Sometimes even boudoir veterans get nervous. Hell, I’ve seen some of my clients 5 or 6 times and the nerves are still around. Boudoir photography is my JOB and I get nervous getting in front of the camera for my boudoir sessions. Nerves don’t always go away with experience, but as you’ll read in this client interview they definitely disappear throughout the session and evolve into excitement, appreciation, and confidence toward who you are! 

I loved reading through her responses and reaction to her boudoir session with me. When we were planning her session I knew that we would hit it off creatively. She already knew the gist of how a boudoir session operates, and so the majority of our planning was selecting the style of imagery (and a wardrobe that would compliment that style). Hearing how much her husband loved the images was amazing, but really the best part was having HER love all that we created. 

Read on to experience what she did in her own words,

Sarah

1) How old are you... or if you prefer, what music were you listening to at age 14?

        Im 31 years old. When I was 14 I was all over the place with my music! HA! I loved me some Usher! I would jam out all the time to, You Remind Me, You Got It Bad, pretty much all the songs on that 8701 album! Music was so good during that time, I also jammed out Ja Rule! Jennifer Lopez, the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, Missy Elliot, Nickelback, gosh I could go on!

2) What does a typical day look like for you?

        Well, I stopped working in my career about 5 years ago to help my husband. I have a degree in Health and Science with concentration in Radiology so I used to work in hospitals and clinics taking x-rays. Currently, I am the marketing director for our businesses and also accounting manager.

3) What prompted you to consider booking a boudoir session?

        I guess sometimes you just get a wild hair and feel the need for some sexual pics! HA! Really it had been over 6 years since my first boudoir shoot! My husband encouraged me a lot to do it, not only for him but for myself. Since my last shoot I felt like I had grown and molded into this new person and wanted to tap into what that person had become.

4) Fears and hesitations are super common when it comes to boudoir. What fears or hestiations (if any!!) did you have before your boudoir session?

        I guess since this was my second shoot I didn't have any fear or hesitations about doing it. Thank God! My first shoot I was so nervous and had no fucking clue what I was doing, however, now that I have had a session with you I feel like the photographer could have done a way better job making me feel comfortable and guiding me into poses etc. This time around if I was concerned with anything it was making sure I was expressing my sexiality in the manner I envisioned. Picking the clothes, scenes, etc. Once I got all my outfits I cleared my head and went  into this shoot with a different mindset which allowed me to just have fun and forget about what I had on and how my body looked and hair etc. Sarah you really are so much fun to work with and you have this way about you that makes it feel like we've known each other forever. Your guidance through the poses were amazing, you knew how to help move me to positions that complimented my body and face. The pictures you took were the prettiest I've ever felt, and I think as women we are our own worst critics and are so damn hard on ourselves, but I can truly say that I liked all the pictures you took and never felt so sexy! My husband is in love with them!

5) Thank you so much for choosing OWN!! What was it about OWN boudoir that made you choose us?

        As I was researching photographers, for over a year i'll add, I was most captivated by the way you used the lighting. I was drawn to the dark lighting and thought it was so hot! I also loved that you did different styles of boudoir and could really just make it custom to what you want.

6) How was the actual session different from what you expected?

        The session blew my mind! I had no idea it was going to be so badass! I felt so comfortable with you and had the most fun! I honestly can't wait to come back and do another one!

7) What was your favorite part of the entire experience?

        Wow, so I feel like the experience takes you through a roller coaster of feelings. I mean who doesn't like getting their hair and makeup done! That was awesome!  I also feel like that is a great time to get to know each other and chat(maybe have some champs :) I will say that during the shoot I had this feeling of calmness come over my body which allowed me to just go with flow and allowed my body to just do whatever it felt doing, that was an amazing feeling. It's hard to be stark naked and feel that way, lol. Then once the shoot was over waiting for the images is so hard! But def worth the wait! I was blown away by the images and so was anyone that saw them! I swear I looked at them a thousand time and still look back at them!

8) How has the response been to your images?

        Well anyone who saw the images their minds were blown! I have a girlfriend who is a professional photographer and was blown away at the lighting and images.

9) What is your advice (other than JUST DO IT!) that you have for other women interested in a boudoir session?

