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Blog: Self Confidence & Female Empowerment |
SummaryHorror photography may begin as creative entertainment, but for many women it can become a powerful way to explore confidence, body image and self-expression. Through character, special-effects make-up, dramatic styling and a safe, respectful studio environment, clients can see themselves differently and feel more comfortable in front of the camera. Horrify Me founder Rick Jones explains how years of working with women in his Kent studio changed his understanding of the photo shoot experience, while his wife Claire (AKA Mrs Horrify Me) shares how becoming involved behind and in front of the camera helped her feel bolder, braver and more at ease with her body for the first time in adulthood.How Can Horror Photography Improve Body Confidence?I’m just gonna make this clear right from the start: Horrify Me has only one purpose in its entire mission statement: To create cool horror portraits. That’s it, that’s the full brief. Back when I started this venture in my Kent studio, I knew it would be a fun, rewarding experience. I am aware that people enjoy creative engagements, they feel good having portraits made, and if they are horror fans then they are going to really enjoy the gore and horror special effects makeup.I developed the service to a high standard of excellence, and figured that the client’s reaction and feedback would just take care of itself, as long as I did my job properly. At no point did I sit down and plan to make a service that “empowers women” or “boosts self confidence”. Those side effects just sort of happened on their own, almost by accident. Over the years, I have been constantly surprised by the strong reactions people have had to their own portraits. I don’t mean those testimonials about how cool it is to be a zombie or how awesome it is to wear fangs and drink fake blood. As great as this feedback always is, I mean the reactions that hit hard at a deeper personal level. The strong reactions. “I feel like a different person”. “It has boosted my confidence”. “I felt so empowered by the experience”. Why Feeling Safe in the Photography Studio MattersOne of the things that I take huge pride in, aside from the work itself, is the safe environment I provide to my clients. Obviously this safety is provided to every individual that visits Horrify Me, but for the purposes of this piece, I’ll be focusing on the women who visit. Let’s face it, my clients are mostly women (generally speaking, not many men want to do these shoots), which means I aim most of my marketing towards women, and of course in a studio setting with a male photographer and a female model, the women tend to be in the position of high vulnerability in this setting.While I know for myself that every woman who enters my studio will be totally safe, it’s important to me that women actually FEEL completely safe and comfortable in my studio, for every second of their visit. Not only does this allow women to relax and feel more engaged in the process, but it also results in a better shoot with better photos if your client is relaxed and free from concern. Seeing Yourself Differently Through the ExperiencePhotographing so many women over so many years has been educational in unexpected ways. It’s actually shocking to me the high number of women who have body image issues, poor confidence, low self esteem, self doubt, even occasional self loathing. Many have told me about their horrible experiences with other photographers which makes them anxious in a studio setting, or their poor sense of self worth, or their hatred of their own reflection in a mirror. Others lack confidence for a myriad of reasons; they may feel inferior when they compare themselves to "Instagram girls", or they hate their body parts, weight, height, hair, and so on.Of course, these issues are spoken about a lot online so I have always been aware of them, but it wasn’t until I started my photography at a professional level that I started to actually encounter the real women living with such feelings about their bodies and appearance. So, I’m not shocked that it exists, but I am shocked by just how often I encounter it. It’s not rare by any measure. My own horror photography is built on two passions. Firstly, everything I do is inspired by my love of horror movies, particularly 1980s classic horror and gore. That’s the inspiration. Secondly, everything I do is conducted with a fine art sensibility, with artistic makeup, lighting, poses, and even using the nude form in creative ways. That’s the process. Horror movies and art are both my entire lifelong background since childhood, and this is what I bring to the table with my work. I knew these two separate passions would work together seamlessly, and they do, but I didn’t expect the transformative outcomes that they have had on many people. The way some women have been moved to tears, to see themselves actually looking sexy, or powerful, or even just “cool”, has often been a profound moment for them.
