Saturday was our first Botanical shoot of 2026, and honestly? It was magic. Not loud, glittery magic — but quiet, brave, nervous-system-shifting magic.
I want to tell you about it.
Every woman who arrived that day was new. New to Liberty. New to this kind of space. But there was a shared energy in the air — this hopeful anticipation. That fluttery nervousness you get when you know something big is about to happen, even if you’re not entirely sure what.
It had been a while since I last shot. November was my last time behind the camera, and I could feel how much I missed it. My hands were itching to create, to make art, to hold people through my lens again. That probably sounds a bit dramatic, but it’s true. I was ready to play, to see, to witness.
The women brought stories, of course they did. Because Liberty isn’t just about showing up and smiling. It’s about remembering who you are. And in the short circle we had (Botanical is always time-limited), it became clear: every single woman had arrived carrying something heavy — and ready to set it down.
Two of them were in their mid-40s. High achievers. You’d look at them and think, “Wow, they’ve got it together.” But both shared how somewhere along the road — the jobs, the kids, the life — they’d lost themselves. They used to feel sexy, powerful, radiant… and now? They didn’t recognise the person in the mirror.
Another woman had gained weight recently. She felt disconnected from her body, almost like it wasn’t hers anymore. She’d stopped feeling seen — not just by others, but by herself.
One of them started to cry when we handed out the mantras. That moment when you’re holding it all in and someone says exactly the right thing, and the floodgates open? That.
I told her gently, “Maybe your mantra is: I’m falling in love with the person I am now.”
And she cried. And we looked away so she could keep her makeup intact. But in that moment, something shifted.
Later, she said something I think we’ve all felt:
“I look back at old photos and I remember being so cruel to myself… but now I see how beautiful I was. I know future me will look at photos of me now and think the same. I want to feel that now.”
I mean…haven’t we all been there?
Then there was this one woman who said outright, “I hate my body.”
And she was stunning. Like, objectively beautiful. But I didn’t see her beauty fully until she made a decision — right there in front of me, partway through the shoot. She decided, “Fuck it. I’m hot.”
I saw it. I felt it. It was like she peeled back ten years of self-judgement and just…let herself be radiant. And the shift in her photos is wild. From the first shots where she was holding back to the final ones where she was fully in her power — you can see the moment she let go.
That’s what Liberty is. It’s not about changing you. It’s about reminding you.
Sexy isn’t a size. Confidence isn’t something you earn. It’s a decision.
Botanical, for me, has always felt like an Earth shoot. Root chakra. Foundations. Growth. It’s where people begin.
One woman came to her first Botanical shoot last year. A year later, she’s training to be a Liberty photographer. She’s modelling for bridal, presenting, stepping into spaces she never imagined. And she said, “It all started at Botanical.”
We also did something new — we gave out Polaroids. Tiny printed photos with their mantras underneath. A small gesture, but it landed.
One woman told me: “The whole journey has been lovely. The prep guide. The playlist. The emails. The energy.”
And that meant the world. Because I haven’t always got that part right. But now? We’re really in it. We’re making every part of Liberty feel as special as the shoot itself.
So if you’ve felt like you’ve lost your spark, your sexy, your you…please know: it’s not gone.
It’s waiting.
And all it takes is one brave yes.
Not a big leap. Not a five-year plan. Not a glow-up.
Just one decision.
