A MOMENT WITH: Jill Clarke from Portraiture By Goddess
How did Portraiture by Goddess come about?
We are a family business; the founder Mark works alongside his wife, Jill, and their daughter, Becky, as well as our team of talented photographers, editors and designers.
What part of a running the business do you find to be the most rewarding?
Our photographers are highly trained and specialise in confidence-building shoots for women. We work with women’s natural curves and not against them. Our experienced editors do use photoshop to help with minor skin blemishes, scars etc, but we can do much more in the studio than could ever be done in Photoshop. In the studio, we capture the visible version of the real you, as opposed to the one you think you are and the one you show in public. People are amazed at what a professional Studio with expert lighting and posing can achieve. While the poses may feel weird at the time, the finished portraits speak for themselves!
What is the best part about running the business?
This is a really happy business to be in. We are helping people capture a unique moment in time and create something that will become a legacy for our future generations. We love to see women embrace the goddess within themselves and take the time to come in for some pampering.
What do you do to prepare for each shoot? How do you make people feel more comfortable?
We value the dignity, boundaries and comfort of our ladies above all else, and we don’t believe that boudoir photography is synonymous with getting naked. If taking all their clothes off isn’t on their agenda, then it’s not on ours. Our lovely ladies will go for a look that they feel confident with, anything from casual jeans and oversize jumpers, to sexy lingerie and super glamorous evening dresses.
What are you excited about for your business this year, and for the future?
We are building a community to empower and inspire women to be confident and comfortable with who they are. We feel that social media pressures and the ubiquitous use of photoshop on models is distorting the image of what’s considered a ‘normal women’ in our society. All of the women on our website gallery are real women and they are all goddesses to us.
We want all women to see and to feel that empowerment too, which is why we have created the Facebook group Reveal The Goddess. This is where women can be part of a community that supports and encourages each other.
What is your advice for couples getting married?
Enjoy the journey as this is just the beginning!
What are you excited about for the expo?
We love meeting women and hearing their stories, it’s always a lot of fun!