THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID.
There is truly NO greater honor in the world than the authentic words of praise shared by our clients. Read the stories below, to discover what these amazing women have had to say about their transformative experiences and their ART. You can also read more on our blog.
MRS E. | NJ
I am a mom of a 3 year old Boy and a stepmom to 3 more boys! I wanted to do this for me as a woman! So much time is spent being a mom, or in my case, also as a teacher. I wanted this time to just be a Beautiful WOMAN. I was worried just looking at everyone else that the pictures wouldn’t come out beautiful because of my body type or flaws that I see in the mirror! I wanted to do a shoot as a wedding gift for my future husband. We spent a long time looking for a photographer we were both comfortable with. I found Cate and she was local —which made life even better.I followed her blogs her groups for probably 6 to 9 months before I booked my session.
I booked with the Black Friday sale, and was thrilled that I got the email to pick my date which I decided on a beginning of February shoot so that the pictures would be ready for my husband to see it as a Valentines gift. I must’ve picked seven or eight outfits I narrowed it down to a thing for that I actually brought with me on that faithful gloomy February day where we had awesome winter light. I was so scared in the parking lot and then I walked into the studio and it all melted away and then Cate came in; hair and make up was done; got dressed and we shot .
IT was the most amazing day ever. After my boudoir session I couldn’t wait to share with people what I had done. I hadn’t really told many people that I was doing it before but after it was over all I wanted to do was tell people about it . It was just an amazing feeling that I couldn’t wait to share with everyone else. I left the studio and had to go pick up my three-year-old from daycare so you can only imagine what my hair and make up reactions were at Daycare so I had to explain to all of my sons teachers what I had just done and they couldn’t wait to see the pictures either!
MRS. K | NJ
I have always been the smart one. The responsible one. The ambitious one. The funny one. But never, EVER the pretty one or the hot one or the "wow, who is SHE?" one. I have struggled with my body image for nearly all of my life and I scheduled a boudoir session with Cate as a motivating goal to encourage me to lose those extra 20 lbs. Well, I didn't lose the weight. And I went to the session anyway. And it was the most empowering, liberating, self-loving action I have ever taken. Because you know what? I AM beautiful. I AM hot. And the butt that I have hated for 38 years is actually pretty damn awesome. I confess that my body image struggles haven't vanished, and yes, I still want to lose that 20 lbs, but I find myself regularly returning to the images from that day last summer (both in the gorgeous album Cate created and in the digital album I keep on phone) to remind myself that I truly am captivating. What I have found equally as inspiring is following Cate on Facebook and getting glimpses of many of her other clients. You know what? ALL women are beautiful and absolutely perfect exactly as they are.I was enchanted by the images she shared in her feed. I never researched another artist and haven't regretted my choice once. I will return to Cate again and again, not only because the images are beautiful, but also because the session itself was such a gift. My hair and makeup were done by a warm, talented artist, I sipped champagne and I have never received as much encouragement, validation and frankly, adoration, as I did that rainy August afternoon in Red Bank in a former church.
MS. S | NJ
Well, this session was a gift from a VERY special person in my life. He has seen me go through a difficult divorce after being married for 29yrs, the loss of my youngest daughter ( she was special needs and totally dependent on others; caring for her for 27years and being diagnosed with Dermatomyositis 5 years ago ( this is a rare progressive autoimmune disease with no cure but Is treatable with weekly injections of a chemotherapy drug).
I am lucky to have been diagnosed early in the disease process. Celebrating being a grandmother to 3 beautiful beings that my amazing oldest daughter blessed me with. ****ALL this over the last 5 years!!!!! When I turned 49 I set in place a mindset of making a goal for every year in my 50’s. At 50 I jumped out of a plane 51 did my 1st half marathon 52 traveled abroad 53 YOU!!!! Can’t wait to see what’s next?
This was Definitely a super boost to an already positive attitude that I possess despite life’s challenges. I am grateful for this experience,one I will NEVER forget. Freeing and made me appreciate that I’m a woman even more! I did not choose Cate , but I am so happy my gift-giver did. Cate, you are so talented, genuine and lots of fun. You made me feel at ease right from the start. What would I change? NOTHING..embraced the whole day and even celebrated with dinner and a celebratory cocktail afterwards.
MS. G | NJ
Working in public safety, I am a uniformed public servant unable to express my femininity on a daily basis. I love the work that I do, but it is easy to lose sight of the soft, sexy side hidden deep within. I thought this would be an interesting journey to embark on. This shoot became a goal of mine: a goal to workout, a goal to eat better, a goal to treat myself to beautiful lingerie and a goal to embrace body positivity. I booked 3 months in advance and I was able to accomplish all of those things. Mental, physical, and emotional preparation towards a more evolved version of myself were set into play. The whole process with Cate before the shoot was professional, easy and transparent. I didn’t realize how transformative this experience and process would be and I will be forever grateful. It was so Empowering. Although I’ve maintained a confident demeanor in other aspects of my life, I was incredibly nervous about doing my own boudoir shoot. I’m a bit awkward, blunt, and by no means graceful. “How am I going to pose without looking like the jolly green giant? I can’t even walk in heels.”, I thought to myself. Leaving Cate’s studio, I felt sexy and immediately more comfortable and confident in the areas in which I thought I was lacking. I WAS the poised, feminine and graceful being I didn’t think I was capable of. Her direction and explanation of natural movement made perfect sense and was easy to follow. “Posing 101” will help me for every picture I am ever in again lol! I’ve been following Cate’s work on social media for years now. Her use of natural light and elegant, neutral sets are some of the aspects I love about her work. Prior to seeing Cate’s work I wasn’t too familiar with boudoir photography, and after much research, it is clear her work does not compare to anyone. Class and elegance radiate through her images. I found some other photographers to be “fetishy” and cheap looking. If I wasn’t to work with Cate, I don’t think I would be interested in doing a shoot at all. I think “Life as Fine Art” is such a perfect description of the experience and masterpieces she produces.
