I am SO very excited to finally get to introduce you to my new passion & spark… boudoir & glamour!! I had not intended to get into this genre, or at least hadn’t really put any thought into it yet… until this sweet client approached me to help her with her fiance’s wedding gift. And am I SO thankful that she did!! What a genuinely FUN & inspirational session it was! Completely put a new spin on my dreams & path of finding my ‘specialty’ 🙂 .
When preparing & studying for this session, among other things, I read Sue Bryce’s “Femininity” workshop on clickinmoms.com… she explained how she does not limit to boudoir, but focuses on glamour as a whole – widening her range to females 8-80! This along with ALL the other things she spoke of completely inspired & reached out to me personally as if she’d written the guide just for me 😉 . I already knew that I wanted to be able to offer hair & make-up services to my maternity & Senior High School clients as part of their ‘experience’. So I started dreaming & imagining & really ‘feeling’ this as a much larger, set path for myself!
Then I got to this lovely young ladies session & only a fraction into the session… these type sessions being part of my future path was a DONE deal! OMGosh… did we have the best time! Our mutual friend, Ashley, who she’d found me through came along to assist & also be the ‘mood lightener’ for us newbie’s 😉 (and did a fabulous job at both herself!!). Started with a little drink & chatting to relax… and got rolling with the classic lingerie bedroom images (most of what is included in the current portfolio is from this portion of the session) then moved onto some outdoor shots… since she lived in the country & had the freedom to do so (YAY!!!). After that we did some playful apron & panty shots pouring her fiance’s favorite drink & some cute shots on the deck tending to the grill. Back to their bedroom for some dramatic veil shots by the window light. Then…
We finished out the day in camo. Yep… camo!! When she initially contacted me to do this session, the one thing she knew from the beginning was that hunting is important to her fiance & she wanted to do something sexy in his camo shirt. This is a gift for him, after all! In all honesty, I wasn’t quite sure how we were gonna make it work… I’d never done a boudoir session before, let alone a camo challenge… just knew that we would. And WOW did she rock it out! Along with the shirt tied up in the middle, she’d managed to find the cutest little camo panties with pink lace trim, slipped into his hunting boots & off we went. We trotted out to the woods behind the house where we got some kick ass (excuse my language – but that they were!) pics of her posed all powerful but also super sexy with his riffle (NOT loaded, of course!) & his hunting dog by her side! THEN, as if she’d not already been fabulous enough… she obliged my request to get IN their stream for yet another great look! Could it have gone oh so very tacky & cheesy? Heck yeah… but it SO did NOT! The camo images tie with the traditional classy images shared in the portfolio, as some of my very favorites from the session!
Not only did I have an amazingly fun time planning & executing this session with creativity & collaboration with my client (LOVED that part of it!!). But… when I got home & started uploading the images, I couldn’t have been more excited! Without a doubt, in my opinion… my very best work yet! May have been my 1st of this kind but it felt right & it seems to show through the end result 🙂 I think this is in part due to the degree I have in fashion design which has been my life long passion since I was 10. Despite attending one of the very top schools in our country, I became a single mom straight out of college & had to focus myself on more secure office work… it has certainly always stayed with me in my heart though. My discovery & pursuit of professional photography as well as the work I love with the kiddos & families this past year has come as close as anything has to meaning as much to me. But THIS… gave me that extra ‘spark’ that I’ve never felt for anything like my fashion! It is SOO good to have that feeling back after all these years & to be in a situation where I can actually pursue it this time!
So… this is where I dream of going with this… I want to be able to give each client an ‘experience’ to be pampered & enjoy themselves, while stepping outside of their every day ‘mama tuff’ (or whatever your case may be… that’s my example cause anyone who knows me, knows that I rock that hair tuff just about every day! LOL 🙁 ) to another side of themselves that they’d forgotten was their or maybe didn’t even know was there. That each client is able to see, feel & then have something to remember exactly how beautiful they are… regardless of their size, color, age or whoever they are! This can be in the form of boudoir… or simply a nice outfit or whatever works for you, can be combined with Maternity (goodness knows we need some pampering & something to feel glamorous about in those last months), Senior High School girls (sorry, definitely just glamour – NO BOUDOIR for you ladies), Family (think multi-generational females, mother/daughter, sisters), Engagement, etc……. These sessions can be done as a gift for your loved one as this client did or simply something special & empowering just for yourself! Guys… I’m happy to do gift certificates or work with you so that you can also set this up for your special lady to remind her how beautiful you believe she is too!
I have a WONDERFUL hair & make-up artist that I’m SOO excited to team up with… she’ll help get you all ready & also keep you touched up as we go throughout the session. She & I would both love to find a back-up artist as well though… either to work along side her on multi-session days or to coordinate schedule availabilities with… please send fabulous & talented artists our way for consideration! Would also LOVE suggestions for great hotels, especially those with some character in the rooms & even, if any one knows of any… locations that could offer some private outdoor options that sessions could be done at as well!
As you can imagine, while not ‘too’ revealing, due to the still private nature of the Boudoir session, most images can not be shared here. These are a few that my 1st client has graciously permitted me to share with you… I hope you enjoy & will also consider giving me a chance to capture your beauty or that of a beautiful woman you know!
To my beautiful 1st Boudoir client & also to our Ashley too… THANK YOU for liking my work enough to reach out to me, for believing in my talent enough to take a chance on me, for being SO cool & open to having fun and trying different things, for being gracious enough to allow me permission to use some of these images publicly… and for showing me what I didn’t even know I had in me!
