"I first heard of Sugar and Spice Photography and the magic they worked on their
customers back in 2015. At that time, life was rough. I’d been dealing with some self
esteem issues for years, along with severe depression, anxiety and body image issues.
I thought a session with Sugar & Spice would be a great boost to my self confidence
and a start of a new chapter in my life. But, I chickened out and cancelled the
half day Bella Luce Session that I had booked.
Like many women who have given birth, I struggled with the fact that my body had changed. It had changed in ways I didn’t exactly feel great about and I couldn’t reconcile my 'new’ body with my former perfectly fit runner’s body. Fast forward 3 years to 2018: I had lost around 60lbs (yay!) but was also still overweight, struggling with low self esteem and body issues, and was in the beginning stages of a painful divorce. I was still heavier than I wanted to be, and could definitely use some toning up.
The thought of doing a session with Sugar and Spice had been in the back of my mind since I cancelled my first session. Eventually, a very close friend of mine had her first session and raved about how great it made her feel. She told me how beautiful she felt during the shoot and that it was not one bit uncomfortable. So, I decided this might be the pick-me-up I needed to help me regain some of my lost self esteem.
I honestly was just longing to feel beautiful just the way I was, without having to lose more weight, be perfectly toned, or any other excuse I could think of.
I decided to book another session. On the day of my shoot, I was very nervous and running very late due to construction, rush hour, and detours…I began to wonder if this was a sign that this wasn’t going to be the pick me up I was hoping for. However, when I (finally) arrived, the staff couldn’t have been more friendly and welcoming!
I immediately began to feel at ease as I sat in the makeup chair to get my hair and makeup done and I talked to the photographer about what kind of looks interested me.
She picked out several outfits for me and it was like she knew me; everything she picked out I loved and was excited to try on! Once my hair and makeup was finished and I got to look in the mirror, I felt so gorgeous! I didn’t even recognize myself; I never thought I could look that good!
When we got started with the photo shoot, I was a little bit nervous, but that soon faded. The staff helped me look my best by capturing my best features, and assisting me into getting into the right poses. These poses helped to feature the assets I wanted maximized and minimize the ones I didn’t feel so great about. It was in no time at all that I felt so comfortable during the shoot that it was no big deal stripping down to nothing and wearing just a sheet!
I cannot say a big enough thank you to all of the staff at Sugar and Spice Photography! They helped me feel more confident and beautiful than I had ever felt! It was definitely that pick me up I needed!
After the shoot I couldn’t wait for my proofs to arrive (which was sooner
than expected!), and they were fantastic! I could not believe how
good the photos looked (especially considering they were not retouched)!
My session with Sugar and Spice was one of the best days of my life.
I felt beautiful, pampered and the best part was that I felt that way without having to lose weight, tone up, or change any other part of who I was! Looking at my beautiful photos is always a great reminder that, I am beautiful just as I am and the staff at Sugar and Spice are experts in bringing out that beauty!
A big, huge, gigantic, enormous THANK YOU to the staff for being fantastic at what they do and helping me feel beautiful during a time in my life when I needed it the most!
I will definitely be back for more sessions in the future! Thank you so much!"
<3 Rachel McCarthy