What Women Say About Their Horrify Me Experience
[ See all client reviews here ] I could go on and on with these testimonials, as there have been so many over the years, but I’m sure by now you can see the picture forming. While I am not here to empower women, provide therapy, or fix their feelings about their bodies and appearance (my job is just to take horror photos), I cannot deny that this is a fantastic and powerful side effect of my work, and I am actually very happy that something I do can have such meaningful positive effects on people. Why Vampire and Bloody Nude Shoots Feel So PowerfulBut what does it all mean? Why does photography have such a profound effect on people, and particularly on women?From what I have learned through doing this work, good photography can allow women to reclaim their self image, and develop a stronger sense of self worth. It can be a transformative process that encourages confidence, self-expression and greater acceptance of their bodies. Over the years I have watched many women enter my studio feeling nervous, uncertain and lacking in confidence, then leave feeling self-assured and emboldened. Some have even chosen to pose nude, although that is always optional and never expected from anyone. The change is often noticeable during the shoot itself, as they begin to relax, experiment and see themselves differently in real time. Also, working in a very safe creative environment where there is no judgement or concern, promotes the freedom to experiment, to push personal boundaries, and to explore self expression in whole new ways. These things alone create an opportunity for confidence to grow. There is also the power of positive reinforcement, which comes from the very simple act of showing the client the photo you’ve just shot on the back of the camera. No editing, no Photoshop adjustments, just the raw photo shot moments ago. If I had a penny for every time I’ve heard a woman say “Oh my god, is that really me?” I’d be rich by now. Seeing beautiful images helps women appreciate their own beauty and strength. These things are not abstract or spiritual, they are real, and can be captured in a photograph.
The two main themes I offer that most women feel so empowered by are the vampires and the bloody nude portraits. These are by no means the only shoots that have this amazing effect - different themes work for different people - but they do seem to be the two main and most popular ones. This is interesting to me because the women who do these shoots cannot really hide who they are. Unlike zombie shoots or other makeup-heavy themes, where your face can be somewhat concealed under rubber prosthetics, or your body hidden under weird costumes, both of these themes keep your face, and often your body, on full show. While the women can express themselves very creatively in these shoots with embellished vampiric body language or theatrical flair, at the end of the day these are just portraits of them, as they truly are. They become empowered through a creative physical process, making themselves truly visible to the world. Vampire and bloody poses can be romantic, erotic, aggressive, and often somewhat esoteric, but once women see themselves in these portraits, they suddenly understand that, actually, they are capable of being sexy, sensual, and powerful. And don’t forget, to pose nude for a portrait is the most raw, honest expression a human can make in the arts. It’s who we truly are. It’s quite a thing to stand exposed in front of a camera, and it requires a degree of courage. In my work, the horror is certainly all fake, but for the women I shoot, that courage, improved confidence, and personal growth, is never fake.
What Horror Photography Has Taught MeThe only way to end this piece is to look at how this has all affected me and how it has refined the way I work. Back in the early days, the final photo was everything. My art and design background meant that the finished photo was the most important thing. The shoot was simply the means by which I made that photo. The shoots were always great fun, I’d never deny that, but in my mind, the shoots were just a necessary mechanical process that allowed a finished photo to exist. I don’t feel that way any more.Thanks to the very grounded education I have received over the years, directly from working with so many women, and of course receiving so much insight and wisdom about these topics from my wife Claire, these days I understand the emotional importance of the actual shoot. I now even conduct my shoots a little differently to allow less confident women to blossom. Just simple acts like talking and listening more openly about the issues that affect her in order to gain a better understanding, showing more photos on the back of the camera, explaining why this photo works well and that one doesn’t, helping her understand why poses work and how anatomy can become artful and expressive, reassuring her everything is working well and looking great, allowing her the freedom to express and explore her own ideas during the shoot, and so on. All of these small, simple measures can really help to unlock a caged confidence. Above all, when it comes to shooting photos with women who suffer from poor confidence or low self esteem, I’ve learned the absolute top tier lesson of them all. Remember when I said that I used to think the final photo was the most important piece of the process? That's now been flipped: The final photo is simply the thing you get to keep, the shoot itself is what actually changes you. Thinking About Doing a Shoot Yourself?You do not need to arrive feeling confident or know how to pose. You will be guided through the process, given time to settle in and encouraged to explore your character in a way that feels comfortable for you. There is no expectation to pose nude or do anything beyond your own boundaries. Your shoot should feel like you - only darker, bolder and far more dramatic. Explore the horror beauty portrait options, read about previous clients’ experiences or contact us to discuss your own shoot.[ Explore the portrait themes here ] [ Contact Horrify Me ] [ Client reviews ]
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