Most people know that I specialize in Wedding Photography and some know I shoot Boudoir as well. For those of you who’ve never had a boudoir shoot, I’d like to share why I shoot boudoir photography and how I came to offer this genre to my clients.
As a wedding photographer, my clients are (for the most part) women. Often times during the wedding planning process, brides will ask about scheduling a boudoir session as a gift for their fiancé. It’s a unique, personal, and special gift and I always loved seeing the reaction of my grooms once they opened the gift on their wedding day!
So at first, Boudoir was a logical extension of my wedding photography business. But I quickly discovered that it went way deeper than that. That’s when things started to change and I realized WHY I shoot boudoir.
I don’t need to remind anyone how women in our country spend so much of their lives feeling insecure over their bodies. Instead of embracing who they are right now, they constantly look back on how they used to be or even worse, how someone else looks. I’ve seen it first hand with my wife who is just as beautiful and amazing on the inside as she is on the outside.
But she struggles to see what I see. And this isn't a recent issue. I read this article from 1997 that said 56% of almost 4,000 women that were surveyed were unhappy with their overall appearance and 89% wanted to lose weight! Clearly, this feeling is every bit as relevant over 20 years later.
As I said earlier, women often book a boudoir session for their significant other but they end up realizing it’s more for them. They see how beautiful, sexy and special they are. I find that I really enjoy being able to connect with my female clients on a different level than when we’re discussing their wedding. I discovered how much of a confidence boost these shoots are and how empowered my clients felt after their sessions, especially once they saw their images!
As a man, I love being able to create an experience that enables a woman to love and appreciate who they are. It means so much more than just having their picture taken. The photo is usually a gift for their significant other but the experience is ALL for her. It’s a beautiful self-transformation and as a photographer, an amazing gift to be able to provide someone!
THAT’S why I love and shoot Boudoir!
All women deserve to feel genuinely proud and embrace who they are—no matter their age, shape, or size.