Category: Boudoir-photography

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Take time for yourself. Recharge with our Premiere Boudoir Studio.

Ever feel like you cannot get a minute to yourself? That there are constant demands on your time and energy?

You are not alone.

The demands of our modern lives can overwhelm us. Whether you run a business, work full time at home or outside the home, take care of immediate or extended family members, participate in social or community commitments… your lifestyle demands a full YOU.

"Recharge your batteries to update your spirit. Refresh your perspectives to upgrade your soul."

Find a Way to Unwind

If you don’t prioritize “me” time, you won’t be able to give your full self to those around you.

You will feel more exhausted, more run down and more rushed. Always being under pressure will cause you to eventually burn out from too high of a consistent stress level.

How can you unwind with us? Here are Rhea Lewis Photography, we do full-service hair & makeup, provide amazing lingerie to make you look your best and truly give you a day to just focus on you.

glamour boudoir palm beach fl

Brain Reboot = More Productivity

Did you know the human brain was not built for extended periods of focus? Always having a to-do list and working from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep is not healthy. YOU NEED TO TAKE BREAKS. Doing something enjoyable in those breaks helps you stay on track.

When you book a session with Rhea Lewis Photography, we offer a variety of printed portraiture. View our gallery here to see how we can give you a memento of your shoot that can sit on your desk and help you escape for a few minutes!

Allow Time for Deeper Thinking and Self-Discovery

A self-evaluation every few months is so important. You need to consider:

  • What is important to me?
  • What are my core values?
  • What are my goals?
  • Where do I need to feel fulfilled?

If you are not aligning your actions with your objectives, this will cause you to feel unfulfilled and unhappy.

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"Me"-Time Improves Your Relationships

When you prioritize yourself and your needs, other people notice. Lack of respect for yourself will cause other people to not respect you. Value yourself and others will value you.

When you fill up your cup with “me” time, you have the energy to fill others cups around you. It will give you more energy for your significant other, dependents in you life and also more energy to tackle projects at work.

When you book a session with us, we give you the option to order mementos of your boudoir session which can make for a perfect anniversary gift or surprise just-because gift. You will be looking fabulous after your photo shoot, so it also provides the perfect excuse for a date night or night on the town with the girls!

Overall Well-Being

It’s simple… doing things we enjoy makes us feel happier! When we feel happy, we are more positive. When we are more positive, it helps with how we approach our lives.

Taking time to be healthy and fulfilled by having fun, relaxing or doing something just for us improves your overall well-being and sense of self-worth.

palm beach boudoir

How to Make More "Me"-Time

Remember, “me” time doesn’t mean doing something alone! It’s an activity that is something you enjoy and builds you up. All of this describes a session at Rhea Lewis Photography. Book your session today to schedule some much needed self-love and “me” time.

 

Book Your "Me" Time Today
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Tanzanika Breast Cancer Photo Journey

Breast Cancer Survival: From an African-American Perspective

Did you know that in women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African-American women than white women and have a higher mortality rate?  In 2019, an estimated 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,930 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer. Scary statistics for African American women!

Meet Tanzanika, a survivor.  She received her diagnosis on January 12, 2016 at age 35. Hers was invasive ductal carcinoma stage 2, estrogen receptor positive.   So what does all this mean?  It means a double mastectomy, 4 rounds of chemo and 28 rounds of radiation, and removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes, “basically all of my girl parts”.  As a single mother, it was an incredible scary and daunting journey she was facing, but with her faith to carry her through she stood up to her fears, summoned her courage, and took on the battle ahead.  She said she was very disheartened that when she was facing her diagnosis, there were no pictures of black women for her to see how she may look afterwards.  She shared with me that African American skin scars very differently than Caucasian skin so she was very concerned. She did all the research and doctor visits she needed to find the right fit for her.  Her best advice is to be your own advocate and never settle if you are unsure, trust your instincts.  “This is your body, the only one you have, so these decisions need to be made with the utmost care and consideration.” 

breast cancer survivor boudoir photography

We reached out to Tanzy since she was featured on a Palm Tran bus featuring African American breast cancer survivors. Tanzy is a role model for Susan G. Komen in the campaign for breast cancer awareness for African American women.  She wants to help her sisters and share her story know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and survivorship can be beautiful.  “There is no better feeling than knowing you have gone through the storm and come out stronger and better on the other side, and that your scars do not define you”.

When we first nominated her, she said she was very apprehensive.  “Doing a boudoir shoot would mean I would have to show my scars and be vulnerable.  The thought of that terrified me, but I really wanted to feel beautiful again, to feel like a woman, so I agreed to meet for the in person consultation.  “Upon walking into the studio and meeting Rhea and her staff I immediately felt comfortable and welcomed. I walked into a space that was unfamiliar to do something I had never done before. Rhea made sure I knew no negativity was allowed in this beautiful space. I was not allowed to feel bad about myself or fill my head with ugly thoughts.”  I could see that Tanzy was very nervous about the lingerie since her body had been through so many changes after her diagnosis.  However, I pride myself at having a wardrobe that can fit a wide variety of body shapes and sizes.  And yes, we fitted her too with 3 amazing outfits.  “Wearing lingerie was something I had never done before. When I see myself I see all the things I want to change or fix, but when Rhea she’s you she sees all that you are and could be. “

breast cancer survivor boudoir photography

On session day, she rocked it and mentioned that she finally felt sexy in her new skin again, which was exactly what we were going for!  She said that it absolutely helped her self-esteem.  “From the moment I walked into the studio for my shoot, I was still a little apprehensive, and then during the session my confidence grew and grew and now I feel absolutely amazing, I highly recommend these session to all my sisters and all women!  This is something I will take with me as a reminder of the strong beautiful woman that I know I am.  I am so thankful for this experience. It was worth every bit of anxiety I had trying on pieces that didn’t hide my imperfections but showed all the beautiful scars I had earned fighting for and living life after cancer.”

