Sometimes I find it hard to put into words why I shoot boudoir photography. To me, it is so much more than photos. It’s about self-acceptance, body positivity, and art. It is about getting glammed up and laughing your butt off. It’s about the transformation that takes place between the time you walk in our studio and walk back out that 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 get any person to see what I see through my camera. Women tell me they feel they can’t look “that beautiful” because they feel too tall or weigh too much or have too many stretch marks. I loved 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 is now my job to be a mirror for my clients. Not the mirror that the world shows you, but the one who sees past all the lumps, bruises and imperfections. The one that shows you your sparkle.
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, sweaty hands and faces are things I see all the time.
Once they sit in the chair to get hair and makeup done, the transformation begins. The client slowly starts to shed those signs and feelings of nervousness and anxiousness.
Then the shoot begins. The first series 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 she starts to feel sexy. The sexy eyes come out. And you can tell that it’s starting to click with them. The “I am Beautiful” kicks in. By the time we finish the session and go into the reveal, we’re friends. We’ve laughed and shared stories about our lives. We’ve just shared an experience that they will always remember.
Once I show them their pictures on the screen, jaws drop. They see themselves like they never have before. This is one of the amazing things about boudoir photography. I get a chance to show them how I see them, how their spouse sees them and be their mirror. When they walk out that door, they’re smiling so big they can’t wait to tell all their friends about what they just did.
A little piece of my story
I’ve been a photographer for well over 25 years and have photographed hundreds of weddings, bridals, family sessions, headshots, events and more. And in that time while I was enjoying myself there were always the comments from women trying to play themselves down, not feeling comfortable with themselves, not feeling good in their skin or their outfit.
Time after time, over and over the comments started to really pile up in the back of my head. The next thing you know I’m a girl dad of one, then of two, and my mind started to really be concerned for them and their future self-image. My question became when do we lose our confidence we have as children and where does it go? Why does it go?
It’s not hard to see that we get hit from all directions with all the reasons we should not be happy with ourselves, but what can I do… Then in 2020 I started photographing boudoir sessions. I knew from my other photo business I needed to get reviews and even better video reviews. So, I would ask them to send me a fast video from their cell before they even left the parking lot, and the results were shocking. I had no clue the power of what I was doing until I asked for the reviews.
The videos I would get back made it all too clear that the need to see one’s self for the amazing individuals we are is more real and important than I had ever thought and I was hooked. Hooked on really making a difference in women lives and hopefully making my girls (future women) proud of what their dad was doing for all these amazing women that choose to trust us with their journey.
My wife, Kristi, is the most amazing partner who has been through the sessions herself and pushes me and encourages me to be the person that makes a difference for our clients and for that I can’t be more grateful.
For me, boudoir photography is a celebration of who you truly are. I take pride in being able to help show women how to celebrate their bodies, their battles, and the victories they’ve been through. Let me show you your sparkle. Let me help remind you how to love and be proud of yourself.
JOIN OUR FACEBOOK COMMUNITY
Join our Boudoir Facebook Community. Our Group on Facebook is focused on empowering women. We laugh, make jokes, post memes, and take pride in who we are.
CLICK BELOW TO GET YOUR INVITE
