see the beauty in all body types? We follow confident women of all sizes in our newsfeeds. That's right, I said ALL sizes. It is important that we break the ingrained image of what is acceptable beauty. Confidence is contagious, this is why I am a Tess Holliday fan. At 5'5 and a size 24, Tess and I are physical opposites yet she empowers me in my body because she rocks hers with such tenacity. Tess gives me permission to love my body.

     How does one go about finding models outside of the mainstream one we all know? Start with hashtags. If you have Instagram look under hashtags for your body size. For example I am a size 12 so I look under #size12 and have found stunning women that help me embrace my body. #plussizemodel will give you an array of sizes, then pick women that you find attractive. There are a lot of confident women who are giving out self esteem to others with a simple follow of their page. Go on a hashtag clicking spree and see where it takes you, you will find inspirations to fill your news feed. 

     Mix your newsfeed with different body sizes, don't subject yourself to only one body type. Not only will this help you with your own self esteem, it will also help you break down the brainwashing that we all have to look a certain way. We have heard the phrase, "It's not what size you wear, it's how you wear your size." This is true. We can give each other permission to rock our own beauty by simply appreciating the beauty around us. 

3. Change your inner monologue. Make yourself be nice. 

     This step takes practice. Most of us only know how to critique ourselves. I was the champion of reticules and put downs for myself. My bullies in school thought they were nasty to me - no way, I was 10 times worse. However, it was not just myself I would put down, I would also tear apart strangers. Never out loud...well maybe a comment to my best friend. We have all found ourselves thinking "What are they wearing?" or "Oh my gosh did you see how big/skinny that lady was?". We have to rewire our inner monologue toward strangers as much as we need to rewire it toward ourselves. 

     The next time you are looking in a mirror, compliment yourself! Compliment your body. We do not have to hate our bodies. Hating our bodies is a choice and not a must do. Tell that voice in the back of your head to sit down and shut up. Think of that voice as a small child; you are going to have to repeat yourself a million times before it hears you. And just like a small child, you cannot give up on making them hear you. That small voice will go away and get replaced with a loud voice that will sing of your praises, if you let it. 

     That voice will also need to be trained to shut up when someone who doesn't fit the beauty "mold" walks by us. None of us fit that mold, so why are we treating those around us like they obviously did not read the memo about how to be seen in public.  Enough picking on ourselves and each other. Instead of focusing on the difference find a nice thing you can say. Mom was right, "If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all." That includes our inner monologue. When we can find it in our hearts to be kind to those around us we will naturally lighten up on ourselves. 

     These three steps have drastically improved my own self esteem. I am not perfect. There are holes in my self esteem that negativity squeezes into every now and then. It is going to happen, even to those who seem to have self esteem in abundance. The trick is to stop yourself, shake it off, and replace the thoughts with positive energy. Think of these three steps as the gym for your self esteem. Self esteem is like a muscle you have to develop in order to use it. 

Control taken back. You are imperfectly perfect! 

Sneaky Health: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

     After I swore off processed white sugar (click here to read about my sugar addiction) I went on a mission to find replacements to curb the sweet tooth and keep my PCOS in check. This journey of learning about how my body reacts to sugar has lead me to vegan dessert recipes.  I found that it is possible to have dessert AND nutrition all in one AND be family approved.  The eye rolling is less and less with every delicious recipe I make.  

    We made vegan chocolate chip cookies. Oil-free, nutritious, and delicious. They are so simple to make, with real food ingredients, that my 10 year old son made them all by himself. 

 Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 mashed bananas (ripe)

1/3 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
2 cups quick oats 
1/4 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
 1/2 cup raisins or chocolate chips 
        (if vegan use vegan chips)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

   The house smelled like comfort food heaven! I had a small face smashed up against the oven window for 20 minutes anxiously waiting for his cookie magic.  The cooling could not go by fast enough. Oh my gosh, place a tray off these on the counter and watch the family swarm like bees.                                                                                                                                                               These cookies are Mom approved; both for family and waistlines. 

   
     Healthy doesn't have to mean giving up sweets. For me it meant finding an alternative route to fulfilling my cravings and still providing treats to my family. Real food with nutritional purpose disguised as chocolate chip cookies. 

100% Kid Approved Awesomeness!!!