S found me through a friend of hers who was a past client, and though she had been interested in doing a boudoir session for some time, she kept asking herself, “when will be the right time?” When S reached out to me, she was in a season of life where she was celebrating some big professional and personal accomplishments. She had found some spaciousness in her life to pause, look around, and say “I’m really proud of myself.” She decided this was the right moment to do a boudoir session to help her celebrate the joy and strength she felt in this life chapter.

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirKiki BurgdorfApril 3, 2023

A tender, organic motherhood boudoir session for M

M is a past client who I photographed several years ago for a boudoir session. Since then, M has been through several big life changes including getting married, moving and living in multiple places, and most recently, having a baby! Wanting to document these impactful chapters in her life, especially becoming a mom, M reached out to me to schedule a motherhood boudoir session. While M is trying to keep her baby’s digital footprint minimal, she gave me permission to share the more anonymous baby portraits from her session.

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirKiki BurgdorfMarch 20, 2023

Unapologetically me: A’s vibrant, dramatic outdoor boudoir session at Black Beach

A is a client I’ve worked with several times before, reaching out to me about once a year to schedule a session to document the prominent themes in her life at that time. Her first session had posed, self-reflective energy. Her second session was outdoors at Tettegouche State Park and had an effortless and epic vibe. For A, 2022 was a year filled with self-discovery and empowering change, so she wanted this third session to capture her feeling confident, unencumbered, and “unapologetically me.”

Marisa’s creative and bold boudoir session

One of the highest compliments I receive as a photographer is having a past client want to come back and work with me again to document a new chapter of their life. Marisa is one such client, and I’m thrilled to share her portraits today! I met Marisa back in 2020 when I photographed her first boudoir session, which was part of the “In Their Own Skin” series where clients reflected in their own words on their boudoir experiences. I was delighted to work with her again, in a totally different season of life.

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirKiki BurgdorfFebruary 20, 2023

Documenting change, celebrating love: Elizabeth’s maternity boudoir session

It's a time of year when we celebrate love in all its forms, and I am so excited to share Elizabeth’s maternity boudoir session. Elizabeth reached out to me during her pregnancy to schedule a session before she delivered her baby. She wanted to document the meaningful changes that her heart and body were going through during her pregnancy. Her portraits capture the many forms of love she was nurturing in this season of life as she anticipated and prepared for motherhood, including a growing reservoir of self-love.

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirKiki BurgdorfFebruary 14, 2023

Celebrating N’s courage, authenticity, and joy

Many of my clients choose to do a boudoir session as a gift to themselves to celebrate their strength, to document their current season of life, or just to practice radical self-love. N chose to do a boudoir session for these reasons, and I’m so excited to share her story and her photos today!
Here’s how she reflected on her session: ”My experience was exactly what I wanted - a settling into myself filled with vibrancy, joy, and empowerment. There's something magical about knowing someone is dedicated to helping you be your most authentic and beautiful self for a few hours. I wish everyone could have this experience - it's life changing!”

Walking the walk: M’s powerful self-love portraits

M found her way to a boudoir photoshoot first by watching her friend go through the process. She saw how impactful the experience was for her friend and became curious about experiencing it herself! Also, as someone who works in a caregiving profession empowering others to live with self-compassion, M was excited to have an opportunity to gift herself a photoshoot and send some radical love back to herself. In her words, “I wanted to walk the walk” of self-love.

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirKiki BurgdorfJanuary 9, 2023

Anne's romantic outdoor boudoir session in Grand Marais

When Anne and I started planning her boudoir session, she shared a really beautiful intention for her photoshoot experience. We were talking about the feeling and energy she wanted her portraits to have, and she said that she wanted to use her boudoir session to embrace her soft and romantic side. “I already know that I’m strong”, she shared with me, explaining that she had spent part of her career as a nature guide had a solid sense for both her inner strength and physical strength, “but I don’t often give myself the chance to see my sensual, soft, romantic side… and I want to see it.”

Outdoor Boudoir Photography, Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirAlyssa L-KOctober 18, 2022

"A liberating way to shed toxic diet culture" -- a boudoir session for S

S brought incredible intentions into her boudoir session - she wanted to use her photoshoot experience as a ‘liberating way to shed toxic diet culture’ and to document and appreciate her body. She wanted her portraits to feel natural, romantic and confident.

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirAlyssa L-KSeptember 19, 2022

M's compassionate, romantic boudoir portraits

As we talked about what she wanted to capture in these portraits, M reflected on how much she has changed in the ten years since her previous session; she talked about the confidence she has gained and how proud she is of herself and the life she has created. She wanted her portraits to feel romantic and special, while also capturing her relaxed and easygoing side.

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirAlyssa L-KSeptember 14, 2022

Cat's joyful, grounded boudoir portraits

In Cat’s words: “ I think my takeaway for all of you is that boudoir photography is a great way to meet yourself and your body in a really specific way. I haven't done anything else that has helped repair the broken bridge in the same way that this has. The whole point of a boudoir session is to cultivate more self-love.”

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirAlyssa L-KAugust 22, 2022

J’s sunrise boudoir session on the Minnesota north shore

When we first talked about her vision for this session, J shared that she wanted her pictures to feel romantic and confident and grounded, with an easygoing and natural energy. The three words she kept coming back to were: soft, calm, and peaceful.

C’s stunning outdoor boudoir session full of self-compassion

C loved the idea of using this photoshoot as a way to slow down and to be fully present with himself. He talked about wanting to create art that would capture this season of life, while giving himself space to take a deep breath, feel vulnerable and open, and welcome in self-compassion.

K’s joyful, confident boudoir portraits

K’s session was years and years in the making! She knew someone who did a boudoir session with me years ago, and had been following me for a long time, thinking, “Someday, I might do a session!” Then she recently got engaged, and for her that was the perfect motivation to finally make a boudoir session happen!

While K was so excited to gift these portraits to her future spouts, she realized while preparing for the photoshoot that she was most excited to do this session for herself.

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirAlyssa L-KJuly 18, 2022

Anonymous portraits from a soft, joyful boudoir session

When this client booked her boudoir session, she said that she was coming into a time of her life that felt really good. She's been on a journey of learning to be herself unapologetically and is deeply enjoying the life she’s crafting for herself. She never wants to forget this time in her life, and she said that she wanted pictures that would “encapsulate her light” and the essence of who she is.

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirAlyssa L-KJune 22, 2022

Jawana’s joyful, confident, celebratory boudoir session

We really wanted these pictures to celebrate Jawanna and her incredible personality. She’s in a really exciting, powerful season of life, and I hope she always remembers how special this year was when she looks at these pictures. She wanted her portraits to feel confident, joyful, and full of life, and I think these pictures beautifully embody those vibes!

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirAlyssa L-KJune 14, 2022

“J’s” strong, natural, self-loving boudoir session

“J” loved the idea of documenting her body – what it has gone through for her, where it has carried her, and where it is right now. She wanted the style of her boudoir portraits to feel really strong. She’s so proud of who she is right now and wanted her pictures to show her strength while also feeling natural and beautiful.

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirGuest UserMay 23, 2022

“S’s” confident, feminine, sensual boudoir session

“S” told me that she hoped to create a combination of some portraits that felt feminine and beautiful and others that felt more dramatic and sensual. Overall, “S” really came alive in these portraits and they feel super authentic to her!

Boudoir portraits by Illuminate BoudoirGuest UserMay 16, 2022

Tips + Resources

for Planning Your session

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