For years I have been trying to get great pictures of myself as Amanda. Although, the results have not been altogether bad, last summer I resolved that professional help was needed. After searching the phone book and the web I finally decided upon a place called Glamour Shots. I must say here that probably foremost of my inspirations was my friend Tiffany Michelle's website. (link here). If you visit her site not only will you see great pictures, but also an excellent description of her own Glamour Shots adventure.
Having decided what studio I wanted to use, I set out to plan my journey. In my travels on the web I had discovered the Glamour Shots home page. This site has some excellent information on the services they provide and a very handy locator section that you can use to find the location nearest you.
Once I had determined the location nearest me, I began my very lengthy period of procrastination accompanied by a large bout of paranoia before I finally got up the nerve to call. The phone rang a couple of times and a cheery female voice came on the other end. "Glamour Shots, Cindy speaking. How may I help you?" I am sure my voice was quavering as I managed to ask if they were willing to work with transgendered individuals. I waited for the answer for what seemed an eternity and was probably really only 1 or 2 seconds. "Sure, no problem! We've had a couple of ladies in here before." Whew!!! Relief flooded my being.
We continued the conversation and she explained that they usually ask clients to come in about 15 minutes before their appointment to fill out some forms and go through some preliminaries. She asked that I wear a 2 piece outfit as they would be asking me to remove the top to try on the various outfits they have in the shop. She asked that I arrive with little or no makeup and said that they would do my makeup and hair for me. I asked if it was OK for me to arrive "en femme" and again the reply was "absolutely no problem."
We agreed on an appointment approximately 1 month from then. It was to be on a Thursday at 1:00 in the afternoon. I was incorporating plans for this visit with my overall plan for attending the "Paradise in the Poconos" outing. I asked for directions that she and the other members of the staff cheerfully provided to me. Now all that was left was to wait.
The time passed quickly. I was busy with work and family and the seemingly endless preparations for attending the Poconos outing. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for having taken this step. In my euphoric state I also decided that if I was going to have pictures taken and then spend the weekend dressed, I needed to have a great set of nails too. So I called my local salon, where I sometimes get my wigs done and made an appointment with the nail stylist for the morning of my Glamour Shots session.
The day finally arrived. After getting my family off to work and school I proceeded to get myself ready to face the world as Amanda. I chose to wear a lovely purple silk blouse, black jeans and black low heeled shoes. My nail appointment was at 10:30 a.m. , so I headed out the door around 10:00.
I arrived at the nail salon right on time and was ushered back to the manicurist. She complimented me on my look and asked if I had ever been there before. I explained to her that I had visited there several times to have my hair done and purchase wigs, but that this was the first time I had ever had my nails done. She was very understanding and did wonders to calm my nerves. She applied tips for me and painted my nails in a lovely dark brown shade that I had selected. All the while we chatted about friends and family. The other women in the salon were very friendly and chatty as well. I should say here that I realize just how fortunate I am to have such an accepting place to go for these services. My stay at the nail salon lasted about 1 1/2 hours. From there I hopped in the car, being extremely careful not to damage the 10 new treasures at the tips of my fingers.
The trip to the indoor shopping mall where Glamour Shots is located is about 70 miles so I had just enough time to make it. The directions they had given me were great, but I still felt the need to call them from my cellular phone to confirm my location. I was definitely nervous and did not want to add being lost to the mix. I arrived at the mall and parked my car outside the entrance nearest to Glamour Shots. I fixed my face a bit, got out of my car and walked with all the confidence I could muster into the mall. There were no shouts of terror or dismay, I was passing!
I walked through a small portion of the mall to the intersection where Glamour Shots was located and entered. I had made the appointment under my male name so I gave that to the woman at the counter. She was expecting me, especially since I had been calling from my cell phone on the way there. She handed me a questionnaire and a couple of three ring binders with pictures in them and asked me to have a seat. I was asked to fill out the questionnaire and take a look through the photos in the binders to get an idea of the type of look I wanted for my shoot. The questionnaire contained general information on how I heard about them, had I ever been there before, and the like. It also asked me to select 4 outfits for my shoot.
I filled out the questionnaire and glanced through the photos. For the most part I just tried to contain the waves of paranoia going through me as I sat there in my little chair. I turned in my questionnaire and while my stylist/photographer Penny reviewed it I was asked to step into a changing booth, remove my blouse and put on one of the tube tops that they provide for you. They do this so that your own top will not get any makeup on it and so that you can easily change into the various tops you will be wearing in the shoot.
Once I was done changing, Penny came over to begin working with me. Her first remark to me was a question, "have you already done your makeup?" I admitted that I had since I was not about to go to the nail salon earlier without my face on. She laughed and said "How can we have any fun if I don't get to help you with your makeup? Go to our little sink in the back and take all that off." She asked me if I would prefer to be addressed as Amanda and when I said yes, promised to do so from then on. After removing my makeup we went through all the costumes they had in the shop (dozens) and made my selections for the four outfits that I would be wearing.
Our next stop was the makeup counter. She sat me down in a chair in front of a huge mirror. We discussed just how glamorous I wanted to be for a few minutes and then she set to work. She selected the shades she was going to use and began transforming my drab face into the lovely image you see in the photos. She applied foundation, eyeshadow and liner, lipliner and lipstick, blush and contouring shades. She was expert and worked very quickly. After doing my makeup she moved on to my hair. The wig I wore to the shoot is my favorite and I don't think it has ever looked better. We chatted about friends and family while she worked. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing experience.
After makeup and hair it was finally time for the photo shoot. We went into a small room at the back of the shop where the camera and backdrops were set up. As glamorous as the outfits look in the photos, what really happens is that you drop the tube top down around your waste and then wrap the new glamour outfit around your shoulders. They have lots of jewelry accessories that you can mix and match with each outfit. We had a great time picking out earrings and getting ready for each shot. They take four shots of each outfit, sixteen photos in all. I learned that day that being a model is extremely hard work. The process of getting into the desired pose makes you feel more like a contortionist than a super model. Penny made me feel at ease throughout the whole process either by cracking jokes or by telling me how well she thought the shots were coming out. The whole photo shoot lasted about 20 or 30 minutes.
After the shoot, you are given time to change back into your own top and get yourself back together. Once your all back in one piece you are escorted to a computer terminal where you are able to review the results of everyone's work. The picture were displayed for me on a screen and Penny went over the various packages of photos I could choose from. You are then asked to select the pictures you would like reproductions of. They have a wide variety of combinations available, but you should expect to spend a little money here. I ended up taking "The Manager's Special" which cost me about $200. This included the makeover, photo shoot and eight sheets of photos. You could get by for less or spend a great deal more. It takes about one week to get your photos back. You can either arrange to pick them up at the store, or for a small fee they will mail them to you.
I must say that this was an absolutely fabulous experience for me. I have never felt more beautiful or better about myself. I think the photos turned out great and I am sure that I will be back there for another shoot in the future. I highly recommend this experience to everyone. It is truly a fantasy come true.
If you would like to see the pictures from my Glamour Shots photo session just click here.