I’M NOT THE KIND OF PERSON WHO DOES THIS

You’ve been following along for a while now. You see the photos turn up in your feed, and you think they’re beautiful, and somewhere in the same breath, you think: not me, though. That’s for other women.

I wrote this for you specifically. The one who keeps looking and keeps deciding it isn’t for her.

YOU THINK YOU’RE NOT THE TYPE. SO DID THEY

Here’s the thing almost nobody believes until afterwards: the women in those photos aren’t a different species. They’re not more confident than you, or more photogenic, or more whatever it is you think you’re missing.

Most of them told me the exact same thing you’re telling yourself right now. “I’m not really the kind of person who does this.” They booked anyway, a little nervous, half-expecting it not to work. Then it did.

You don’t have to arrive as a confident person. You just have to arrive.

YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING

I think this is the real fear, underneath the rest. You’re picturing yourself standing there not knowing how to pose, what to do with your hands, how to hold your face. Feeling watched. Feeling like you’re doing it wrong.

That’s not how it goes. I direct the whole thing. I’ll tell you where to look, how to sit, what to do with your hands, frame by frame. You’re never left standing there guessing, because working that out is my job, not yours.

You don’t need experience. You don’t need a plan. You need to show up and trust me to do the part you can’t see yet.

THIS ISN’T ABOUT BECOMING SOMEONE ELSE

Let’s be honest about what you’re actually after, because it isn’t to be turned into a model.

It’s that feeling you used to have. When you felt noticed. Sought-after. Like yourself on a good day, the version of you that maybe went a bit quiet somewhere along the way. You want to see that person again.

That’s what these sessions are for. The photos still look like you — your face, your presence, the real thing. But seen properly: in beautiful light, with care, in a way you almost never get to see yourself. Not a stranger. Not a filter. You, at your best.

And if you’re nervous about whether it’ll work, let me lower the bar all the way down for you. You don’t need to love every photo. If you walk away with one image you can’t stop looking at, the whole thing was worth it. That happens far more often than you’d think.

YOU’VE PROBABLY BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS LONGER THAN YOU’D ADMIT

A friend did a shoot, maybe. You saw her photos and something flickered. You found the page, had a look, told yourself no. Then you followed anyway. And every so often another image turns up and the thought comes back a little louder.

I’m not telling you that to catch you out. I’m telling you because the fact that you’re still reading this far down means the idea hasn’t let go of you. That’s usually worth paying attention to.

WHAT IT’S ACTUALLY LIKE

Here’s how it really goes.

You turn up nervous. We talk first, so by the time the camera comes out nothing is a surprise. We’ve already sorted what you’re wearing and what kind of feel you’re after. The first few minutes you feel a bit self-conscious, and that’s completely normal.

Then you settle. You stop thinking about the camera. Somewhere in the middle it stops feeling like being photographed and starts feeling like something you’re allowed to enjoy. Most people are surprised by that part.

Afterwards you get all the good images from the session, edited. And usually there’s one you didn’t expect, where you catch yourself thinking the thing nearly everyone thinks: I can’t believe that’s me.

ONE LAST THING

The reason I do this comes down to one woman, years ago, who was still talking about how her shoot made her feel long after the photos were done. Not the pictures. The feeling. That’s when I understood what this work is actually for.

That’s what I’d like to give you. Not a performance, not a transformation into someone you’re not. Just an hour where you get to be the version of yourself you’ve been missing, and a few images that remind you she’s still there.

You can do this. You just have to show up and trust the process.

— Tony