BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHY IS SELF LOVE
I started doing boudoir photography in Joplin, MO over a decade ago. Back then, it was a bit taboo, even fewer people knew how to pronounce it (it’s boo-DWAH, by the way), and when women did inquire via email I could almost hear their hushed whisper through the keyboard.
Boudoir is different these days, and my own philosophy of it has certainly evolved. I used to see it only as a secretive gift for a woman’s partner or future spouse. But for the past few years, I’ve seen that element as a bonus. When a woman does a boudoir shoot with me, I tell her that whether she realizes it yet or not, boudoir is a gift to HERSELF. Showing up for a boudoir shoot is fantastically empowering.
Your partner may happen to enjoy the images too, but the experience of trusting a photographer to photograph you stripped down and at your most vulnerable is powerful. You leave the experience feeling different - about yourself, your sexuality, your image, and your value.
Of course I have clients come in for a boudoir shoot who are newly engaged, but more often they book for reasons you wouldn’t expect:
They aren’t in a relationship, and aren’t particularly looking
They are in a relationship, but don’t know when/if they’ll even share the portraits with their partner
They just got divorced
They are postpartum and want to accept their new body
They’ve done self-acceptance / self-love work and want to love their body exactly as it looks, rather than hide it
I’ve done boudoir shoots for women sized 2 and 22, aged 25 and 65, married or unmarried. There is no milestone you have to reach to have permission to love yourself, and a boudoir shoot is a great way to celebrate the woman you are, exactly as she is.
90% of my clients prefer I do not share their portraits, and I respect that. But last week when Sylvia saw her portraits, she told me she was happy for me to share them. I’ll never forget what she said as she watched her slideshow,
“Who IS this woman! I just fell in love with her.”
This memory will always make me smile. Sylvia got to see the beauty the rest of us see, and when you’re ready to feel that for yourself, I’m here to create that space for you. (Don’t feel intimidated. We’ll giggle like we’re 13 year-olds at a sleepover party, I promise.)
Sincerely,
Mitzi
BOOK YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE HERE
*Don’t forget!
Mitzi goes on Maternity Leave October 1 and we have a handful of sessions available until then.
