Boudoir

This will be a short but sweet rant about the concept of boudoir photography and what it is to me as a photographer and a woman.

I find that when I first begin to discuss my boudoir portraiture with somebody, there are a lot of preconceptions and hesitations around the topic. Most people are enamored with my work or boudoir in general but are almost ashamed to be so. And I think this lies within the American puritanical roots that tell women to be ashamed of their bodies, desires, and selves. I won't go into this issue because plenty of people have talked about it in a far more thorough and sophisticated way than I would.

In these conversations I always take the opportunity to share how I define boudoir portraiture and how it is not something to be ashamed of. A woman's body has been warped and picked apart by the male gaze for thousands of years. Honestly, we have not made it as far as I would have hoped for humanity at this point. But I realize that I can and should contribute to redefining the genre for all the women who wish to be documented in this way.

In my practice, boudoir is, at its core, an act of self-love and capturing it. Boudoir is not inherently sexual or provocative. It is as simple as documentation of an attempt to love one's self. No one is perfect at it, but the intent and desire to love oneself is what I aim to capture in my sessions. It's not about the poses or the clothing or the even the final images. Sexuality can play into self-love for many women, which is something that is also shamed by our culture and popular media. But each session is unique to the person I am working with. And I bring this intention and care to every session I do with someone.