MRS. A | NC
I did the session as a wedding present for my husband. He has taught me to see myself in ways I didn't think were possible and I wanted to give him a gift that reflected the beautiful woman he sees in me. My boudoir experience has made me more confident in myself and changed the way I saw myself. When I saw the photos from the shoot I was in awe of how strong and beautiful I looked. When I read Cate's blog and saw the beautiful work she does I knew she was the photographer for me. She made me feel relaxed and free which is very hard for my uptight self to do. She was amazing and I would love to shoot with her again.Anything I would have done differently? Nope, not a thing!
MRS. T | FL
My session with Cate was amazing.I am not someone who wears lingerie so she knew just what to do. As I live in my bathing suit ( also an underwater photographer) she knew the perfect look would be that with sweats. The first one I saw made me feel incredible. I never had the idea that I look could be so incredibly sexy. I keep the mobile album app on my phone and whenever I am feeling overworked or just plain "blah" I check out the images and feel renewed in my confidence. How could you not choose Cate as your photographer? She is fun, easy going and truly understands your fears. Is there anything you would have done differently? Only Brought more and shot more!!!
MS. A | NJ
After years of having gained a lot of weight (20-30 pounds), I decided after the birth of my first child that I would get back in shape. That was 11 years ago. I started running with other moms in the neighborhood, eventually joined the Renaissance (Pilates) Studio. One day while storing my things I noticed the Life as Fine Art sample album and fell in love with the poses. Some of the women were skinny, some were athletic, and some very curvy, but they were all beautiful and glamorous. It made me think "Why not stop criticizing yourself for the things you haven't accomplished and instead, focus on the gains you have made". I booked a session a few months out thinking it would motivate me to work out more or harder, but life had a different plan and my personal & professional life became extremely complicated, leaving me no extra time to devote to preparing for the shoot beyond what I was already doing. In the end, I went in to the session as I generally usually look and let Toni, Cate, a great studio and terrific lighting do their thing. So many women don't see themselves as beautiful or sexy, and Cate helps you see yourself in that lens by capturing you through hers. I hope all women get a chance to see that side of themselves because it is refreshing to take a moment to celebrate something you probably have criticized every day. It was also great to have permission to be sexy and provocative without the ramifications of unwanted male attention or judgment. On most days, I leave the house with no makeup and my hair tied up and go do my job, and so this boudoir session was a complete departure for me. What made her different than other possible choices?I loved her photo album and her website pictures. Little did I know she was super fun, and made the shoot very comfortable. I don't know that I would have felt as comfortable with just anyone, and Cate made it relaxing from the moment I got there. She was very reassuring, and gave great feedback about poses and angles. I loved the positive reinforcement she gave throughout because at times, you can get struck by a feeling of "oh how silly I must seem posing here with an attempted sultry look on my face"...NOPE!
MRS. R | NJ
I was initially intrigued by the idea of a boudoir shoot because I thought that it would make for a truly amazing gift for my then-fiance (now husband). However, it took me a few months to really commit to the process. I struggled to find, within myself, the confidence to do something so far out of my comfort zone. I have always felt very insecure about exposing my body, even to my own fiancee and in previous relationships, because I have always felt uncomfortable in my own skin and did not believe I had ANY sex appeal (or any appeal at all, for that matter). After months of back-and-forth, second-guessing, and delaying my commitment to the shoot, I came to the realization that not only would this be the gift of a lifetime for my future husband — but it was even more of a gift to myself. I thought, if i can do something like this - something NO ONE would expect me to do, knowing how self-conscious I have always been. Then maybe, JUST maybe, this will be the start of a new journey toward acceptance of my body and myself, as a whole. I started to see that this session as a gift of love, not only to HIM, but to myself. And once I saw the finished product, I was in awe - I could not believe I was seeing myself in these incredibly beautiful images. I cannot thank Cate enough for this life-changing experience and I seriously had
SO. MUCH. FUN! This experience changed so much within me and was essentially an instant boost of confidence. I was able to see and embrace my beauty and sensuality, both while modeling for the shoot and viewing my photos weeks later, without being hyper-critical of myself. This boudoir experience has helped me to discover and connect with different aspects of myself, feel more comfortable in my own skin and realize that I am able to push past my fears. I can do something that scares me! It is hard to out into words how much Cate and the photo shoot changed me, but it truly did, and it is the gift that keeps on giving!