Every time I mention during a conversation what I do (“… oh I create glamorous portraits and boudoir images for ladies just like you!”), most women constantly shut down with a “that’s great but it’s not for me, I’m not a model…” “I wish I could do that but I need to lose 5-10-etc pounds first…” “you would have a very hard time with me, I’m not photogenic at all…”
And I get that! I understand that it’s hard to imagine yourself in the sensual poses, wearing barely anything, when most of the time the bodies you see in those poses are the 18 year old, size 6 models perfectly photoshopped in the magazines.
One of my main missions with my photography is to promote body positivity and to empower women to own their beauty and femininity. Not when all the stars align and you have a good day. Not when you lose the pounds you think you need to lose. NOW. I want you to know that boudoir is for everybody and for every body, regardless of size or shape (or even age for that matter!). Your images might not get onto a magazine cover, but I can promise the experience will change the way you see and feel about yourself.
Because I have this conversation so often, it was very easy to come across likeminded people who feel the same way about body image and empowering women, and we decided to organise a photoshoot to celebrate beautiful curvy bodies. (disclaimer: yes, this beautiful curvy lady is a professional model as we wanted to make sure we would be able to share the images all over the internet and social media)
Though I work both in my home studio and on location, for bridal boudoir most girls decide to get a nice hotel room (and some adventurous people may even opt for outdoors!). Hotels like Berwick Lodge work really well because they give a little something extra to the images. They tend to be nicely decorated but still have a neutral colour scheme which doesn’t distract from the main subject of the photographs (you!).
Bridal boudoir is a great way to show off the wedding lingerie and other accessories (veil, jewellery, sparkly shoes… and I would also suggest to bring flowers as part of your session, it’s a very nice addition to the styling), and use as a teaser: the groom is presented with the album on the morning of the wedding, a very sexy taster of what to come… ;)
Boudoir can be *anything* you want it to be.
It’s my job to guide and pose you to make sure you look your best on the images. I am very specific, and very detail oriented.
I know what beautiful looks like, I will direct you how to pose down to your fingertips and also coach you on facial expressions.
Hair and make-up usually takes about an hour (can be longer, depending on the look) and a session is usually about two hours long. I don’t restrict my sessions by time though, if I feel like we haven’t got enough killer images yet, we have more outfits to work with or are simply having too much fun, I’m more than happy to keep the shoot going.
Boudoir sessions are tiring though (it’s not just lying around, it’s more like a workout!) so they rarely go over three hours.
