Leonie Cappello | Creating Intimacy & Self Acceptance Through Photography | FloInsider Ep #13

Hey guys!
We are going international, or rather, multi-lingual!

This is the first non-English episode of FloInsider!
If you speak German, this episode will make you very happy. If you don’t – no worries! We’ve prepared an overview and translated the main ideas of the discussion, so you don’t miss a thing! Find them here.

Wir präsentieren euch heute die allererste deutsche Folge von FloInsider: mit der wunderbaren Leonie Cappello, Fotografin und Webdesignerin. 

Hast du dich schon mal gefragt wie du authentischere Bilder erschaffen kannst? Was braucht es um eine echte Verbindung herzustellen , die man auch in Bildern sehen kann? Und warum ist diese ganze Gerede um Authentizität so wichtig?

leonine-cappello-couple-photographer

Authentische Fotografie, authentische Marke – was bedeutet das? Leonie erzählt uns davon wie sie das in ihrem Business umsetzt:
in ihren mittlerweile bekannten und beliebten ‘Steam sessions’ geht es , wie der Name schon sagt, heiss her:
Leonie porträtiert Paare ganz intim, beim Kuscheln, Küssen und völlig hüllenlos. Was für viele ins Schlafzimmer gehört, möchte Leonie normalisieren und so echt wie möglich darstellen. 

leonie-cappello-couple-photographer

Wir sprechen auch darüber, wie diese Art der Fotografie das eigene Selbstbild beeinflusst und dabei hilft, sich selbst mehr und mehr zu akzeptieren wie man ist. 

Ausserdem erzählt uns Leonie Schritt für Schritt wie sie so eine Session gestaltet und warum diese nicht unangenehm für sie werden. 

Hört rein, diese Unterhaltung ist voller Schätze, Tips und ganz viel Herz.

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Highlights aus der Folge mit Leonie Cappello:

  • Authentizität kommt aus Wachstum heraus – es ist keine Marketingstrategie die du einfach mal so lernen und anwenden kannst. Wenn es aus deinem eigenen Lernen und deiner Reise hervorspringt, dann ist es echt.
  • Wir warten so oft im Leben auf den richtigen Moment : wenn wir das perfekte Gewicht erreicht haben, dann werden wir uns fotografieren lassen. Wenn wir wieder in das Kleidungsstück passen, dann werden wir dies und das machen. Das Leben passiert aber im hier und jetzt. Und wir verschwenden kostbare Zeit in der wir so viel leben und erleben könnten, mit Warten. 
  • Während einer Steam session geht es nicht um dich, dem Fotografen. Das ist natürlich bei jeder Fotosession der Fall – aber besonders hier ist Feingefühl gefragt: wie geht es dem Paar? Fühlen sie sich wohl und haben sie Spass? Hier ist es wichtig, achtsam zu sein und ganz anwesend zu bleiben.
  • Bei den Steam sessions kann es schonmal heiss hergehen – aber denke daran: das Ziel hierbei ist es nicht, Sex zu fotografieren. Das Ziel ist es, Intimität festzuhalten und Verbundenheit darzustellen. 

Hier kannst du mehr über Leonie herausfinden: leoniecappello.com und ihr natürlich hier folgen: instagram.com/leoniecappello

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

We are bringing to you the first ever German episode of Floinsider! Today, our wonderful guest is Leonie Cappello, a photographer and web designer based in – you guessed it right – Germany! 

Have you ever wondered how to bring more emotion and authenticity into your couple photoshoots? What does it take to create that special connection that allows them to loosen up and be themselves in front of your camera? How to portray that connection so the person who’s viewing the images sees and feels it too?

Leonie Cappello is known and popular for her “steam sessions”. She portraits her couples in a very intimate and personal way – close up, naked, cuddling, kissing, and being their most natural selves. She wants to normalise the aspects that for so many people belong behind closed doors, and show love in its real, raw form. 

Leonie also highlights how being photographed without clothes on can change your self-image. And that’s not just a sales pitch to book more clients for a steam session. Before starting to offer these photoshoots, Leonie put herself in front of someone else’s lens, completely naked, and it had a huge influence on the way she sees herself and others now. 

This kind of photography can increase your self-acceptance and help you love yourself more, just the way you are. Leonie also shares some insights and tips on how to plan and carry out a steam session – from choosing the location and music that sets the mood, to how she moves during the session, and how to feel completely at ease with photographing clients without clothes on.

This conversation is full of tips, gold nuggets and heart.

Here are a few highlights from our conversation with Leonie:

  • Authenticity comes from growth: it is not a marketing strategy that you can simply learn and apply. When authenticity comes from your own journey and learning experience, that’s when it’s real and organic. 
  • We often wait for the perfect moment to do something – “I’ll do a photoshoot, when I reach a certain shape or weight”, “I’ll plan a romantic date, or go on vacation when I’ll look a certain way, have a 6 pack, fit into that dress, or xyz”. But life happens here and now. We are wasting precious time and missing out on so many opportunities if we spend it waiting. 
  • During a steam session it’s important to remember that it’s not about you, as the photographer, getting THE shot. Of course, this should be the case with any other photoshoot, but this is especially important for something as delicate as a steam or boudoir session. You need to be tactful and perceptive to the way your clients feel at that given time. Are they comfortable? Are they tired of kissing? Are they having fun? Do they feel lost about what to do next or are they too self-aware? It’s crucial to be very present and perceptive of how your couple is feeling as you’ll also need to spot when the session is over. It will normally be a natural ending, where you just feel “ok that’s enough”.
  • Give your clients a lot of information before the session happens – where are you shooting, what to expect. It helps them feel at ease if they know whats happening.
  • Have a playlist! Bring your own, or ask your couple if they have a favorite one they’d want to play
  • This is very individual to every photographer, but Leonie is very quiet during the shoot. The music is playing and she moves around the room softly. She doesn’t ask her clients to move away, or change anything, instead she searches for the right angles herself. This allows to preserve the romantic flow, and keep the confidence level of the more timid clients, at a high level. 
  • It’s also important to note that it can get indeed ‘steamy’ during a steam session. But remember – the goal is to capture intimacy and show a true connection, instead of simply capturing the physical act of love. 

Listen to the full episode as it’s full of wonderful insights and ideas. Here’s where you can find out more about Leonie’s work: leoniecappello.com and of course don’t miss out on following her via the gram: instagram.com/leoniecappello

Our lovely host was Nadia Meli. You can connect with her here: nadiameli.com and via Instagram: www.instagram.com/nadiameli

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