A powerful boudoir session with M

Planning a boudoir session at my Minneapolis studio felt well outside of M’s comfort zone, yet a strong part of her knew she would be grateful if she did it. 

In our initial planning meeting, M shared that she is one of those moms who has always been behind the camera documenting her family’s life, so she has very few photos of herself. A lot of moms have shared this sentiment with me over the years! Inspired by a colleague of hers who had worked with me, M wanted to take an intentional moment for herself and create a visual record of who she is in this mid-life chapter. She wanted her portraits to feel authentic and for her to see herself as beautiful.

M’s positive boudoir review

Afterward, she felt so proud of herself for going through with the photoshoot and taking this time for herself! She also shared these inspiring words about her experience: 

“It’s tough to encapsulate everything I want to say in a succinct paragraph, so for now I’m going to provide phrases. My boudoir experience… was EMPOWERING; is something I’ll always treasure; allowed me to appreciate - and celebrate -  who I am, now; felt like an apology to my past self for all of the time I spent hiding from the camera; was perfect, I loved everything about it; allowed me to see myself as a work of art; made me cry (in a good way!); felt absolutely liberating and therapeutic; was an incredible gift to myself.”

M’s Dear Body portraits

As a participant in my Dear Body project, M wrote a stunning letter to herself that I incorporated into some of her portraits. Her letter is honest, heartfelt, vulnerable, and full of tenderness.

Empowering boudoir portraits in Minneapolis