.A Little Something Special From Us. .Alexa Taylor-Jay Ogilvie.' From the very beginning of the planning process for this photo shoot, this HUGE AND INSPIRED DREAM, we have wanted this to be a celebration. A CELEBRATION AND PROOF OF THE POWER AND MAGIC THAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LOVE THE SKIN WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN, WHEN WE TRULY, 100% LOVE WHO WE ARE AND ARE GRATEFUL TO BE JUST THAT. YOU, ME, US!! This project has changed me in so many wonderful, amazing and BEAUTIFUL ways.... I started this project with a dream a year and a half ago. I couldn’t shake this amazing idea I had in my head and every time I thought about it, the idea just got bigger, more detailed and MORE BEAUTIFUL. I knew this project was going to be BIG!! I knew I couldn’t do this project alone, I needed another photographer to help me refine my idea(s), to share this experience with and to shoot alongside me. I prayed to know who that was. Immediately Kelsey Bailey aka Kelsey Bailey Photography (https://www.facebook.com/KelseyBaileyPhoto/) came to my mind, yep, that’s TOTALLY the right answer!! I messaged her the next day, and her enthusiasm and instant YES brought tears to my eyes. She felt and saw what I did for the project. We instantly got to work on it and let me tell you... it was A LOT OF WORK!! We prayed, fasted, pleaded with Heavenly Father for answers to all of our MANY questions over the months and months of preparation. We were lovingly lead to these 12 AMAZING women. It was SUCH a huge spiritual experience to be so lovingly guided, inspired and lead to these BEAUTIFUL ladies. Kelsey and I were a dream team!! Kelsey is SO inspired and in my opinion walks with God. She constantly had ideas on how to refine the photo shoot and even came up with it’s name CELEBRATION OF BEAUTY!! Through our hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of messages back and forth, there were SO MANY TIMES my jaw would just hit the floor or tears would start to stream down my face, because Kelsey had come up with an idea to brighten the shoot and make it that much more meaningful and inspirational. My friends, Kelsey is SOOOO TALENTED, SOOOO SMART and SOOOO IN TUNE WITH THE SPIRIT!!!! We started out with a pretty basic idea and together, Kelsey and I, we pushed the boundaries of the idea into what it is today!! What an incredible experience it was to work with her!! I’m truly forever grateful to have done this HUGE project with her beside me. We worked soooo well together!! AAAAND I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE TONS OF NEW PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECTS WE HAVE IN THE WORKS!!!! SOOOO MUCH TO COME FROM THE BOTH OF US!!!! This is only the beginning <3 <3 Be excited :):) In every single step of the process the Lord has been involved. Kelsey Bailey and I prayed and listened to the spirit, and then did what we were prompted and told to do. The entire process was an incredible spiritual experience start to finish!! I felt SO close to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I felt SO close to these AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL WOMEN, I felt the spirit talk with me and confirm Kelsey and I in our efforts constantly. This was truly a photo shoot and all around experience I will never forget!! Kelsey and I did this ENTIRE project out of pure love. We wanted to truly help these girls LOVE who they are and wanted to teach them to be PROUD of the skin they've been given. With SO MUCH HELP FROM THE LORD, with His hand in ours, I feel we together, healed hearts, minds and helped these 12 BEAUTIFUL women to see themselves not only as beautiful daughters of God, but to see themselves as more, SO SO MUCH MORE!! For beauty is not only skin deep!!! ALL TWELVE OF THESE WOMEN are not only BEAUTIFUL on the outside, that is a given :):), but they are BEAUTIFUL on the inside and have the most pure and loving hearts of anyone I know!! And now, with the help of the Lord, they believe it, THEY KNOW IT!! It was an HONOR to work with each and every one of these incredible and BEAUTIFUL women!! They have helped ME see myself in a different light, to look in the mirror and see myself, as Christee Schofield taught us, as Jesus Christ does. THAT is the most amazing thing to feel and SEE. To feel how proud He is of us, of ALL OF US!! To know, without a doubt, we were all made ON PURPOSE AND FOR A PURPOSE!!!! I want to personally thank ALL of our 12 BEAUTIFUL models for ALLLL their hard work, for their amazing attitudes, for their inspiration, for their bravery in telling their stories and being so bold as to share them with the world, for their BEAUTIFUL souls inside and out. You ALL have lifted me up, strengthened me and my testimony, you have truly inspired me, you have helped me to... see myself