I absolutely love shooting boudoir because it allows me to be creative in a different way than with my couples and weddings. I also find it very personally satisfying to create stunning images of my clients. Women are generally pretty hard on themselves, so having the opportunity to change someone’s mind about their appearance is truly rewarding for me. I believe every woman has something beautiful and sexy about her, and it’s my job to bring that out.
My own experience with boudoir was 3 years ago…I booked a session with some amazing local photographers with the intention of giving my hubby an album of sexy images as a wedding gift. Chad’s the kind of guy who has everything he wants…and if he wants something he’ll go out and buy it. Getting him gifts for Christmas and his birthday is nearly impossible, and so when I was trying to figure out what to give him as a wedding gift I was having a tough time. I mean, I couldn’t just give him a watch (he has 4) or cufflinks (he’s not the ‘dressing up’ type). He’d already bought himself an iphone, and I just couldn’t think of anything tangible that I could buy for him that would a) have meaning or b) he’d want. When I discovered this new thing called ‘boudoir photography‘ I was excited…this was something he couldn’t just get himself, it’s personal and I’m pretty sure he finds me attractive, he’s marrying me after all, so I know he’ll love it.
Well.
Let me tell you this was the best decision I ever made…he still talks about his album. In fact he’s requested more photos since!
Not only did he enjoy his gift but I got a new sense of confidence. I was a little nervous leading up to my session, but once I got in front of the camera and let my photographers pose me and do their thing I felt totally comfortable. The nerves melted away and it was actually pretty fun! After the session was over I felt like a million bucks. I felt sexy. I’ve never felt that way before.
I think as women we’re taught to be modest and a lot of what’s out there in the media exploits women and there has been a standard created that is unattainable. I mean, who really looks like these supermodels anyway? Nobody I know…and I’ve photographed around 200 boudoir sessions.
When I started dabbling in photography as a hobby I kept thinking back to my boudoir session. I wanted to be able to give that experience to other women, so I organized my first boudoir marathon in November 08 and the rest is history. I fell in love with shooting boudoir. It is a lot of fun for me both as a photographer and a woman. I think we all remember what it was like to play dress up…this is just like that!
Currently I shoot boudoir sessions in Vancouver and I schedule shoots about once a month in Edmonton. I also have one coming up in Calgary this fall.
And because this is a photography blog, here is what I’m currently working on…some grainy film processing:
…and some classic black & white.
