Candela

[ kan-dee-luh ]

noun
Optics.
a basic unit of luminous intensity in the International System of Units (SI), formally defined as the luminous intensity of a source that emits monochromatic radiation of frequency 540 × 10 12 hertz and that has a radiant intensity of 1/683 watt/steradian: adopted in 1979 as the international standard of luminous intensity. : Cd

Yes, I’ve never heard the word either, but it’s the working title at the moment.

I’ve been working with my friend Shannonlee for almost ten years. Almost every photo of me on this website was taken by her. The first time we did a shoot was for a MN T-Girls event with a few other gorgeous girls, but over time we have done a LOT together.

We’ve done shoots at the Mall of America and other very public places, in warehouses, on rooftops, in the alleys of Minneapolis, to name a few notable locations. Although Shannonlee was an accomplished photographer before we met, over the years we’ve done a lot of projects that were new to both of us and we learned as we worked.

Out of everything we’ve done, it’s our friendship that I value the most. Working together requires trust and being comfortable with each other. She is not hesitant to tell me a pose isn’t working or if a strand of hair has a mind of it’s own. Photo shoots can create a feeling of power and beauty and confidence, but they can also trigger feelings of insecurity and vulnerability and doubt.

Boudoir photography (which is a very faaaaancy word for lingerie pictures) requires patience and trust. It took years until I was ready to try photos like that. Although Shannonlee was wonderful and patient and made me feel comfortable, the first boudoir shoot was so nerve wracking that I told myself I was never doing this again. But Shannonlee’s pictures were so affirming that I couldn’t resist doing another for very long.

About a year or so ago Shannonlee mentioned she was thinking of publishing a book of her photography, specifically our pictures. We chatted about it for a bit and then we got distracted with other parts of our lives.

But we’ve started discussing it again and it sounds like we’re going to do what we can to publish it next year. I’m really excited, but I’m especially excited for Shannonlee to have a collection of her photography from the last few years. I think it’s fascinating to see a creative person’s work evolve over time and it’ll be lovely to see this in a book. Even if hate me you have to admit her work is lovely, lol.

The specifics are still up in the air. I have no idea who would be remotely interested in publishing this, so we’re likely going the crowdfunding/self publishing route. We’ll start selecting pictures after the holidays and I’m sure we’ll have some commentary on most of the pictures. It’ll be fun to look back on these pictures.

I worked up a cover image not too long ago and although the photo itself is lovely, I wasn’t really happy with it. I think it’s because I did it, lol. I enjoy working on creative projects with other creative people, such as Wishlist, because I like to see what they do.

My friend Annabelle has a NSFW Forced Feminization page and I enjoy looking at her work. She’s very good with photo edits and has done a few pieces with Shannonlee’s pictures. So, I asked if she’d like to take a crack at the cover.

Fortunately she said yes and I was excited to see what she would do. She did not disappoint.

Love these. I love them so much. The first image is my favorite, I like the white font and the picture looks like the cover a very faaaaancy lingerie catalog that sells very faaaaaancy lingerie.

I suppose thinking about a cover is a little premature, but it’s more of a proof of concept thing. It’s fun to see something that you are thinking about and it can inspire you to keep working on it.

I anticipate more information and updates as 2025 progresses, but if anyone has any suggestions for crowdfunding or self-publishing advice or publisher recommendations, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Love, Hannah