Meet Janel Matthias of Soulful Images Photography and Yoga Services in Fort Collins and Front Range

Today we’d like to introduce you to Janel Matthias.

Janel, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
First of all, I want to say I was born in Longmont, Colorado, so I’m a proud native! Growing up, my father was the family photographer, always taking photos of our travels and family experiences, so I have my whole childhood documented in photographs. We often had slide shows for family nights. I definitely got the photography bug from him! When I was a young adult, he handed me down his Canon film camera with all of his lenses, and I started documenting my life in photos from then on.

I went to college at Colorado State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies. My internship was with preschool-aged special needs children; I loved it. After college, I got married and started a family. Around 1999, after I had my first son, Mason, I began doing photo shoots with him to capture his milestone months. From there, I started asking my friends who were expecting if I could photograph them and their beautiful bellies. This was around the time when Demi Moore was on the cover of Vanity Fair nude and pregnant. I was totally inspired and wanted to capture this precious and amazing time for my friends and future clients.

I officially started my photography business, Soulful Images Photography, in 2001. It wasn’t full time, mostly weekends when my former husband was home. My focus was primarily maternity, family, and baby photos. At the time, I shot with a black and white film. I loved the simplicity and timelessness of black and white photos!

As my business grew, so did my photography interests. I started having previous clients wanting some “sensual“ pictures done after they bounced back from having their babies. I began doing shoots with these ladies, and I was like, “This is my jam!” These days, I and other photographers call it “boudoir,” and it’s taken the world by storm! I love how empowering a boudoir shoot can be. I totally encourage women to embrace their curves and bodies as they are and have a shoot done for themselves–not just their partner. For instance, I recently had a client that I photographed through all three trimesters of her pregnancy with a boudoir vibe. There is nothing like an expectant mother loving her curves and feeling sexy during that special time.

Through the years, and as my children and my friend’s kids grew up, I started shooting high school seniors. That time in a teen’s life is so exciting and special. Their personalities and character have developed and come to fruition, and they are ready to head into a new chapter in life. The cheesy and silly part of my personality loves these shoots! I also have a yoga business, but that story and how it came to fruition, is in the next question.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In 2004, three weeks after I had my second son, Myles, I was diagnosed with Papillary thyroid cancer. I took a lot of time off from photography to deal with my surgeries (four in all) and radiation treatment. Soon after, my husband at the time had just gotten into the University of Wyoming Law school, so I was essentially a single mom, raising two children, and running a household, while he commuted and studied for three years straight. My friends, family, spiritual beliefs, and yoga practice, which I started in high school, kept me sane throughout this stressful time, and they would again be my refuge, as many other hardships loomed in my future.

In 2012, I started a new job as a special needs paraprofessional in the Poudre School District. It was a great job for a mom, since I was on the kid’s schedule, and could still do photography on the weekends. It was here I met some amazing friends, which would help me through the trials and tribulations life threw my way.

After years of stress from dealing with cancer, law school, and tight finances, my marriage began to crumble. My female intuition also knew something was going on with my husband and his female co-worker, and after finding evidence that confirmed my suspicions, I filed for divorce. I handed over the legal separation papers on February 22, 2013. Two years later, on the same date, I would face the most traumatic day of my life.

On February 22, 2015, my oldest son, Mason, went to a friend’s house to drive in a side-by-side UTV. I wanted him to stay home and practice driving since he was getting his driver’s permit. He begged me to let him go, so I caved and told him to be careful. I dropped him off at the indoor skatepark, LAUNCH, where his friend’s parents would pick him up and bring them to their house.

It was a cold day, and there had been some ice patches on the gravel road near their home. His friend was driving and hit an icy patch, flipping the UTV, and Mason was thrown out. He broke his neck and died instantly. It is still unclear if the seat belt malfunctioned, or if he wasn’t wearing it at all.

The things that got me through this horrific time, were my friends and family, yoga, and my future second husband.

I was determined not to let my traumatic life experiences take me down. I still had my amazing youngest son, Myles, to be strong for. I wanted to make my angel son, Mason, proud and took steps to improve my life. I sensed him around me daily and knew he was with me through this life, more than ever.

There is a term, “Post Traumatic Growth or PTG,” that I later read about in Oprah Magazine, which describes my life’s journey since Mason passed. The American Psychological Association describes PTG as finding growth after trauma, particularly through “a new appreciation for life, a newfound sense of personal strength, and a new focus on helping others.” I had experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to me, so I decided to live fearlessly and go for a life I could be proud of.

The first thing I did outside of my comfort zone, was to get my yoga teaching certification. Yoga has been a part of my life since my dad introduced it to me in high school. Since then, it has been an integral part of getting through this life on earth. A year later, I got my children’s and teen’s yoga certification. Now I have two yoga certifications recognized through Yoga Alliance!

Secondly, I took a leap of faith into trusting another with my heart and soul and married my best friend, Justin, in May of 2017.

My third decision was encouraged by my husband. He fully supported me to follow my passions and dreams, and therefore, I quit my school district job and pursued photography and teaching yoga full time.

I think my next endeavor could be a book about my life and my Post Traumatic Growth journey, and starting a non-profit yoga studio focused on special needs, kids, and post-trauma survivors.

 So, in a nutshell, it has been a very rough road with many struggles, but I am living a life I am very proud of. I find the strength to move on through my loved ones and the people I get to work with every day.

Please tell us about your business.
Now that I can focus more on my photography, my business is mostly high school seniors, headshots, boudoir, end of life for loved ones’ s/pets, and lifestyle shoots. I still do maternity, babies, and family, they just aren’t my main booked sessions anymore. I am most proud of my ability to read people and figure out what emotional tools I need to pull out for the photo session. I want my clients to feel comfortable and have fun during a shoot, so reading people’s personalities is important.

Because I create a fun, relaxed, and safe environment in which my clients can be themselves, the true essence of who they are shine through in their images; truly soulful images! I like to edit my photos so they are believable, real, and not overly processed…timeless! My yoga business balances the physical demands of photoshoots and hours of editing on a computer and lets me share the benefits of this amazing practice, which has helped me so immensely.

Since I have worked with children and the special needs population throughout my life, I decided to focus my yoga teaching on these two populations. I currently give private special needs lessons and teach for the City of Fort Collins Adaptive Recreation Organization, (ARO). The director and I created a yoga class for teens and young adults on the spectrum, therefore called, “Spectrum Yoga.” I love seeing how these individuals transform through the weeks and months, and create changes in strength, balance, flexibility, and focus. It’s always a huge compliment when I hear how relaxed they feel after a class.

I also teach kids yoga at two preschools in town. I am so proud when parents come up to me and tell me how much their children love yoga class. One standout moment was when a mother said her daughter was really angry one day, and she stomped off to her room saying, “I’m going into my room to do Lion’s breath!”–a breathing technique I teach them and encourage them to do when they are frustrated or angry. Through yoga, they develop strength, balance, and focus, but also learn breathing techniques (pranayama) and mindfulness tools. I feel I am making a positive difference in their lives because they can take what they have learned in class and utilize it for life!

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I lived in Washington state from 1st grade to 4th grade, and remember loving my time in the four acres of moss and fern-filled forests that surrounded my home. I imagined I had friends who were gnomes and fairies… I still do! I launched homemade bark boats in the creek and loved my alone time there. I also loved spending time there with my older sister, Carie. We tried camping one night, but got too scared from the howling coyotes which shared the woods with us!

Contact Info:

• Website: Soulfulimages.com and Soulfulimagesboudoir.com
• Phone: 9702170678
• Email: janel@soulfulimages.com

Image Credit:
Ben Bradley Photography

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