Ann and I started shooting boudoir photography about 3 years ago. A friend of ours asked us to shoot hers, and while we had never done one before, she wanted us to do it and we thought why not?! We had so much fun shooting her session that we started talking about adding this on to our business. Just a few short weeks after we did hers, we randomly got a call from a total stranger asking if we would do hers! We explained we were just getting into it, but thought we were up to it, so if she was willing, WE were willing! Things spiraled after these 2 shoots! It was like all of a sudden, we had all these new random inquiries wanting to do boudoir shoots, and we hadn’t even really put it out there yet that we were offering them! So we got a few of our friends involved and bribed them to be guinea pigs so we could start showing examples of our work
(their husbands were very happy We put a website together, and after that, we were AMAZED at all the calls we got. Never in our lives did we think we would be shooting boudoir photos!! But I gotta tell you, it’s one of our favorite things to do.
Ah… I digress… this post was supposed to be about Ann and myself As you can imagine, our husbands were VERY on board with us doing these kinds of shoots… then they were bummed bc we never showed them any!! HA! They have been asking US for the last 3 years now to do shoots for THEM! We always brushed them off saying things like “yea right… in your dreams… that’s never gonna happen…” etc, etcWell as you have probably guessed by now… we gave in
Yes, yours truly, finally did shoots and we and our husbands couldn’t be happier with them We wanted to let all you girls out there that are thinking of doing a shoot but hesitant, know first hand how WE felt about doing ours. So read on! I now can say… If WE can do it, YOU can do it! xoxo
Jen’s Story:
After we started shooting these sessions, I thought I always wanted to do a boudoir shoot. I knew my husband Daniel would LOVE it, and how fun would it be to get all dolled up?! So it was on my list of “things to do when I have time and feel good about myself” list, but it wasn’t anything I really thought about a lot. I don’t know how, bc literally he asked me once a week when was I going to do mine I would always brush him off bc in the back of mind I was thinking, you know, I really am going to do one at some point, and when I do I want it to be a HUGE surprise! So I acted the whole time like it was never going to happen. Last year I decided it was finally time to do it. We had a new studio, it was perfect. Well then life threw us a major curve ball and dropped twins in our laps, so my shoot got put on hold. After we had the babies about 6 months I decided if I was going to do it, I needed to just do it now and give it to him for Valentines Day. I don’t hate my body, but I don’t love it either. But I thought, Jen… you hate working out, you don’t diet, you’re never going to look better than you do today… Daniel tells me on a daily basis how “cracking (this is an English term I guess)” my rack and backside are (teehee! Mom if you’re reading this, try not to blush, so just do it!! eeeek! In came the nerves! People… Ann and I live on the BACKSIDE of the camera… not the other way around!! So onto the internet I went in search of flattering outfits, hair styles, make up, etc. Once I got my glam team (a HUGE thank you to Natalie and Angelisa at Artistry SpaSalon), it was the day of my shoot. I was so nervous!! WHY?? We do this every week for girls and tell them how NOT to be nervous, and they’ll love it, and the outcome is fabulous, and the thing is… we MEAN it! We get girls of all ages and sizes in our studio, and EVERY single one of them leaves us with a huge grin on her face wanting to do another shoot! Why in the world was I nervous?? I suppose it’s just natural… I mean you are about to get in your skivvies in front of a CAMERA…that would be nerve racking for anyone I assume.
So into my first outfit I got and my wonderful friend and biz partner Ann, and another friend of ours, Noelle, started primping me and telling me what to do. Immediately, my nerves went away and I forgot about what kind of outfit I was in, and just started having fun! MAN! I did NOT realize how hard some of the poses we did were!! I now feel a little guilty for making our clients do some of these, but not a one of them ever complained. Me on the other hand… I was like… you want me to bend what? Like what? OW! I can’t really explain to you how fun it was. I just remember laughing…a lot… swearing a little, and feeling 100% beautiful and confident about myself. Ann and Noelle took care of me the whole time and only put me in poses that were flattering to ME. They made me feel comfortable the whole time. I really had a blast! After the session we of course immediately downloaded them and I LOVED them! I have never looked like that before and the thing was, it was all me. A little enhanced with great hair and makeup, and fabulous lighting and photography, but that girl looking back at me, was ME. I’ve never felt prettier, sexier, confident… fabulous.
The thing I took away from my shoot was that every girl should do one how they are today. We get a lot of calls and inquiries saying they’re going to do one, but they want to wait till they lose 10 more lbs or tone up, or whatever. I say, do it how you are today. If you’re going to lose the weight for the long haul, great. But if you’re just losing it for the shoot, why would you want to lose it, do the shoot, gain it back, and then look at your pictures down the line and think “man I was skinny back then
” and be all sad and discouraged when you look at them? I say, do it NOW. In the body that you’re most likely going to have for awhile. That way, when you look at them, you can say “Wow! I am gorgeous just the way I am, and HERE IS THE PROOF!!” At least that’s what I think
Ann’s story
And forgive me if I start rambling and not making any sense!! I am not the best at describing exciting moments
Not a cure for my insecurities but definitely an eye opener to seeing that beauty lies somewhere in my soul…I just have to find what it is that makes me feel beautiful! Over 3 years I watched all these women come in for their session and ROCK IT out and the outcomes were almost contagious! Every woman that came in here wanted to feel beautiful and that is exactly what happened…I wanted that…I wanted to feel the beauty in myself that they were experiencing. It didn’t matter the shape, color, scars, stretchmarks, age (you get my point!) of any of these women…They were fearless and made me have more confidence than you will EVER know to do my session!…BRAVO to all our clients…EACH and every single one of them are so amazing So with a little nudging from Jen and Brandon’s 30th birthday coming up…I said ok!!!!! I tried to think if I was nervous the day of and I have to honestly say I wasn’t…not in the least bit because I knew Jen was going to take care of me and make me feel amazing! I mean after all, that is what we are known for so why be nervous?!?! I started having my hair done and oh yeah, I did extensions I always wanted them and said if I ever did one that I was going ALL out…so yeah baby…now I really want my hair that long ALL the time! And then came makeup…whoa!…amazing how hair and makeup can make you feel so confident, beautiful, and excited. I highly recommend professional hair and makeup…don’t skimp on it! Our studio had been working on new sets and I got the be the first on 2 of them…so exciting! It was exactly what I wanted and envisioned the outcome would be…a good mix of soft, pale, simple, elegant photos with some colorful, rich, and dramatic ones as well. And best of all…I LOVE, LOVED, and STILL LOVE THEM!!! Eeeeeek!! So if there ever comes a time I start to doubt myself and feel negative…I will always go back to those pictures and say, “I am beautiful” and here is the proof
6 comments