M.'s Textural, Gratitude-filled Boudoir Photos

M wanted to use her boudoir portraits to “walk the walk.” As a healthcare professional, she’s often encouraging her patients to focus on what their bodies are capable of, to have gratitude for what they can do rather than dwelling on the negative. And, while M had been interested in boudoir for a while, she thought that boudoir wasn’t for her, that she would never have the confidence in her body to do a session.

But the more she matured in her life and work, the more she saw that she needed to focus on the positive for her own body too. More than anything she wanted her boudoir experience to be celebratory and empowering, so when she came across my work, she knew she had found the right photographer for this journey. And I was so excited to work with her!!

When we started talking about the qualities M wanted to highlight in her photos, she shared that she wanted her photos to capture the depth of her personality. To not just be sexy or romantic or light hearted, but to incorporate a collection of moods for portraits that highlighted the rich complexity of her whole self.

We worked together to craft a wardrobe for the session that would give photos variety and depth while drawing focus to M’s favorite things about herself. M had a beautifully creative eye for texture and brought not only interesting and detailed wardrobe pieces, but also a blanket from home to add to the cozy, personal feel we created in the studio.

One of the super-talented artists from SM Hair and Makeup was on hand to create these soft, tumbling waves in M’s hair and execute her vision for natural makeup that felt comfortable and relaxed.

M loves her arms and her shoulders, and I especially love how the delicate, simple straps on this classic black bra frame her collarbones. And, to create more strong lines in her portraits, I guided her through this pose looking over her shoulder in her epic black bodysuit to highlight the confident flow in her arms and bring subtle attention to her shoulders.

M. thank you so much for including me on this empowering journey. I so so love that you took this moment to slow down, “walk the walk” and celebrate everything that you are and everything your body is in this moment!