One of the best parts of being a photographer is getting to know the women in front of the camera. This week we had the pleasure of chatting with Heather Willison, whose insights and “aha moments” about age and beautiy are incredibly juicy. Check out what Heather has to say about cultivating inner confidence!

 

 

Q: Why did you want a photoshoot?

Heather: I came across Felicia Reed’s work through a friend who had experienced a photoshoot with Felicia, and I was immediately drawn in just by the photos themselves, which were absolutely beautiful.  I loved the idea for her campaign of 40 over 40, I was anticipating my 45th birthday, and I just thought, you know, this would be a good year to mark this time in my life.  I feel like I have a newfound confidence in who I am. Not necessarily in my looks, but in how I present myself and who I am as a person. So I wanted to capture that.

 

Q: What drew you to Felicia?  

Heather: First of all, her talent, but also, her work really spoke to me; it’s all about finding the inner beauty and finding that model that lives within all of us. It’s really just about finding confidence and security in who you are vs. being “perfect” in how you look.

 

Q: What was the experience like? 

Heather: The experience was super fun. Of course, it was in the thick of Covid, so I was a little nervous, but everything was super safe. Everything from getting my hair and makeup done, to having access to some of Felicia’s amazing clothes… and she spent all the time in the world with me. The fact that she could pose me so well– if it weren’t for her posing me so well or coaching me on how to pose, the pictures would not look the way they do. I was literally so sore the next day, I feel like I had done yoga for 3 hours. 

 

Q: What was your favorite photo? 

Heather: My favorite photo is one of the black and white ones; I think it really captures my personality. (Pictured below).

 

 

Q: How has the experience with her changed the way you see yourself? 

Heather: It allowed me to see how others see me. When I shared the photos, some of the comments I got about what the photos brought out in me, how they really reflected my personality, and how other people saw me was really interesting. Again, I think it was all just about embracing that confidence of who I am. Your 40’s are such a blessed time because you just no longer care about some of the small stuff that used to bother you when you were younger. And while of course I still care about what people think about me, it’s less of a concern. It doesn’t really influence the decisions I make anymore. I make the decisions I make for myself. And of course I hope I impact people positively, but I’m no longer concerned about if everyone’s going to like what I’m doing because that’s just not possible. 

 

Q: Do you have any advice for other women?

Heather: Give this gift to yourself. For the rest of my life, I’m going to be thankful that I did this experience. Not only was it so much fun (I’m kind of addicted, I want to do it again because the experience itself was a blast!), but you feel like a model for a day. I just feel so lucky that I was able to capture these moments in time, especially in a year that’s been so difficult. To have this kind of bright light was really, really awesome.