the way Jesus Christ does. To love myself more fully and without apology. To celebrate my own Unique-ness and become a Warrior for good. To speak more Gentle to myself, to listen more closely to the Spirit. To Believe in myself and talk more Positively to myself! To be Authentic, Fearless and Rise above those negative thoughts I might have about myself from time to time. To truly feel Strong and be Passionate about following the gospel. To know and believe what it truly is to feel Limitless!! THANK YOU Cassie Firth, Shaila Baker, Steffani Rowley, Karen Fullmer, Mindy Johnson, Christee Schofield, Lauralee Hill, Alexandra Scherzinger, Marcee Carlton, Kiri Martin, Kyla Cecil and Amanda Lundskog!! Thank you for all your time, your effort, your story, your kindness, your bravery, your courage, your willingness to do all the thousands of things we asked you to do, your love, your tenderness, your boldness, your spirit, your smile and for being so willing to share your own beauty, your own story, and your own God-given heart with us and the world!! What an incredible honor it was to meet you, get to know you, watch and experience the Lord changing you and your heart, watch the healing that took place in you, to photograph you and to become life-long friends with you!! It was an honor that YOU were apart of this project. YOU ARE ALLLLLLLLLLLL BEAUTIFUL!!!! The grand finale of our Celebration of Beauty photo shoot and throwing that color was a symbol. Throwing color was a symbol and a celebration of their beauty, their bravery, their stories and the journey they each individually took to get THERE!! A symbol of letting go of any and all insecurities we had and watching them disappear into the atmosphere. It was a symbol of freedom!! A symbol of happiness, of being excited to show who we truly are unapologetically!!!!!! These 12 women, 12 strangers, came together uniting instantly, and became sisters in Zion. Rooting for each other, celebrating each other, inspiring each other to be better and constantly complimenting each other!! It was incredible to experience that feeling of instant sisterhood, to watch it unfold so effortlessly, so sincerely and so lovingly. It was what I KNOW heaven will be like!! That little piece of heaven on earth and this photo shoot, all encompassing, changed me. It changed me in a way that I can’t wait to see if that’s really what heaven is like or if we merely scratched the surface of what it will really feel and look like. But to me, that photo shoot, those 2 perfect hours of beauty, was heaven on earth. The world teaches us constantly that we are never ever enough. Just being you, is never enough. You will never be rich enough, pretty enough, loved enough, liked on Facebook/Instagram enough, skinny enough, bold enough, you will never be just enough. What total and complete BOGUS THAT IS!!!! We are ALL made in HIS IMAGE, and God does NOT make mistakes!! WE ARE NOT MISTAKES!! God made us, each of us, just the way we are ON PURPOSE AND FOR A PURPOSE!!!! And on our photo shoot, and through this ENTIRE process we CELEBRATED THAT!!!! Our hope is that YOU will be able to look inward and see yourself the way Christ does. To love yourself more fully and without apology. To celebrate your own Unique-ness and become a Warrior for good. To speak more Gentle to yourself, to listen more closely to the Spirit. To Believe in yourself and talk more Positively to yourself! To be Authentic, Fearless and Rise above those negative thoughts you might have about yourself. To truly feel Strong and be Passionate about following the gospel. To know and believe what it truly is to feel Limitless!! ' -Alexa Taylor-Jay Ogilvie Taylor Jay Photography I am Unstoppable!! https://www.facebook.com/taylorjayphotography/ ' Being a part of this shoot was so amazing. I went into it thinking I was going to help make a difference in the world but I left feeling as though it had made more of a difference in me!! MY PARTNER!!! When Alexa texted me and asked me if I wanted to be a part of the shoot, I was so excited! I couldn’t say yes fast enough!!! I had looked up to her for years as a mentor and was so honored to be able to work as a partner with her on such a special project. At first, I viewed it as her project that I was helping with, but she quickly corrected my thinking. This was a partnership. This was OUR project. It was such an amazing experience to collaborate with her and I was honored to be her partner. We didn’t always agree on everything, but everything was done with so much love and respect for one another. When we didn’t agree, we worked so well together as we talked it through and prayed about it. And eventually we made a decision together. We were so united in our purpose.... it was just amazing. I’ve never had a partner like her before! She was so kind, supportive, understanding