Being a mom is one of the most important parts of her life.

Nisha is a sports mom through and through. Her kids play football, her family is her world, and she is the person showing up, cheering them on and giving so much of herself to the people she loves.

And I think that's exactly why I loved this photo shoot so much. Because for one day, it wasn't about anyone else.

It was about her.

She got to come into the studio, have her hair and makeup done, play dress-up, feel sexy, feel glamorous and have everyone else take care of her for a change.

And I really think moms need days like that.

You Don't Stop Being You When You Become a Mom

I don't think celebrating yourself means you need a break from being a mother or that you somehow need to "find yourself again." For some women, motherhood genuinely is one of the biggest and most important parts of who they are. She is absolutely one of those women.

But she's also still a woman.

She can be completely devoted to her family and still want to put on lingerie. She can spend her weekends at football games and still want to wear an incredible crystal dress. She can be Mom 364 days of the year and decide that today, everyone else can wait.

Those things can exist together.

And We Had Some Fun With It

Once Nisha was in the studio, we really got to play.

That incredible pink hair gave us so much to work with. We went soft and romantic with blush tulle and flowers, then completely changed the mood with blue lingerie, bright pink, crystals and a little bathtub moment.

I love that the photographs don't show just one version of her. They're soft, sexy, colourful, glamorous and playful, because that's much more interesting than trying to put a woman into one little box.

The whole day felt like a celebration of Nisha, not just how beautiful she is, but who she is outside of everything she does for everybody else.

There's Something Important About Letting Your Kids See That Too

I think we spend a lot of time showing our kids how important they are.

We celebrate them. We photograph them. We show up for them. We make sure they know we're proud of them.

There's something really lovely about letting them see that Mom has value too. That taking care of yourself and celebrating yourself doesn't mean you love your family any less. That you can give enormously to the people you love without disappearing inside of that role.

Maybe it's actually a pretty wonderful thing for your kids to grow up seeing.

Their mom was always their biggest cheerleader. But every once in a while, she knew how to cheer for herself too.

This Is Who I Want to Photograph

I want the women on my website to look like the women who actually walk through my studio doors.

Different ages, different bodies, different skin tones, different families, different personalities and completely different ideas of what makes them feel beautiful.

There isn't one type of woman who belongs in front of my camera.

And there definitely isn't a point in your life when you suddenly stop deserving beautiful photographs of yourself.

Sometimes the reason for booking a photo shoot is a milestone. Sometimes it's a birthday. Sometimes you've been thinking about doing it for years.

And sometimes you've spent so much time taking care of everybody else that you decide: Okay, today I get to spoil me.

And I think that's reason enough.