Boudoir photography has been heating up the wedding scene for the past few years -- and for good reason. When done right, the shots are the perfect mix of sensuality and simplicity. This "spicy sweet" aesthetic is indicative of its 18th century French roots -- where boudoir referred to a woman's private dressing and bathing room. Three centuries later, something that was once so private is emerging as a mainstream art. And in many ways, the concept of privacy remains intact. That's the charm of boudoir photography. After a photo shoot, many brides only share the photos with their future spouse as a wedding gift. It becomes a beautiful, sexy secret between lovers.
Taboo Takes Off
I added boudoir shoots to my list of photography offerings when I first spotted the trend years ago. In two short years, the trend has become a staple because brides let their circle of friends know about their photo shoots. Many people who previously thought of boudoir photos as taboo are convinced otherwise once they see the elegance that's captured in each shot. It's a paradigm shift. They realize it's not just racy pictures. It's art.
Not Just a Wedding Trend
Brides-to-be aren't the only ones interested in boudoir photography. I've also encountered many women who use the photos as an ode to all their bodies have done for them, or who simply want to be empowered during a new phase in life. In fact, one client traveled from Illinois to have her "pre-baby body" captured before she got pregnant. Another client was a military wife who underwent 20 surgeries after a devastating accident. She wanted to surprise her husband with the photos after he came home from Afghanistan. It's stories like these that make me passionate about bringing real women in front of my lens -- the mothers, the models, the twenty-somethings, the sixty-somethings, the survivors, the teachers, the dreamers, the doers, the heroes.
Bold. Confident. Beautiful.
Every woman is a photo waiting to happen -- a star waiting to be discovered. The right kinds of photos are worlds apart from the tawdry shots that have popped up throughout the mainstream boudoir photography scene. That's really where the negative connotation lies. I often find myself using the term, 'editorial intimates' for my work because there are too many imposters out there. A true boudoir session is very collaborative, and results in magazine- and museum-quality work.