BUCYRUS–A Bucyrus native is capturing the moments that make others smile.
Reva Davis is the owner of Reva Davis Photography. A business that does more than family photos, senior portraits, and weddings. A studio that specializes in boudoir photography – unique glamour shots for women of all ages.
And that makes Davis smile too.
“I really like working with women and helping to boost their confidence,” Davis said. “I love challenging a woman’s insecurity and showing her how beautiful she really is because she somehow in everyday life lost sight of her beauty.”
Her boudoir sessions – taken in color and black-and-white – include a make-over with hair by Tonya Lohr of Tonya’s Hair Fashions in Bucyrus and Lori Millenbaugh, a stylist and make-up artist who also operates Make-up By Lori in Crestline.
“When we are busy taking care of our children or our families, maybe busy with a career, our beauty doesn’t exactly take priority, so I remind them of that,” Davis said of her clients. “They get a day of pampering and in the end see themselves as a work of art.”
Davis, 37, has won countless awards for her work. Her photo of a local basketball player placed 98th of 500,000 entries in the worldwide Shoot & Share Contest. She’s also been featured in “Shutter Up,” “Bare Bones Boudoir,” and “Worldwide Models” magazines.
But getting to where she is today hasn’t been easy for Davis, whose parents divorced just before she was born. Her mother, she said, then got involved with an abusive boyfriend, which led to physical abuse and trauma to her and her older brothers.
“I still remember the sheriff’s deputies coming out to take pictures of our bruises covering our backsides,” said Davis, who was given up for adoption when she was five. “All throughout my life, I have dealt with feelings of rejection, wanting acceptance, and wanting a purpose in life.
“What I love about photography is that it gives me those feelings,” she said. “It kind of makes me who I am today. I feel like photography is a therapy for me. I can kind of make others smile and feel good when I wanted that so much in my life.”
Davis, who grew up on a farm and attended Colonel Crawford Local Schools, said she was always passionate about photography but was discouraged as a teenager from pursuing it as a career because it wasn’t a “realistic” or “marketable” career choice.
After graduating, she worked in a doctor’s office and at General Motors in Mansfield. She also took photography classes at the Art Institute in Pittsburgh for a year, but it wasn’t until 2014, after her son was born, that she was encouraged by a photographer friend to branch out on her own.
She bought a Canon camera and lighting kit. Reva Davis Photography was born.
Since then, Davis said, business has nearly tripled for the local entrepreneur, whose studio is adjacent to the home she shares with her husband and three children. But in June, the business is moving downtown to the corner of Warren Street and Sandusky Avenue.
Because Davis is still “clicking.” She’s the confidence booster and “the woman, camera, heart, and soul” behind Reva Davis Photography.
“Sometimes people I have never met know who I am and speak to me, telling me how much they love my work.
It’s fulfilling for me because in a world where I often felt unwanted, not important, or as if I didn’t belong, I now have a purpose of making others feel good about themselves.”