and encouraging. She was such a joy to work with! Working with her helped me increase in my confidence, skill, and love for the craft. I just love her so much! I seriously can’t say enough about her! GOD’S INFLUENCE!!!! The thing that made this shoot so amazing was how involved God was in it from the very beginning. Alexa had told me she had prayed about how to get the project going and knew I had to be a part of it. Together, we prayed about who to ask to be our models. Some women’s names came to our minds immediately. Others we had to pray to decide between a few options. But EVERY SINGLE decision was made with God’s direction and approval. The words the women picked were prayed about- some knew their word quickly. Others did quite the soul searching to find the PERFECT word for them and their story. The stories themselves–we prayed about them and the women did multiple drafts to make them perfect. Literally everything was done with God’s help!! It was such an amazing thing to have God’s hands so involved in this project. It would not have been as perfect or wonderful without His direction and love. The day of the shoot was SO AMAZING. We started and ended the shoot with prayer and even though I was SO ANXIOUS about the shoot- the whole thing went so smoothly!!! We had the perfect amount of time. I was able to find the light and get beautiful photos of every woman. And the overall feeling of the shoot was one of love and respect. I felt close to God the whole time I was there. I could feel His love for me, for these beautiful women, and for the project itself. It would not have been as amazing if it weren’t for God’s help, love, and guidance. THE MODELS!!! I cannot say enough good things about the models. These 12 strangers came together and created such a unique sisterhood filled with love and respect for one another. Alexa and I were blown away at it. We had no idea they would bond to the extent that they did. They all worked SO HARD on everything we asked them to do. Finding the perfect word for themselves, writing multiple drafts of their stories, finding the perfect outfit, and countless other things we asked them to do. They were so kind and patient with us as we made changes and figured how to move forward with the project. The day of the shoot I was so incredibly blown away at all of their beauty- both inside and out. I know most (if not all) were a little nervous about the shoot-but they faced those fears and ended up having an amazing time. Together we all laughed, cried, and grew in our self-love and gratitude. They made the shoot special. And even after it was over, they lifted each other by sharing one another’s stories and continuing that celebration. I am so grateful for their courage to share their hearts with the world. I’m grateful for their beautiful words and sweet spirits. I’m grateful for their smiles and influence. They are beautiful inside and out. They were meant to be a part of this project and they have forever changed me. I love them all dearly. ALL OF YOU- OUR READERS!!! Lastly, all of you have helped make this shoot a success!!! We were so excited to make a difference in the lives of these 12 women (although I think they made a bigger difference in mine). But we also wanted to share their stories and their beauty with the world to help others. We wanted to help others learn to love themselves and love those around them. Your kind words and support have been AMAZING!!! You have helped us reach so many more people than we could’ve ever done on our own. We are so appreciative of your support!!!! I came into this shoot planning on being a part of something that helped the world. But this project helped me. It increased my confidence in myself and my work as a photographer. I found myself relating to the women in one way or another and I could see pieces of myself in them. Their words touched my heart and soul. Their stories empowered and inspired me in more ways than I could ever say. I grew closer to God. I was kinder to myself and loved myself a little more. I found myself pondering on what my journey was. And I was filled with gratitude for my body, my story, my own beauty, and my own journey. I’m so grateful I was able to be a part of this special project. I hope it continues to help others, just as it has helped me. ' -Kelsey Bailey Kelsey Bailey Photography I choose to be Uplifting!! https://kelseybaileyphotography.weebly.com/celebration-of-beauty THANK YOU FOR CELEBRATING WITH US!!!! WE ARE ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL BEAUTIFUL!!!! Photo Cred for the pictures of me photographing . Kelsey Bailey Photography . https://kelseybaileyphotography.weebly.com/ Video by: Shaun Schofield - DOZE Videos A very special thanks to Shaun Schofield with DOZE Videos for being our videographer and documenting every AMAZING & BEAUTIFUL moment of our Celebration of Beauty photo shoot for us!!!! Thank you Shaun!!!! You are soooo INCREDIBLE!!!! Check out & subscribe to Shaun's Youtube.com channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsu0f8IJm3Nv7UpnjElRPdw Do yourself a favor and go 'like' his FB page!! https://www.facebook.com/dozevideos/
