When the idea of a shoot based around intimacy, vulnerability, and love was presented to me, I was genuinely intrigued. I digested the concept. To visually conceptualize another perspective of what raw connection looked like between two individuals, two individuals I am intimately acquainted with—both self and partner? I relished it. Yet I had one reservation. Insecurities. The last hour leading up to the shoot, I felt a twinge of anxiety juxtaposed with comfortability and understanding based on the reassurance given and respect my partner had for Ricardo. During the shoot, I was invited to experience a perspective of not only the love between us but of MYSELF, to open my eyes and see past those feelings of self-consciousness, that I was more than just my physical body, to allow those barriers to melt away. LITERALLY melt into the experience between the throes of lovemaking. I felt my partner was an anchor, and I felt safe, and I trusted him. And there was lots of laughter and humour to break the ice. For me, sex isn’t just about pleasure and fun, there must first be a sealed bond. I see it as a union, a bridge between two individuals. Afterwards, I felt relief and a newfound sense of comfortability. Embracing my shyness, embracing my awkward angles. I had to remind myself of what our vision was—the essence of what we were trying to capture. And THAT is genuine. I didn’t have to physically present myself any other way, just allow the strength of the love I have for my partner to emerge. I cannot wait to see what Ricardo has captured between us.
