Minerva and Allebach Photography go way back (12 years to be exact), to when she was looking for a photographer for a “Trash the Dress” shoot.
“I was married previously back in 2010. After my wedding we had an idea to look into having another photo session that was more ‘us’. I brought to Mike the idea of destroying my dress in the session. Mike was fantastic in not only supporting my idea, which was lighting my dress on fire, but took us to a few different locations, brought props, and captured some great photos,” said Minerva.
Over the years Minerva kept in touch and we photographed her family, which includes her four children, on several occasions. She was just preparing for her fourth session with us (a couple’s boudoir session) when her then husband told her he wanted to file for a divorce.
She decided to go through with the session on her own.
“In the moment, I felt it was part of the healing process to stand out on my own and do the session without him. It was my first step out in front of the camera by myself,” says Minerva.
“Photos of me are scarce, I have always hated the camera as it captured my unhappiness and I never found any self-worth in myself. But as much pain I could see in the eyes of the photos looking at me, I also knew it was the start of seeing myself differently and as my own person.”
It was a crazy time as Minerva watched the world shut down due to Covid, lost her husband, her job and her home. Years of unhappiness were taking a toll on her when she decided to attend a festival with a friend and it’s a good thing she went because that’s when she met Christian.
“A friend of mine took me to a festival where I met an amazing man that quickly became my best friend. During this friendship, we bonded over our likes, dislikes, similar milestones that we both shared throughout our lives. Within a short period of time it was obvious that there was much more between us. Within a year we dated, lived together and got married,” says Minerva.
Minerva and Christian recently came into the studio to capture their love.
“This last shoot was something that I scheduled as a couples shoot because Christian and I married in September of 2021 and as much as I love being in front of the camera, I know I am completely at peace when I am with him. I wanted to capture that and have it to share with others. This shoot with Erika was to memorialize what we have. I feel comfortable with Mike and Erika and I knew in the end we would be fine,” said Minerva.
The couple enjoyed dressing up in a few pieces that gave off vibes of their favorite movie couple Mickey and Mallory Know in Natural Born Killers.
One of her favorite parts of the session was seeing Christian’s response to both her poses and her photos. Though she’s always found herself comfortable in front of the camera, she couldn’t help but blush.
“I loved how much he loved those photos,” she says.
Minerva says she learned a few things from her session with Christian, not the least being that she feels a little friskier now being watched!
“With the help of Christian, I learned how to love myself like I never did before. I grew to love these shoots because they let me be me without judging eyes. I feel that much closer to him and feel an increased sense of confidence with him. If you want to show or see yourself the way your partner sees you, it’s worth it.”
Minerva has also been featured in our Allebach Halloween calendar not once, but twice!
“With Halloween being my favorite holiday of all, this really was the time for me to be me. I am in the calendar twice!”
And last summer she participated in a model call for our new “red room.”
Keep a look out for our model calls, which we have every so often and usually include cool perks like discounts on artwork!To schedule your own boudoir experience, call 610.539.6920 or visit http://allebachphotography.com/contact/