Why Boudoir Photography?
Sometimes I find it hard to explain why I shoot boudoir photography. To me it's so much more than photos. It’s about self-acceptance, body positivity and seeing yourself as art. It’s about getting glammed up and laughing your butt off. It’s about the transformation that takes place from the time you walk into my studio and the time you walk out the door. It is about feeling beautiful and I believe that is something every one deserves.
I started shooting boudoir photography because I saw the beauty in every woman I met. I believed I could show everyone what I saw via my camera. Women tell me they can’t look beautiful because they are too tall, too short, weigh too much, don’t weigh enough, have scars, or have stretch marks. I loved showing them the photos from their shoot and proving to them that they CAN feel beautiful. Seeing their reactions to their pictures changed me. From that moment on I knew I was aligned with my calling.
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 that sees past the imperfections. The one that shows you your sparkle.
The Transformation.
The transformation that takes place in our studio is the best part of the entire experience. When a woman arrives to my studio, most of the time she is nervous, sometimes even visibly nervous. Shaky hands and voices, sweaty palms and faces are things I see all the time. Once they sit in our hair and makeup chair the transformation begins. They realize we are just their girl friends, ready to talk them through this, and they start to shed those signs of nerves and anxiousness.
Then the shoot begins. The first series of photos is to get you warmed up. When I show my clients the back of the camera after the first few shots I usually hear “OH MY GOD, thats me? I can look like that?!” As we go into the next series and then the next the laughter and smiles come out. Then she starts to feel sexy. Then her look changes and you can tell it has clicked for her. This is the moment I live for!!!
By the time we finish the session and go into the reveal, we are great friends. We just shared an experience that they will always remember. We have laughed, maybe cried, and shared stories about our lives.
Once I show them their photos on the TV screen their jaws drop. They see themselves like they have never ever before. This is one of the amazing things about boudoir photography. They get the chance to see them how I see them, how their partners see them, and be their mirror. When they walk out the door their heads are held high and they can’t wait to tell all their friends about what they just did! This is truly my WHY.
A Little Piece of My Story.
Our clients always look up to me as their self love and confidence guru. But I haven’t always been so kind to myself. I grew up as a very shy child with little to no confidence. I had a dear friend in grade school that would always compliment me. She would tell me how beautiful my smile was, that she loved my eyes, or that I had the best hair. I would always respond with a "thank you but that's not true" comment. One day she looked at me and said, "can't you just say thank you and accept the compliment"? That really hit home for me. From that day forward, I took her advice and really worked hard on stoping at the "thank you".
Years later that little change made a huge difference for me in my confidence. I started to believe others when they gave me a compliment. I also started handing out real, genuine compliments to other women. It was empowering. It made me feel amazing to help others see what I saw in them, just as my friend did for me.
Of course I have had time periods in my adulthood where my confidence fluctuates. The weight gain after high school. The "mom pouch" that got a little bigger after each of my 5 children. The depressed phases of life where I have binged on ice cream at midnight. The grey hair -- ouch! Thank goodness for my hair stylist!
As I started to think about how I wanted my children to view their self worth and confidence I had to
look at the way I did it as well. Did I want them to see photos of me hiding my body, or even worse, not being in them at all? Or did I want them to remember me living my best life, being in all the photos with them and, when they were older, appreciating the way I was comfortable enough in my skin to view my body as art.
For me boudoir is a celebration of your body and who you are. I love being able to help women celebrate their bodies, their scars and what they have been through. Let me be your mirror and help you to love and be proud of yourself. Let me help you accept those compliments and instill in you the confidence my dear friend helped instill in me.
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