Ava’s Soft and Romantic Boudoir Portraits

Ava decided to take the leap and do a boudoir session out of self-love after some encouragement from a friend. When we started planning for her session, we talked about her ideas for how she wanted her portraits to feel-- she wanted pictures that would feel “subtle sexy” and love how that translated into soft and romantic portraits with a hint of drama and depth. We had such a calm and relaxed day together.

Ava was a little nervous about her session, which is super common for people when they are being photographed, and even more so when they are wearing less clothing than normal. So many of my clients talk about feeling nervous before their boudoir sessions.

Even I always get super nervous when I have my picture taken, which feels really counterintuitive to me since photography is my professional industry. I tend to feel awkward and self-conscious in front of the camera and don’t know what to do with my hands.

My connection to that feeling has informed the way I have designed my photoshoot days. Everything about by the Illuminate Boudoir experience is structured around being as low-pressure, comfortable and relaxing as possible-- because I believe when my clients feel comfortable and good inside they will look good and confident on the outside.

When you walk into a boudoir session as one of my clients, you get to float through the day. You can arrive the day of your session knowing you are in good hands, there is space for you, and I’ll take care of the rest. You are not responsible for having pose ideas and you don’t need to practice. I will tell you where to put your hands, adjust your hair, direct your posture and demonstrate poses, while giving you options to let your style and personality shine through.

I have intentionally set up my boudoir session days to help you feel comfortable, safe, and confident. That’s why there is no set amount of time for sessions, and I block out the entire day for our time together. There’s time to pause and have some coffee or a snack and chill out, everything is at a calm pace.

During Ava’s session we reflected on how lovely it is to come into the studio and start with hair and makeup instead of jumping right into posing for pictures. She sipped on sparkling rose and had an hour or so buffer-time to be calm, find her center, and settle into the space. This time is really powerful and gives my clients a chance to process their day of self-love as it unfolds and step into themselves before their photoshoot begins.

Sarah from SM Hair + Makeup styled Ava’s long, thick hair in big, soft-textured curls that really brought out her highlights. Sarah kept Ava’s lip color pretty neutral, and gave her a smokey eye that drew attention to her eyes and added a lot of depth without being heavy.

Ava brought a great mix of outfits to her session. She had a flowy grey v-neck top that was super easy to pull to the side for an off-the-shoulder look and show off the tattoo that she loves. She paired the top with a pink bralette and black lace bottoms with a scalloped-edge to accentuate the curve of her hips. She also brought a black and white floral robe that she styled with a pink bra and underwear lingerie set that had a gold and metallic sparkle to them.

Beyond these pieces, Ava brought a white bodysuit with lace and dramatic neckline that felt really bridal to her and a textured black lace nightie. Ava got engaged two weeks before her session, so what started has a self-love gift for herself, ended up having a little hidden double meaning as a representation of being newly engaged.

When she saw her pictures that afternoon, Ava chose to create a beautiful album with her favorite portraits. She left her reveal standing 4 inches taller, full of energy and pride -- there was a sense of comfort and confidence about her.

Ava, thank you for taking the leap and gifting yourself a boudoir session. I had so much fun creating boudoir portraits with you. Your session was so calm, cozy and comfortable and I loved all the energy you brought into the studio.  I’m so grateful that we met! Thank you for everything.