This photoshoot was of a very different kind than ones that I've participated in before. Instead of styling a model and staying somewhere behind the camera thinking about clothes and outfits, I got to step in front of the camera - and there were no clothes or outfits.
When my sister, a talented photography student, asked me to pose for a photoshoot I had my usual doubts, I've never been very comfortable having my picture taken, and those doubts only grew when she casually mentioned that the shoot would be topless.
I was deeply divided between fear and excitement, part of me wanted to say no and forget the whole thing and another part thought, "why not?".
I decided to not let my fear get the best of me, if I was ever going to do something like this, this would be the perfect opportunity - with someone I trust completely behind the camera.
I knew it was going to be awkward and weird, and it was, but only for a brief moment. After that I felt very comfortable and empowered, I had conquered my fear that suddenly seemed so small and distant.
My sister is nothing short of a genius and the photos turned out great. She had this idea about celebrating womanhood and showing the beauty of women without the ceaseless demand of sex-appeal, and I'm very proud to have been a part of her expression of that idea.
The photos shown below are of my sister, Ellen, and myself. The complete spread also includes photos of two other women but I only felt comfortable posting these, not having discussed it with the others.