        Oh gosh I wish every woman would do this atleast once in their life. I swear you get this feeling of empowerment that just feels so damn good. Yes, having this done for your significant other is probably what initiates wanting the shoot done, however, that completely changes once you are in the moment and you have your images. Hell, I look back at my images still and think,  damn thats me! It's the right thing to do, so just think of all the positivity that can come from it and don't let the negatives over power because I promise once your done it'll be the right decision.

10) What has changed about the way you see your OWN beauty?

        CONFIDENCE!!! It's so important to believe in yourself. We are capable of so many amazing things in our life and all of its controlled by our mindset. If we have a negative mindset or surround ourselves with negative people we will start to become negative as well. Once I cleared out all the negative people and things in my life I became so much more confident in myself which allowed me to be a better person on the inside. I feel like you have to love yourself first before loving someone else. I chose to start believing in myself and being confident in my decisions which led me to feel a different kind of pretty.

When your boudoir session acts as a step toward loving your self above all else

Reading through the personal interviews of my clients is one of my favorite parts about their boudoir experience. Each client's story is as different as their personalities, and each client's goal is as different as their lingerie style. When reading through this lovely woman's interview I was reminded of a thought that so often prevents us from existing happily and confidently in our lives. So many of us walk through life being our own worst critic. We over-analyze our side profiles, we pay too much attention to our pores, we've convinced ourselves that our mouth "does a weird thing" when we smile, and we can't get out of social media unscathed with the constant comparing of ourselves to every one else. 

Reading through this interview made me so excited and impressed that my client's approach to her boudoir session was to "silence [her] inner critic". She came into her session anxious as ever (and we quickly decided to use the word "excited" instead of anxious!). Through the hair and makeup process and the posing I saw her come alive in her OWN way, and finally be proud to see herself in her images. For me, I feel selfishly rewarded.... kind of in an "I told you so!!!" way. But really, I am so proud of her and honored that I was one of the steps on her journey to evict her inner critic. 

Read on and take one step to silence your inner critic today, too.

-Sarah

 1) How old are you... or if you prefer, who were you listening to at age 14 :)?

I'm 29

2) What do you do for a living?

I am a student studying computer science

3) What/who made you decide to book a boudoir session?

I wanted to have a snapshot of how my body looked and how I felt at this particular moment in time. I've been quick to judge and hate on literally any/all pictures of me immediately after they were taken, only to come back and look at those same pictures years later and be shocked that those "horrible" pictures of have actually been quite flattering all along. So I wanted to silence that inner critic once and for all and get some phenomenal pics of me taken. 

4) Did you have any obstacles or fears about boudoir?

My main obstacle was making all of the decisions leading up to the photoshoot, especially finding inspo pics and picking out outfits. Fortunately, everyone at OWN was super helpful and were always a quick phone-call or text message away! Whew! 

5) Why did you choose OWN? 

I love how unique each of the boudoir sessions on the OWN blog are; none of OWN's images I found while I was researching felt cookie-cutter to me. I knew I wanted classy and timeless pictures, and that was definitely the vibe I picked up while I was scrolling through the blog and instagram. 

6) How was the actual session different from what you expected (if at all)?

The session was laid-back and fun straight from the get go! I was initially nervous about how I was supposed to pose since I've never done anything like this before. But Sarah was so precise in telling me how to move my body that those went away quickly. 

7) What was your favorite part of the entire experience? (priming, the shoot, seeing images, giving the images..etc)

Definitely seeing the final images was my favorite aspect of it. Seeing those pics for the first time and knowing that all the planning and preparation paid off! 

8) How has the response been to your images?

Super positive :) 

9) What is your advice for women interested in such a session?

If you're interested you should do it! I'd been following OWN for years on instagram and always thought I'd do a photoshoot once I lost some weight or once I get a new job or some other excuse; we will always find a reason to not do something. It can be empowering to put those excuses aside and do the thing anyway.  

10) Did anything change about the way you see your own beauty as a result of this session?

 Absolutely! Seeing these pics made me realize that the "flaws" on my body I always seem to notice don't get picked up by the camera or by other people. I'm kinder to myself.