So I was pretty stoked recently to be approached by Mrs Tink to feature on her blog. I had never met Natalie before, but everyone on the Coast I talked to knew of her, so I was pretty excited to meet and photograph this lady.

Nat is a gorgeously enigmatic character, that is just a delight to hang out with. She is bright, bubbly and absolutely gorgeous to boot, so I knew the shoot would be great fun for us all and that I would definitely get some killer images.

We wanted to make sure she got the most out of the shoot, so we covered all angles, sporty, corporate, glam and so much more.

You can check out behind the scenes of her shoot for more of the antics on the day.

What I didn’t ever predict would be her reaction to seeing herself in the studio after. As we sat in my studio and the photos rolled on, this confident and sassy woman turned to mush as the images of herself folded over on the screen.

On her blog she wrote…

“Each shot filled me with happiness and I was wowed that she had been able to turn me from an awkward mess into a model… I got a lump in my throat and before I knew it the tears were streaming. When I saw myself onscreen reality smacked me hard in the chest, I was no longer an awkward 20 year old, I was a woman. For the first time ever I really saw myself, and it made me extremely emotional. I may not be perfect but I’ve travelled a long road to get here, I’ve birthed 2 babies and I’m finally a woman. For the first time in my life I felt free from all my harsh internal judgements and proud of myself.

Paula had done more for me in one and half hours than I’d been able to do for myself in 33 years. She’s an incredible photographer who will forever have a piece of my heart for the journey of self awareness she took me on. Her photos that cover the walls in her studios don’t lie – she is amazing at making women feel strong, sexy, confident and most importantly comfortable in their own skin.”

What can I say, I was actually speechless when I sat with her tearing in the studio, and even more so when I read her article.

This amazing – gorgeous – got the full package deal lady thinks just like me, and perhaps just like you. She judges herself harshly, she feels awkward and perhaps at times unworthy… but on the outside it looks like she has it all right?

Ahhhh! This really goes to show that it really does not matter what you look like to the world on the outside, it really is only what you THINK that is going to direct your perception of yourself.

Thank you Natalie, I think we all can do with this regular reminder, that no matter how “pretty” or “perfect” or “together” or whatever someone may seem on the outside, there can be a whole other story being played out internally.

So please be kind ladies, it is very easy for us judge each other quickly without knowing the whole story.

Thank you for sharing. To read Natalie’s full story head to Mrs Tink Blog