Hellooo my lovelies,
Hope you’re having a wonderful week so far. Just thought I’d let you know about the latest THE AUDACIOUS BABE PODCAST episode that just hit the virtual shelves of your podcast app of choice.
This is a very personal episode for me as it deals with body positivity. I’ve had the absolute honour of interviewing this one hell of an audacious babe – Amy-Rose Deffley from Amy-Rose Photography and The Darkroom Birmingham. We mostly chat about her The Darkroom business which fits right into the topic of body positivity.
The Darkroom was originally created by Amy-Rose out of a personal project as she herself has been going through a journey of self-discovery with her own body. This project eventually became more about others as she wanted to create a way for other women to feel beautiful in their bodies (regardless of where they think they are) and go on their own journey with her to empower them and create a beautiful safe space for self-expression and body confidence.
The reason why this episode is so personal to me, is that I dared myself to go on that journey along with Amy-Rose and actually stepped in front of her camera… naked! Eeek!
I have to be honest it wasn’t easy. I have always struggled all my life with my body image. Even to the point that I wouldn’t go out swimming with my friends as I didn’t want to be seen in a bikini or bathing suit. Obviously over the years this has somewhat changed but essentially the negativity towards my own body has stayed and has even grown the more weight I’ve put on. Last year I’ve lost quite a bit of weight, but have put some of it back on in the last 6 months.
So I did NOT feel ready. I had tons of excuses ready to go and beat myself up with in my head… And even up until the very morning of the shoot, I wasn’t quite sure whether I’ll do it or not. BUT I challenged myself and I just knew if I don’t do it, I’ll regret it more than doing it.
And let me just tell you, it was AMAZING!!!!! Amy-Rose is incredible and sooo talented. It’s been easily one of the most amazing experience of my life – exhilaratingly and terrifyingly so. In equal measures.
So, in this episode of the Audacious Babe Podcast, Amy-Rose and I are chatting all about this experience and about body positivity in general as well as all the things that I have realised as a direct result from the shoot. Amy-Rose also shares her wonderful backstory and her own personal journey.
Listen to the full episode to hear all about Amy-Rose’s The Darkroom Birmingham and the experience we went through.
Below you will find some examples of Amy-Rose’s amazing and beautiful work. Including some of my images!!! Eeek! 😉
With love,
Magdalena x
Name: Amy-Rose Deffley
Business Name: Amy-Rose Photography & The Darkroom Birmingham
Website: www.amy-rose.co.uk
Facebook Page: @AmyRoseDeffleyPhotography
Instagram: @amyrosedeffley and @the_darkroom_birmingham
Short Bio:
My love for photography stems from my love of people. I have always been a keen observer of folk, fascinated by how we connect and form relationships with each other. I love that we are all different and I love that every job I do is therefore different.
Based in Birmingham, I have the joy of being able to comfortably work up and down the country and overseas. I get a real kick out of chasing ‘the moment’ and aim to photograph not only how things look, but also how they feel. Capturing emotion is a high priority for me and I realise how privileged I am to be part of someones wedding day or family photo shoot. I photograph in a relaxed, documentary style and I like to get close, which is why it helps for us to get to know each other before hand.
I have been shooting weddings for about 5 years now and have recently developed a new strand to my business called The Darkroom. The Darkroom is all about photographing real beauty. It is an active middle finger to todays attitude towards body ‘perfection’, one that we’re constantly made aware of. My goal is to make my clients feel strong and beautiful, shooting in a way that focuses on the parts of you that you are most proud of. The idea behind these shoots is to celebrate your body and everything it does for you in its own unique way.
Currently single and possibly in the market for a dog 🙂
3-5 fun facts about yourself:
- I’m passionate about strength training and Powerlifting in particular. I’m due to compete in my second ever competition in April this year. The first one I competed with a torn hamstring but was too excited to pull out.
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I’m the most organised person but with the worst memory, this is possibly why I obsessively document everything.
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My left eye doesn’t look to the left- it’s a rare condition called Dwayne’s syndrome (oh the glamour!) however I’ve grown to love this imperfection and it doesn’t really have any impact on my life, just a quirk that the eye doctors found endlessly interesting.
- My spelling and grammar is appalling despite going to a grammar school.