 

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See Tanzanika's Testimonial

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Breast Cancer Survivors Uplifted by Boudoir Photography... And It's a Beautiful Thing.

About a year ago, in September of 2017 I had a scare with breast cancer and needed to get a biopsy done.  I went to our local hospital’s breast cancer facility and I met a nurse.  For those of you who have had this done, you know how close the nurses are with you during this procedure so in order to not be awkward with this closeness we started talking about lots of things and I told her about what I do and that I specialize in empowering women with luxury women’s portraits, glamour and boudoir.  She loved hearing that I was doing this for women and she said that she had a nurse friend that is undergoing treatment for breast cancer and she wanted to gift a session to her.  I was touched by her generosity and I felt that since we were getting close to October and Breast Cancer Awareness month that I would like to gift the session to her friend personally.  So I did. 

palm beach boudoir
palm beach boudoir

Her friend had such a beautiful and strong inner light of courage and strength that it uplifted me. It filled my heart with such a strong feeling of connection and sisterhood to know that I was helping her in a profound way to re-connect her with her femininity and beauty.  I knew that I needed to do more of these sessions, that there were so many other women out there in need of this type of feminine therapy that this is what the Universe had put in my path to help these women.  It is the best feeling in the world for me to know that I can help and heal women with my art.  I decided to donate 10 more sessions in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month 2017.  It’s been almost a year since and I’ve completed close to 24 breast cancer survivor sessions.   I have photographed woman who are early in their diagnosis to those who have been cancer free for years.  I have learned so much in the process about myself, about humanity and about this terrible disease called cancer.  These women all share an incredibly strong bond of sisterhood, something I had never experienced before, and I knew I wanted to continue to be a part of it.    

It was during my original promotional campaign, reaching out to various breast cancer survivor groups to participate in my charity project, that I came across a group of breast cancer survivors involved in a team called Dragon Boating.  Their team, Lighthouse Dragons SOS, is a dragon boat team in Jupiter, FL composed of breast cancer survivors and their supporters. Their mission is to promote a healthy and life affirming activity through the sport of dragon boating. Each of them is a powerful example that one can lead a full and active life after a diagnosis of breast cancer.  Once connected with this group of women, they continued to nominate each other for my complimentary sessions.  From my experience with these women and all of the women who have stepped outside their comfort zone to meet with me and do a session, the common thread has been that they are doing this for themselves and as a way to help other women.  Each and every woman who has come forward is a warrior, a leader and feels strongly in the sisterhood of strength and courage that exists with survivors when you share a common life changing experience like breast cancer diagnosis.  All of them want to be a light and uplift each other and I have been deeply moved by each and every one of their stories and their connection to one another. 

Meet the Survivors

Debbie Brooks

Hear Her Words

Meet Debbie Brooks, the captain of the Lighthouse Dragons SOS team and Lisette Usborne, her team-mate.  A diagnosis of breast cancer when caught early, can improve long-term survival in most cases. But what happens when years later, the cancer reappears in other parts of our body? That is called Metastatic Disease, and it is, in fact Stage IV Breast Cancer, and although there are many treatment options out there, currently there is no cure.  So when team-mates, Debbie in late 2015 and Lisette in early 2017, had to face the fact that their cancer spread past their breast and into their bones and other parts of their body, needless to say they were terrified.  In March 2016, Debbie participated in a dragon boat race with 7 breast cancer survivor teams, and met several women who were not only still living, but also thriving and paddling, 5,10 or even 15 years past their Stage IV diagnosis, and it gave her hope. 

Debbie is very engaged in being a role model and mentor to those who are facing breast cancer.  She is the captain of the team and leader of the group of over 70 women.  Debbie has had struggles with her self-image from an early age and stepping in front of the camera was a huge step outside her comfort zone.  Her transformation was especially sweet and beautiful to witness and participate in as it really allowed her to give herself permission to see herself as beautiful, to own it and to be comfortable in her own skin.  That was our goal, and boy..did she accomplish that. 

Lisette Usborne

Hear Her Words:

And when her teammate Lisette was also diagnosed a year later, it wasn’t so scary for her.  

First in the studio was Lisette, a strong woman from the UK who is funny, fearless and full of life.  She shared with me that she didn’t want people to feel sorry for her and her diagnosis; she believed whole heartedly that sharing with others is the best approach to your diagnosis. Her advice to other women is to laugh more, take time for you, and appreciate the little things.  A self-described goof ball, her friends usually see her with her hair up, no makeup and in casual clothing. It had been a long time since she felt feminine and beautiful, but she was ready for the opportunity to step outside her comfort zone and go for it.  I never laughed so much as when we had our session together!  She was such a delight to photograph, watching her transform into this beautiful, strong and feminine woman was incredibly inspirational for me as well. 

Lisette then became my strongest advocate and nominated 5 more women who came in and have been photographed from the Dragon Boat team.  One of which was Debbie Brooks, the Dragon Boat Captain.