Cindy Couture – Real Women : Real Beauty

Cindy Couture is empowering women, one portrait at a time. After suffering years of bullying in school and being a victim of a sexual assault, Cindy used photography as a way of gaining inner strength. Her passion behind the lens resonated in the women she photographed, and Cindy realized something; the photos she took empowered women in the same way she felt powerful in taking them.

“I started mostly focusing on women because I grew up being bullied. I had really low self-esteem because of that. I was also raped. So I was really low in my self esteem. I just didn’t love myself.” It would be perfectly understandable to live in a negative space and feel as though there was no escape; but this wasn’t what Cindy did. “I could have let what happened to me destroy my life and instead I worked towards healing myself.” She took her experiences and found a way to grow and help others at the same time. “Today, I use that towards what I do. I try to empower women and let them fall in love with themselves. Let them know that they are beautiful. They are power and they can conquer anything!”

I aim to empower woman, one portrait at a time – Cindy Couture Photographer

The Cold Lake photographer captures the beauty of women, “I just love woman,” laughs Cindy. Specializing in glamour portraits, which takes regular woman and transforms them into models. Cindy recognizes it’s a niche market; but it’s a niche market she dominates. “I’m a portrait, glamour photographer. I focus mostly on fashion photography, so I tend to go more towards something that would go in a magazine,” explains Cindy. It’s quite fascinating how Cindy’s photographs look like the everyday woman – yet a model at the same time. “I take regular woman and make them feel like models.”

“I love women, we are incredible beings. We can go through so much and come out better than ever.” Part of the glamour session is professional hair and makeup, which is pretty much the only “touch up” Cindy does. She prides herself on not overly photo-shopping her clients. Small touch ups, such as removing blemishes or making “your eyes pop” are the only tweeks required. Cindy explains, “I find beauty in imperfections.” Many clients are shocked that the photos are authentically them, it’s really in the wonder of what Cindy does and it allows clients to fall in love with themselves.

Cindy and her make-up artist, Shay Meyers of Lux Studio in Cold Lake, offer a really fun party package. Designed for two to six women, Cindy and Shay invite you to studio, where they host a photo party complete with make-up tutorials and a photoshoot. What’s really fun is there’s no obligation to buy the photos after, just a fun day creating memories and celebrating friendships. Perfect for a pre-graduation hurrah with your girls or bachelorette party. The day can easily roll into the night, as you’ll all look fabulous!

With graduation sneaking up quick, Cindy is offering a grad special. It won’t be your typical stand-still grad photos; your spirit will shine through the pictures as Cindy captures this important milestone. There’s no point in buying the beautiful gown if you’re not gonna rock it!

Unique to this area, Cindy offers video stories of her photography sessions. There’s no real way of explaining these enchanted videos; see Cindy Couture on YouTube for more.

 

Photo series are another talent of Cindy’s; with make-up and costumes in tow, Cindy has created wonderful stories through photos. In the photo below, Cindy was working on a piece about letting go of the past. The photos helped the group let go of the hurt that lingered from past events. The couple in the photo, a brother (underwater) and sister, were holding onto the pain of the death of their cousin. The pictures, taken on the anniversary of their cousin’s death, helped her clients work through the pain and allowed Cindy to work through her own pain. It was truly therapeutic and transformational for all.

You really don’t need a special occasion to treat yourself. Sometimes people, especially woman, have a hard time justifying spending money on themselves. Which is exactly why a glamour session is needed, to remind you that you are special, you are radiant, you are powerful, and you matter. “My favourite is when a client tells me, ‘you can’t make me look beautiful.’ I’m all – Challenge Accepted!”

Cindy Couture Photography is online, cindycouture.com, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Sessions start at only $100. To book call 418.290.7227