Sarah’s natural, feminine, powerful boudoir session

Sarah reached out to me after coming across my work online! She was really drawn to the idea of a boudoir session, and thought that it would be a wonderful way to celebrate herself. She recently went through a season in her life in which she has taken beautiful, intentional care of herself, and this photoshoot was such a wonderful way to celebrate and document that chapter. 

Sarah had amazing energy on her boudoir session day! She wanted her portraits to feel romantic and softer while holding a natural feminine energy. She told me that she didn’t want her portraits to feel “male gaze-y,” and that she wanted them to feel like they were for herself. I loved having this conversation with her – I am ALL about folks creating these amazing boudoir portraits for themselves. There’s something super powerful in that! 

Something she was nervous about: facial expressions!

One hesitation that Sarah shared about being photographed was not knowing what facial expressions to make! Sarah shared that back in high school when she had her senior pictures taken, she ended up only liking the pictures in which she was smiling and felt that the other expressions were a bit unnatural. She wanted to be making a variety of facial expressions in her boudoir portraits, and was a little nervous about how they’d turn out. 

This is super understandable – I actually hear this all the time from other clients (“what do I do with my face?!” or, "I've taken pictures before and felt like my expressions were awkward!"), and I promise all of my clients that I’ve got their back on this! I’ll always tell clients what sort of expression to make for each photo, and I’ll coach them into facial expressions that feel genuine to them and look great in their portraits. I love encouraging a variety of expressions in a client’s boudoir portraits, and I love helping clients feel comfortable achieving them. 

Sarah’s portraits ended up featuring a wide range of expressions: happy, grounded, peaceful, confident, and more. And she told me that she ended up loving them so much! 

Sarah’s boudoir wardrobe and portraits

Sarah wanted to use a few pieces from my studio wardrobe, which was so fun – I loved sharing them with her! Sarah brought along her own lacy bra and bottom set in a misty gray-blue color, as well as a pair of simple black underwear. Otherwise, Sarah wore some of the layering pieces I keep on hand to create simple, cozy, romantic outfits. 

We began the session with Sarah pairing a cozy gray cardigan from my studio wardrobe with the bra and bottom set she brought along. 

Next, Sarah paired her black underwear with an oversized white shirt from my studio wardrobe. The shirt drapes and flows so beautifully, and it feels really classic and organic at the same time. I love how the white shirt falls off her shoulder gently! These pictures feel confident and feminine and artistic to me. 

Finally, we ended the session with Sarah wearing a black lace robe from my studio wardrobe. It feels so romantic and elegant! 

Some of Sarah’s incredible words

"The photoshoot itself didn't change my feelings about myself, instead it was a celebration and a visual representation of work I have been doing on myself internally and externally.

“I felt the whole experience was a celebration of the entirety of my existence.

“Thank you for the care and intention that you have put into the entire experience. It was a day above and beyond my dreams and worth every penny. Thank you!" -Sarah 

Sarah, I am so grateful that you reached out to me about doing this boudoir session together! You brought such amazing, confident, self-loving energy into the studio, and it was so so fun to create these portraits with you. I hope our paths cross again someday – thank you so much for trusting me with your boudoir experience!