Why Boudoir Photography?
Boudoir photography is so much more than photos. It's self-confidence, body positivity, and art. It's looking at your body in a gentle, loving way for the first time in a long time.
It's embracing mortality by putting your legacy into an album. It's playing dress up and laughing as we try something ridiculous to get a unique photo.
It's about the transformation that takes place between the time you walk in my studio and walk back out that door.
It is about feeling beautiful, and that is something I believe every person deserves.
Women tell me they feel they can't look "that beautiful" because they feel they are too short, weight too much, or have too many stretch marks. And then they see their portraits, and realize that they CAN, in fact, feel beautiful.
Seeing reactions to their pictures has changed me.
Now it is 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 ones that show you your beauty.
The Transformation
The transformation that takes 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 are things I see all the time.
But 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 session starts. The first set is to get them warmed up. When I show the client the back of the camera after the first setup, I usually hear "OH MY GOD, that's me? NO WAY that's me!"
As we go into the next part and then the next, the laughter and smiles start to come out - the genuine smiles. They feel more relaxed, and you can tell that it's starting to click, pun intended.
By the time we finish the session and go into the reveal, we're like friends. We've just shared an experience that they will always remember. We've laughed and shared stories about our lives.
Once I show them their portraits on the reveal wall, their jaws drop. They see themselves like they never have before. "These look SO much better than I thought they would be!" I hear that all the time.
This is one of the amazing things about boudoir photography. I get a chance to show them how I see them, how their partner sees them, and be their loved ones see them.
When they walk out that door, they're smiling so big, and they can't wait to tell all of their friends what they did.
A Personal Piece of My Story
It was the death of a dear friend that made me realize how precious photography is in our lives. December of 2017. She was only 25 years old.
During one of our many adventures together, Sarah and I found ourselves in a sunflower field. It was just gorgeous, and perfect. I took a portrait of her (pictured below) by a giant sunflower, eyes closed, smiling, in perfect peace.
Every year, on the anniversary of her death or her birthday, I see that sunflower portrait I took of her circulating throughout social media by her loved ones.
Her mother and stepmother even commissioned a wonderfully talented local artist, Roberta Iula, who also knew Sarah, to create a painting of the photograph to hang in their home.
Life is short, and for some, it's too short. When our loved ones are gone, photos of them become the most important thing in the world.
I'm always trying to get in front of the camera now.
I used to be that photographer that said, sorry, I only like being on this side of the lens. But Sarah taught me how important it is to EXIST in photographs.
Growing up, my self-esteem was minimal to none. I hated photos, I hated myself. I made a lot of life changes and gradually grew to love myself.
Part of that incredible accomplishment was thanks to getting in front of the camera. It helped me see ME, in a loving way, by being able to move my focus away from my so-called "flaws."
Am I perfectly confident? Definitely not. I have bad days and insecurities like anyone. But it's an everlasting journey of building self-love, and I adore helping other women along their journey as well.
Check out a few self-portraits below!
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