Today we’d like to introduce you to Francesca Bliss.
Francesca, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I used to spend my last money in college on glossy fashion magazines to then pour over every page, over and over again. I would say to people that I liked photography but I didn’t do anything about it.
I was convinced that I had no natural talents and regretted the fact that my parents didn’t sign me up for music lessons against my will as most other kids’ parents did, so that I would at least know how to play a musical instrument.
This limiting belief stayed with me until a few years ago, when I shelled out for a camera and signed up for photography class in a local art school. And that’s when my life transformed. I thought I would be taking pictures of pretty birds and flowers, but after an assignment to photograph someone in a mask, for which I enlisted my friend, I realized that photographing women is what I must do. And so, I started. I photographed my existing friends and easily made new ones because I would ask girls and guys if they would pose for me, which they were happy to do. And seeing how their eyes sparkled with joy when they saw beautiful photos of themselves added more enthusiasm for me to continue on the path of making people happy by allowing them to see themselves from the side, in all their glory. And then having a few women tell me how they became more confident and more aware of their beauty and how it positively impacted their lives provided me with even more validation of the value of my work. Many women and men I photographed told me that they made discoveries about themselves that they had not been aware before – they started seeing themselves differently, they started to love themselves more.
Self-love is the basis for everything, I believe. When you love yourself, you treat your body with love – you feed it well, you exercise it, you let it rest and you cherish it. You take care of your emotional and mental state, and surround yourself with people and experiences that support your growth and happiness. And then this love for self reflects onto how you treat other people, because a heart full of love for oneself cannot treat the rest of the world with evil. Self-love breeds love for the rest of the world and it makes it a better place. The reason why I am all hung up on self-love is because we grow up comparing ourselves to others (why do I have freckles and the rest of the girls in my class don’t), criticizing ourselves, and being too hard on ourselves. If we just embrace and accept ourselves the way we are, we can create beautiful lives beyond our wildest dreams. Trust me, I am still not in the place of complete self-acceptance and self-love myself, but I am heading there. It’s a process. And If I can help my clients see how beautiful they are and how their “imperfections” are actually what makes them unique, what makes them THEM, then I will feel that I have brought a little more love and joy into this world.
I love languages, books, horses of all shapes and colors, eating a pint of ice cream in one sitting, moon circles, and being active. I am a mother of two beautiful girls, a wife to an extremely handsome Turkish husband, a daughter, a sister, a teacher, a mentor, a student, a friend. I love my life and love being able to bring joy to people through my work.
My specialties are: Goddess Photoshoot, yoga photography, portrait photography (including mother and daughter and couple’s photography) as well as photography for creative entrepreneurs. My latest aspiration is fine art photography, especially artistic nudes.
My biggest passion, of course, is the Goddess Photoshoot. A Goddess Photoshoot is a unique photographic experience that celebrates the beauty and uniqueness of a woman right now, at this stage of her life. Prior to doing the Goddess Photoshoot, the client can elect to do a goddess reading, which determines which goddess energy she embodies (it is an optional step and can be fun; goddess readings are provided by www.motherhouseofthegoddess.com). If the woman does a goddess reading, we incorporate symbols of that goddess (such as colors, location, etc.) into the photoshoot.
If the woman chooses not do the reading, the location, props, and outfits for the photoshoot are selected intuitively, based on what the goddess’ desires are. I have just recently started collaborating with a remarkable stylist and fashion blogger Sunnie Bell (www.sunniebell.com), who does makeup and styling for the goddess. Goddess Photoshoot is a very empowering experience and stories of women who have done them can be found on the blog of www.goddessphotoshoot.com
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a wonderful journey, no major struggles, really. One of the challenges is devoting adequate time to my family (a baby and a toddler) as well as my third baby – my art 🙂
Please tell us about Francesca Bliss Art & Photography.
I am most proud of being able to make someone see their beauty as others see them, give them a chance to admire themselves, to feel like a Goddess, and to take that feeling, that energy and let it permeate all aspects of their life. Let them truly be a Goddess in everything that they do, from doing dishes to walking the red carpet.
What sets me apart from others? Me! I set myself apart from others! 🙂 If another photographer photographs one of my clients and all the other variants of the equation remain the same (location, outfits, lighting), the result will not be the same because as artists we put onto our work our own filter of how we see, feel, and sense the world. I cannot tell you that what sets me apart is the fact that I am passionate about what I do.
Most photographers are. Most photographers are crazy in love with what they do, and that is a beautiful thing. Creating from my heart, pouring my heart and soul into my work. And the goddess whom I photograph feels and knows it, because she, too, has poured her heart and her soul into those photographs.
Pricing:
- The current price of the Goddess Photoshoot is $491 (30 digital images, 10 best images printed)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.goddessphotoshoot.com
- Phone: 561-465-4857
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francesca.bliss/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/goddessphotoshoot
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/francesca-bliss-art-and-photography-boca-raton
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
