My second body-profile shoot at Flynn Studio in my forties

This is a personal record from the original publication date. Food, exercise, weight, and procedure experiences describe one person’s circumstances, rather than current treatment recommendations or guaranteed outcomes.

When I went to WEO Studio, the lack of a large sign meant I wandered nearby for 20 minutes. I got lost looking for Flynn Studio too. Kakao Map said this was the building, but I could not see a sign.

Looking closely, I finally spotted a small sign.

This was it! The studio was listed as being in the basement, and there it was.

Someone else was having photographs taken and looked beautiful. There was no one at reception, but I was told to go to the fifth floor to begin with hair and makeup. I took the elevator up.

Then my phone suddenly ran out of battery and shut down, so I have no photos from that part. I charged it during the shoot. It had been working normally until just before the session—what a shame.

Fortunately, the hair and makeup artist took a Polaroid and gave it to me. Thank you!

Throughout the shoot they praised my posing. The hair and makeup artist kept coming over to fix my hair and coach my posture, working enthusiastically with the photographer. It was a cheerful atmosphere, and I felt good—almost convinced I really was good at posing.

The photographer coached each movement of my arms and legs and told me where to look, which made posing easier.

I had barely managed strength training and had been unwell, so I could not prepare properly. Rather than emphasizing abs, I focused on the waist, hip line, and Pilates positions. Positional vertigo made me too dizzy to tilt my head for some movements. It was difficult, though gradually improving.

For the second concept, we used Pilates equipment. Surprisingly, difficult-looking movements came out easily. We photographed all three poses in 30 minutes. Is that really me?

I had practiced this movement because it looked beautiful. Being praised for finding the position so well left me surprised and pleased. Backlighting even revealed muscles I thought I did not have.

As planned, I pointed my toes and drew in my chin to avoid a forward-head posture. Which knee you bend changes the emphasis: bending the knee farther from the camera makes the left leg look longer, while bending the nearer knee highlights the hips. I chose to bend my left knee to emphasize my hips.

I had not prepared the next pose, so I copied photographs of other people. They asked several times whether I was a Pilates instructor, which was flattering.

I had practiced a T-shaped position and given up because it was too difficult, but I tried it anyway. Somehow it worked easily on the first attempt. The key was stretching the arms straight and setting the torso at 90 degrees. Everything extended nicely.

When we wondered what to do next, the photographer suggested this pose. I tried it without practice. It was almost like ballet. They asked me to gaze wistfully, so I did. The hand position was a little difficult, but I liked the photograph.

Next came a pose showing the side line. I copied a similar photograph and liked the result. The pink background was very strong, so I asked them to make it paler in retouching. Later I wondered whether beige would have been better.

After we finished, I walked in search of food and ended up near Hongik University.

I went into a place that looked nice and ate gimbap and tteokbokki. I had little appetite and the taste did not impress me. After a body-profile shoot my appetite always disappears. Why does nothing taste good?

I cannot remember how the tteokbokki tasted, and the gimbap seemed tasteless too. Was I simply exhausted?

After getting my hair and makeup done, I was just heading home—what a shame. My selfies looked good, though. I thought about taking an ID photograph, but felt too tired. Instead, I had my broken phone repaired at a Samsung service center and went to a department store.

I shopped at ZARA and went home. I had not been shopping for a while. A short miniskirt looked good when I tried it on, so I bought it, along with a red sweater that made a nice accent.

This shoot finished much faster than my three-concept session at WEO, perhaps because there were only two concepts. Driving to WEO had also been exhausting. Holding so many poses had left my whole body aching for about two weeks. I had my child with me and lots of bags too.

This time, buses and taxis made getting around easier, and I had less luggage. Perhaps because it was my second body-profile shoot and the poses were more familiar, I had no body aches afterward.

My body was not fully prepared; I had only maintained my weight at 49kg. I went in almost resigned to trusting the professionals to make me look good. Flynn Studio did a very professional job, and I was happy.

The makeup artist said many people regain weight within three months of a shoot. That is why I booked my second one three months after the first. Keeping that goal in mind, I stayed around 49kg–51kg. For now, I am pleased I avoided regain.

I had wanted to build more back muscle for a stronger look, but moving, home renovations, a very busy job, and positional vertigo affected my health and condition. I came to think that dieting works better when I have some mental space and enough rest.

To my surprise, even though I had trained my abs only once or twice, they had not disappeared over three months.

Flynn's distinguishing feature is its Pilates equipment. My personal recommendation for a shoot there would be to try Pilates poses: the muscles photograph beautifully.

Now I want to eat something delicious, rest, receive treatment for the vertigo, and take a break.