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WELCOME TO THE CELEBRATION!!!! This has been a long time coming and we are SOOOO EXCITED TO SHARE OUR CELEBRATION WITH YOU, our wonderful and BEAUTIFUL fans!! From the very beginning of the planning process for this photo shoot, this HUGE AND INSPIRED DREAM, we have wanted this to be a celebration. A CELEBRATION AND PROOF OF THE POWER AND MAGIC THAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LOVE THE SKIN WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN, WHEN WE TRULY, 100% LOVE WHO WE ARE AND ARE GRATEFUL TO BE JUST THAT, YOU, ME, US!! In every single step of the process the Lord has been involved. Kelsey Bailey and I prayed, listened and then did what we were prompted and told to do. The entire process was incredible, start to finish!! I felt SO close to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I felt SO close to these AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL WOMEN, I felt the spirit talk with me and confirm us in our efforts constantly. This was truly a photo shoot I will never forget!! Kelsey and I did this ENTIRE project out of pure love. We wanted to truly help these girls LOVE who they are and wanted to teach them to be PROUD of the skin they've been given. With SO MUCH HELP FROM THE LORD, with His hand in ours, I feel we healed hearts, minds and helped these 12 BEAUTIFUL women to see themselves not only as beautiful daughters of God, but to see themselves as more, SO SO MUCH MORE!! For beauty is not only skin deep!!! ALL TWELVE OF THESE WOMEN are not only BEAUTIFUL on the outside, that is a given :):), but they are BEAUTIFUL on the inside and have the most pure and loving hearts of anyone I know!! And now, with the help of the Lord, they believe it, THEY KNOW IT!! It was an HONOR to work with each and every one of these incredible and BEAUTIFUL women!! They have helped ME see myself in a different light, to look in the mirror and see myself, as Christee Schofield taught us, as Jesus Christ does. THAT is the most amazing thing to feel and SEE. To feel how proud He is of us, of ALL OF US!! To know, without a doubt, we were all made ON PURPOSE AND FOR A PURPOSE!!!! Throwing color was a symbol and a celebration of their beauty their bravery their stories & the journey they each individually took to get HERE!! AT THE GRAND FINALE OF OUR CELEBRATION OF BEAUTY PHOTO SHOOT throwing color was a symbol. A symbol of letting go of any and all insecurities we had and watching them disappear into the atmosphere. It was a symbol of freedom!! A symbol of happiness, of being excited to show who we truly are unapologetically!!!!!! We are all together a rainbow of color, we are all different and have something new and exciting to bring to the table, to the world. We need each other. No one should do life alone. We need to celebrate what makes us each Unique and BEAUTIFUL and become sisters in Zion, becoming one in purpose and objective. These 12 women, 12 strangers, came together uniting instantly, and became sisters in Zion. Rooting for each other, celebrating each other, inspiring each other to be better. They are SOOOO excited to inspire so many other women in the world to love their own beauty, and to celebrate every beautiful trait that makes you, you!! The world teaches us constantly that we are never ever enough. Just being you, is never enough. You will never be rich enough, pretty enough, loved enough, liked on Facebook/Instagram enough, skinny enough, bold enough, you will never be just enough. What total and complete BOGUS THAT IS!!!! We are ALL made in HIS IMAGE, and God does NOT make mistakes!! WE ARE NOT MISTAKES!! God made us, each of us, just the way we are ON PURPOSE AND FOR A PURPOSE!!!! And on our photo shoot we CELEBRATED THAT!!!! Our hope is that YOU will be able to look inward and see yourself the way Christ does. To love yourself more fully and without apology. To celebrate your own Unique-ness and become a Warrior for good. To speak more Gentle to yourself, to listen more closely to the Spirit. To Believe in yourself and talk more Positively to yourself! To be Authentic, Fearless and Rise above those negative thoughts you might have about yourself. To truly feel Strong and be Passionate about following the gospel. To know and believe what it truly is to feel Limitless!! We don't want this project to end with us. What word would YOU choose for yourself? Comment below and tell us :):) We would LOVE to know!! |
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