The Beauty of Boudoir

During my career as a makeup artist there have been few things as rewarding and yet questioned than boudoir photography. I have been in the beauty industry for over ten years and what orginally attracted me to it was both my early career in the theater business and retro/pin up style. When I began in the boudoir business almost 6 years ago with Dayton photographer Tracy Abston, I knew this was where I wanted to be and also wanted to get the stigma that boudoir is anything less than tasteful. It never comes as a surprise that when I tell someone I do makeup for a boudoir studio they look at me like I work in porn! Boudoir is not porn and it is also not glamour shots lol.

Boudoir photography is nothing new to the world. Since the beginning of time we have been obsessed with capturing soft curves, swells, skin, and general beauty of a female in relaxed poses capturing the attention of not only men, but also other women. The female form is a curiosity, and a beauty to withhold in and of itself. The resurgence of boudoir has taken off once again the last five years. Women from all walks of life have once again started celebrating the female form. Many women do this for a gift for someone but most times it is a gift to themselves. It most circles it is now seen as perfectly acceptable to do these photos and not only that but it is a sought after service.

What makes boudoir so beautiful is not only the actual art of the photography but how it can affect a client who comes in. Women do these sessions for multiple reasons; weight-loss, a recent divorce, a loss of self esteem, new boobs, a wedding or anniversary present or even to remember themselves in a certain way.  These sessions are not a one time thing, once women see themselves in this new image they always want to come back for another one and I can personally attest to that! The beauty of boudoir is that it can change a person. As women we are constantly judging ourselves and expecting to look a certain way. Our stomachs will never be flat enough, our thighs small enough or lips full enough. We are our own worst enemies. Not only do we constantly obsess about our looks but so many women lose themselves over the years. We have had so many women come in who have put themselves on the backburner for years in order to make other people happy whether in their personal lives or at work. Boudoir is about bringing that woman back and letting her see that she still has it in her!

There are so many memorable women that I have had the the pleasure of working with but there a few that really stand out as what boudoir is about.

Miss A

Miss A is very dear to my heart we nearly had to beg her to come in after she tried backing out but her daughter talked her into it. She was turning 50 and had a very rough few years with family issues and losing herself in general. Her daughter had recently been diagnosed with a horrible disease and Miss A was really having a rough go at life. The funny thing about her is that she is not only absolutely beautiful but this is also a woman who has biked across Ohio in a day, ran marathons and dedicated her spare time to children in need! This is a woman who had so much to give that literally forgot to give back to herself. There are no words to describe her reaction when she looked in the mirror at herself in fact when we heard the silence we knew….it was a good thing she was waterproofed 🙂 She said she had never felt so beautiful in her entire life. The smile in her pictures brought her back to life and you could see the woman she had lost. I can only hope that on days where she is feeling down about herself that she will look at her pictures and see the woman that she is. Beautiful. Strong. Deserving.

Miss D

Miss D was another woman who came in for a very different reason. She was in late forties and had recently been diagnosed with a disease that would eventually cripple her within 5 years. She came in to the boudoir studio to have pictures made for both her husband and for her child who was under the age of 10. She wanted her child to remember as being beautiful and healthy rather than sickly. She was reserved and did her photos wearing jeans and a tshirt in the courtyard but by the end she had an inner diva in her that produced some stunning sexy photos! Once Miss D let her inner model come out she was amazing. I often think of her and wonder how she is doing. For her, boudoir was about preserving a moment in time that she felt beautiful and wasnt thinking about what the future would bring. Miss D’s photos showed a woman who was living for the moment and doing a fabulous job at it!

More Boudoir reactions:

“Thank you so much for my sneak-peak!! I have been nervously but anxiously checking my e-mail repeatedly over the past two weeks!! I would literally jump every time my e-mail chime on my phone went off. When I finally saw the e-mail from you I quickly scrolled down to the photos and I was in complete shock. I can’t believe the woman in the photos is me. I’ve looked at them ten times already and I’m still amazed. You have such an unbelievable talent which is not limited to actual photography. You’re amazing at what you do and how you make your clients feel. I remember thinking after my session that I had never felt so comfortable in my own skin nor had I ever felt better about myself than I did at that moment. The experience of the session alone was well worth it and did so much for me and I love that I will have the photos to remind me. I can’t say thank you enough and I absolutely can not wait to give my husband his 1st anniversary gift!!”

“Although it’s been over a year since my session and my little black book wedding gift to my husband, the pictures are still making quite the impact! I originally wanted to get boudoir pictures done because my husband was deploying overseas …for the military, but it was perfect timing to give the book to him as a wedding present. I was just as nervous when he was opening it as I was when I got the e-mail from you with password to the album. But the look on his face made me feel as happy, sexy and confident as I felt when I looked at them for the first time. Anytime I am having feeling bad about myself or having a “fat” day, one glimpse at those images and remember the look on my hubby’s face. How could I feel bad knowing what he sees and how looking at me makes him feel? Thank you for helping me create the perfect wedding present and for giving me the confidence to just be me!”

“When I found out that my husband was searching the internet for a boudoir photo session for me, I sort of panicked. I’m 63 after all and why would it be a good thing to have photos of me at this stage in my life? But, after reading the information for ‘blush boudoir’, I agreed to do this for him. After my photo shoot, I felt like a new woman! We love the coffee table books and as I age, we will look back on this experience with a smile on our faces. I am so glad I did this!”