“Dear Body” Series

 In recent years, S has been on a journey toward exploring and embracing her true self, and she wanted her boudoir pictures to capture the self-awareness and depth she is cultivating in her life. She also wanted her pictures to capture different facets of her personality including some moments that felt relaxed and effortless, some moments that felt dramatic, sensual, and even “risque”, and some moments that just felt fun and flirty.

Jen is a client I’ve worked with for almost a decade, so when she arrived at my Minneapolis boudoir studio on the day of her session, we felt like old friends (and that feeling is one of my favorite parts of working with returning clients!). I photographed Jen’s first and second boudoir sessions years ago. Since then, I’ve worked with her multiple times through my other brand Alyssa Lund Photography to photograph her wedding and family sessions with her partner and young kids.

When M reached out to book her second boudoir session with me, she was in a new season of life. She was pregnant, and she was grieving a past pregnancy loss, and she wanted to do something kind for herself as a way of honoring what she had gone through and celebrating where she was now. She wanted her session to be about feeling beautiful, grateful, and cultivating love for herself and her body.

There is no one “right” reason to do boudoir, yet one of my favorite reasons to do boudoir is as a way of doing something beautiful for yourself - which is exactly why Amanda decided to book a session! Amanda wanted to celebrate herself with a powerful and self-loving gift, and on the day of her session, she arrived at my boudoir studio in Minneapolis with such grounded, creative energy. 

For her second boudoir session, which took place at my Minneapolis boudoir studio, S felt super excited about capturing artistic, creative, and playful portraits. S is a dancer and yoga practitioner, and she loved the idea of adding movement into her boudoir photoshoot. She also wanted to incorporate seasonal flowers into her session, so I found a medley of dahlias, marigolds, snap dragons, and zinnias from a local flower farmer that brought incredible warmth and texture into her session.

On the day of the boudoir session at my Minneapolis studio, I always like to start by checking in with clients and going over potential plans for the photoshoot. When Grace arrived, she shared that she still felt open to my creative guidance, and she had chosen an outfit she loved. She knew she wanted to wear a favorite pair of boxers with no top for her portraits, and she wanted her images to feel comfortable, easygoing, modern, and candid

Kelsey and I started her session by taking a series of figure detail and fine-art portraits in front of the luminous wall of windows in my Minneapolis studio. I also draped some flowy white tulle fabric from the studio rafters for some portraits, which accentuated the delicate, ethereal energy Kelsey envisioned. We wrapped up her session taking a series of portraits in front of my studio accent wall, which at the time was painted a deep, dusty pink.

On the day of her boudoir session, A and I first spent a little time talking through her outfit ideas and finalizing the plan for her photoshoot. A brought a pale pink, textured silk slip which she felt elegant and romantic wearing. A is someone who loves pastel, feminine colors, so she was really excited to see the rotating color wall in my Minneapolis studio as a soft shade of dusty-rose which complemented the pink hues in her slip beautifully!

On the day of her boudoir session, I chose two spaces in my South Minneapolis studio to photograph Kate– each creating a calm, minimalist style of photography. We started with Kate standing in front of a creamy white wall in my studio and incorporated a standing mirror into some portraits. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, these portraits feel introspective, calm, and self-loving.

When I met with Jordyn to plan her second boudoir session with me, she shared such an inspiring vision for her session: “I want to capture my strength and vulnerability, and my power as a woman.” Given how dominant cultural norms tend to dismiss the power in softness and vulnerability, I was so moved by Jordyn’s intention to amplify and celebrate the ways in which she embraces and embodies both softness and strength. 

Joyful, happy, and candid: these three words captured Kim’s vision for her boudoir session. Kim was in a really amazing season of life, and she wanted her photoshoot to celebrate the honest emotions of this chapter. Her photoshoot also took place mere days before she was heading off on an incredible, once in a lifetime trip she planned for herself, and that exuberance shines through so authentically in her portraits.

When planning her second boudoir session, J reflected on all that the past few years have held in her life, emphasizing how proud she is of what she has navigated and who she has become along the way. She wanted this boudoir photoshoot to feel like a holistic testament to her strength, integrity, and persistent joy. 

The first half of M’s session had a more classic boudoir photography feel. Wearing the red bra outfit in front of my gray lime wash wall, M looks confident, happy, and effortless. For the second portion of the session, M felt very drawn to my studio kitchenette. M loves to cook and drink coffee, so we did a series of lifestyle, candid-feeling boudoir photographs of her making a cup of coffee. M also sat on the countertop for a series of pictures, which radiate strength and empowerment.

When envisioning the types of boudoir photographs Madeline wanted to include in her session, she felt a gravitational pull to take more figure detail photographs and artsy, sculpture-inspired images. When looking back at her first boudoir session, right now she was really connecting with some of the artful portraits focused on body lines and movement. She felt so empowered to see her body in that way, so we chased that vision as the foundation of her second boudoir session.

As Annika and I started planning her second boudoir session with me, she felt filled with excitement, noticing that she didn’t have any hint of nerves or uncertainty as she understandably felt before her first session. While reminiscing on her first boudoir session, Annika shared how much she loved the portraits that captured her beaming and laughing – filled with genuine joy. This giggling, light-hearted energy is a theme that continues to resonate in her life, and she initially wanted her second session to feel effortless, candid, and full of joy while also integrating a soft and romantic aesthetic. 

Ashley had a clear vision for her maternity boudoir session. She wanted her portraits to feel confident, radiant, and peaceful. While her first session featured a ton of bright energy and wide-smiles, for this session Ashley wanted her portraits to capture the quiet joy and inner peace that has marked this time of becoming a mom. Her warm, self-loving energy shines through powerfully in both sessions. 

When planning her session at my Minneapolis boudoir studio, AmandaJean shared that although recent years have held both grief and beauty, she has arrived at a season of life where she feels a sense of strength and acceptance in her own skin. She wanted printed art that would help her remember and savor this time of feeling beautiful and at home with herself and her body. She envisioned candid, storytelling portraits that would capture the genuine emotions this season of life has held - including joy, reflectiveness, self-love, softness, gratitude, strength, resilience, and ease.

 It is such an honor to work with returning clients and help them document what has shifted, changed, or grown in their lives since their previous session. Hannah told me about the healing journey she has been on in recent years, working to align her life with her natural strengths and authentic intentions. She wanted her boudoir portraits to feel dramatic, bold, and artistic – capturing her resilience and bravery in this season of life.