Scans. Charts. Appointments. Treatment plans. Somewhere in the middle of all of it, a woman can start to feel like the diagnosis is taking up all the room. Still Her is our breast cancer portrait session in Sacramento created to make room for her again.
Not the patient. Not the chart.
Not the before or after.
Her.
What Still Her is
Still Her is a portrait series from Milou & Olin Collective, a Sacramento portrait studio led by Olin and supported by an all-women team.
We created it for women at any point in a breast cancer experience. You may have just received a diagnosis. You may be in treatment or finished with it. You may be in remission. You may be before reconstruction, after reconstruction, or choosing not to reconstruct at all.
There is no correct stage to be photographed. There is also no correct way for your body to look. We use the word survivor inclusively, from diagnosis forward. However, you never have to use that word for yourself.
This experience belongs to you.
This isn’t about photographing cancer
Still Her isn’t a medical documentation project.
It’s a portrait experience.
Most photographs made during illness serve a clinical purpose. They document something for a chart, a treatment plan, or a medical record.
A portrait does something different. It pays attention to the person. That distinction is at the heart of Still Her.
We aren’t asking cancer to disappear from your story. However, we also aren’t asking it to become the only story the portrait tells.
You are still yourself.
You are still worthy of being photographed beautifully.
And you do not have to wait for “after.”
You don’t have to wait until treatment is over
There is no perfect time for a Still Her session. Some women want portraits after their final treatment. Others choose a remission anniversary. Some want to document their body before surgery or reconstruction. And some simply decide that now matters.
All of those reasons are enough.
You don’t need to reach a milestone before you’re allowed to feel beautiful, visible, or worthy of being documented.
What a Still Her session includes
We begin with a real conversation. Before we plan clothing or sets, we want to understand where you are and what this experience means to you. From there, we create the session together.
Your Still Her experience includes:
A private conversation about your story and what you want from the portraits
Styling and wardrobe direction planned with you
Professional makeup, tailored to your comfort and preferences
Three planned looks, with room to bring additional options
Full posing and expression guidance from beginning to end
An optional symbolic set, such as flowers or pink gloves
A private portrait reveal
Guidance choosing your favorite images
Artwork designed to be held, displayed, and lived with
You don’t need modeling experience. You don’t need to know how to pose. And you don’t need to arrive feeling confident.
That’s our job.
The symbolic photographs are always optional
Some women want breast cancer symbolism to be part of their portraits. Others don’t. Both choices are completely valid.
You may want flowers, pink gloves, or another element that carries meaning for you. Or you may want nothing in the images to reference cancer at all. We will never assume.
Still Her is not about fitting you into our idea of what survivorship should look like. Instead, we build the portrait around you.
You decide what is seen
You decide what you wear.
You decide what you reveal.
You decide whether scars become part of the portrait.
You also decide what remains completely private.
Nothing about your body is assumed.
Your portraits remain private unless you give us written permission to share them. That includes our website, galleries, social media, and campaign materials.
Your story belongs to you first.
Why finished artwork matters
We don’t want Still Her to end as another folder of files on a phone. These portraits are meant to have weight. They can become framed artwork you see every day. They can live in an album you can hold. They can become something your partner, children, or family will someday hold too.
Because ultimately, Still Her is about more than how you looked during one chapter.
It’s about making something tangible that says:
I was here. I was myself. I mattered in this moment too.
Why Still Her
A portion of every Still Her session supports Albie Aware Breast Cancer Foundation, a Sacramento nonprofit serving people facing breast cancer in our local community.
Doug Carson founded Albie Aware in 2004 in memory of his wife, Alberta “Albie” Carson. Today, the organization helps people throughout the greater Sacramento area access breast cancer testing, education, resources, and support. That local connection matters to us.
A Still Her session honors one woman in front of our camera while also helping support other people facing breast cancer in our community. You can learn more about their work through Albie Aware or follow @albieaware.
A note from Olin
“Two of my closest friends were diagnosed this year, and it hit too close to home.
More of my own clients get diagnosed every year too. They’re women I’ve photographed for something else entirely who come back months later with a completely different story.
I couldn’t keep watching that happen without building something real in response.”
— Olin
Still Her grew from that place. Not from wanting to make cancer beautiful. Not from asking women to perform strength.
But from wanting to create a space where a woman could walk in carrying everything she is carrying and still be treated as a whole person.
You don’t have to perform strength here
There is no requirement to arrive inspirational.
You don’t have to tell us cancer made you stronger.
You don’t have to feel fearless.
You don’t even have to feel particularly positive that day.
You can be complicated.
You can be tired.
You can be joyful.
You can be angry.
You can simply be yourself.
We’ll meet you there.
If you’re booking Still Her for someone you love
You don’t have to be the person going through breast cancer to begin this conversation.
Still Her can also be given as a gift.
Perhaps it’s for your wife.
Your mother.
Your sister.
Your daughter.
Your closest friend.
If you’re reaching out for someone else, tell us.
We’ll help you think through timing and presentation so the experience still feels like hers.
Most importantly, we won’t make assumptions for her.
How to reserve a Still Her session
Still Her isn’t booked through a standard online calendar.
We start with a short conversation instead.
That allows us to understand where you are, answer questions, and make sure the experience feels right before you commit.
Reserve your Still Her session during October, and you can schedule the actual portrait experience anytime through the end of January.
Questions about Still Her
Is Still Her only for women who have finished treatment?
No. Still Her welcomes women at any point, including during treatment. We’ll talk through timing with you and plan around what feels comfortable.
Do I have to call myself a survivor?
No. We use the term broadly, but the language you use for your experience is yours.
Do I have to show scars?
Never. You decide what the portraits show.
Some women want scars included. Others don’t. Neither choice needs an explanation.
Do I have to show my body?
No. Still Her is a portrait experience, not a requirement to reveal anything. We can create powerful portraits at whatever level of coverage feels right to you.
Do I have to include pink or breast cancer symbolism?
No. Symbolic images are entirely optional. You can include them, reinterpret them, or skip them completely.
What if I don’t feel confident in front of a camera?
You don’t need to. We direct you from beginning to end.
We’ll guide your hands, posture, expression, and movement so you never have to figure out how to pose.
Are my portraits shared publicly?
Not unless you give us written permission.
Your privacy comes first.
When can my session happen?
For the October campaign, reserve your experience in October and schedule the session anytime through the end of January.
Can I give Still Her as a gift?
Yes. Tell us when you reach out, and we’ll help you plan the experience for someone you love.
What does Still Her cost?
We’ll explain the experience, artwork options, and investment during your call.
We want you to understand everything before deciding whether it’s right for you.
Who is Albie Aware?
Albie Aware is a Sacramento-based nonprofit that supports people facing breast cancer in the greater Sacramento area.
A portion of each Still Her session supports its work.
She is still here. She is still her.
Cancer can become part of a woman’s story without becoming the definition of her.
Still Her exists to make space for that distinction.
To photograph the woman.
To pay attention.
To create something beautiful without pretending the difficult parts aren’t there.
And to remind her that she never had to wait until “after” to be worthy of being seen.
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