The work of boudoir is a place of healing and finding our selves again. I had the pleasure of meeting, Lisa - a beautiful, creative soul while on this journey. Our friendship of healing now turned into co-creators has blossomed into trust and growth. Let’s see what she has to say!
“I met reiki practitioner and boudoir photographer Dany Srey-Snow in 2019 when she first moved to Southern California at one of my favorite cafes in downtown Long Beach, a city just 30 minutes shy of Los Angeles.
Upon the first meeting, I was surprised at how comfortable and at-ease I was with Dany. She has this natural way of welcoming you in, leading with a genuine smile, embrace, and invitation. Not to mention, we also discovered we come from the same Cambodian heritage so instantly, I felt like I knew her. Each time following our first meet, she became more and more like a true sister to me.
She entered my life during a time where I felt things were unraveling, a healing journey not yet unfolded, with a head full of questions about my inner space. I was a person that seemingly appeared ‘put-together’ on the outside with awesome things to talk about on paper, but I very much struggled to speak my authentic truth and express it in a way that made me feel true and confident. I was searching for truth.
Meeting Dany wasn’t just a coincidence, it was true fate. Healing of past traumas is never easy for anyone who hasn’t started, much less one being of childhood sexual trauma. It was a secret I kept inside myself for years, scared shitless for anyone to find out and judge me.
Yet, it was Dany who made me comfortable enough to speak it out loud, sat with me on a beach during sunset, and encouraged me to let anyone in my family know. She offered me a supportive ear and hand to hold, knowing fully the fears of what that was like. Although I refused on-spot off fear, I found myself later gathering the courage to share this long-kept secret with a family member, kickstarting my healing & spiritual journey.
I had my first shoot with Dany at a beachside clearing in Naples about a year later. Before the shoot, she led me through a grounding meditation to be one with the Earth. With all the elements around us - fire from the sun, water from the ocean, earth from the hot sand, and the fast moving air from the winds, I immediately felt grounded and safe before our hour-long session.
She didn’t pressure me to wear anything that I wasn’t comfortable in or that didn’t reflect who I was and always made sure to ask with every take how I was feeling, if I was comfortable, and whether it was okay to try something that would allow me to move fluidly, naturally, and free. After a few shots, we closed off our session with a quick bite to eat at Vibes Cafe.
I received the final images a week later. I was emotionally stunted with how she was able to capture this sense of peace + freedom within my mind and body with every shot. Everytime I look at the pictures today, I find myself reminded of how far I’ve come on my healing journey.
I highly recommend Dany for all boudoir photography and intuitive healing offerings. Her innate ability to connect with womyn on a humyn level provides gentle ease, patience, and space to birth (or rebirth) and nurture new identities, pathways, and personal experiences. “ - Lisa Khiev
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