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Sometimes I find it hard to put into words the reason I shoot boudoir photography. To me, it is so much more than JUST photos. It’s about self-acceptance, body positivity, and self-love! It is about getting glammed up and laughing your ass off. It’s about the transformation that takes place between the time you walk in my studio and walk back out the door. It is about feeling beautiful, and that is something I believe every person deserves!
I started shooting boudoir photography because I saw the beauty in everyone that came in our door. I believed I could show any person see what I see through my camera. Women tell me they feel they can’t look “that beautiful” because they feel too tall, weigh too much, or have too many stretch marks. I love showing them the photos from their shoot and showing that they CAN, in fact, feel beautiful. Seeing their reactions to their pictures changed me. From that moment on, I knew I had found my passion.
It was now my job to be a mirror for my clients. Not the mirror that the world shows you that shames you, but the one who sees past all of the lumps, bruises, and imperfections. The one that shows you your sparkle.
The Transformation
The transformation that took place in our studio is the best part of the whole experience for us. When a woman arrives in my studio, most of the time she’s nervous, sometimes even visibly nervous. Shaky hands and voices, sweaty hands and faces are things I see all the time. Once they sit in the chair to get their hair and makeup done, the transformation begins. The client slowly starts to shed those signs and feelings of nervousness and anxiousness.
Then the shoot would start. The first set of photos is to get you all warmed up. When I show the client the back of the camera after the first series, I usually hear “OH MY GOD, that’s me? NO WAY that’s me!”. As we go into the next series and then the next, the laughter and smiles start to come out. Then they start to feel sexy. They sexy eyes come out. They start acting like the beautiful, bad ass women they are!
By the time we finish the session and go into the reveal, we’re friends. We’ve just shared an experience that they will always remember. We’ve laughed and shared stories about our lives, good and bad.
Once I show them their pictures, their jaws drop. They see themselves like they never have before. This is one of the amazing things about boudoir empowerment photography. I get a chance to show them how I see them, how their friends see them and be their mirror. When they walk out that door, their smiling so big and they can’t wait to tell all their friends about what they just did.
A Little Piece of My Story
Many of my relationships, no matter what kind, have been abusive in one way or another. It wasn’t until my last one that I realized I DESERVED BETTER! I did a lot of self-reflection, trying to figure out how I got to the point where I didn’t like who I saw in the mirror. I realized it stemmed from a lack of self-love. I accepted treatment I didn’t deserve from people because I didn’t think I should have any better. I realized we actually do teach people how to treat us by the way we treat ourselves. How we show up for ourselves, the treatment we accept from other people, how concerned we are with others… it all is a reflection of our level of self-love! I knew I had to do something to change it. I was no longer willing to accept less than what I deserved. I read lots of books, magazines, articles and had therapy sessions surrounding the topic of self-love. It is still an ongoing process, but along the way I started to realize the things I wanted from a partner, out of life, from myself and other relationships. Once I established those things in my head, I was able to set boundaries and limits based on those requirements. A friend of mine asked me to take ‘sexy pictures’ of her for her husband about a year after I picked up my professional camera. We had a blast and she loved them so much, she demanded I share them so others could have intimate portrait sessions too! Turns out, people LOVED THEM! I was hooked! All the terrible things I had experienced in life with people who treated me poorly, now made sense. I understood the struggle with one’s self-confidence and was able to use my knowledge and experience to help others see how beautiful they truly are! I haven’t looked back!
Yup! That’s me at my boudoir shoot!
About a year after I took photos of my friend, another photographer asked me to be a part of her model call to grow her boudoir portfolio. I was hesitant, but I am so glad I did it. Pictured above is me during my SECOND Boudoir session! Currently I am planning a third for my 40th birthday in a year and a half! The feeling I get from each session is indescribable!
For me, boudoir photography is a celebration of your body and who you truly are. I take pride in being able to help show women how to celebrate their bodies, their battles and their victories they’ve been through. Let me show you your sparkle. Let me help remind you how to love and be proud yourself.