Over my 15 years of photographing women, there are those stories that stay with me and make me realize that what boudoir photography does for some women is absolutely life changing. Often times, life saving. I know it sounds dramatic, but sometimes, when the things women carry for long periods of time stop serving them great purpose, they evolve. They let go. They embrace. They go with the flow. They change. Art can play a ginormous role in these shifts of experiences. Expressing yourself is one of the greatest powers we have. It is freeing. It is loud. It is emotional. And sometimes, it is necessary.
Women have come to me for many reasons, which I’ve covered in other blog posts. Divorce, marriage, grief, life changing health situations, and many other life altering events. Women have so much strength. So much power in themselves. Many take years to understand. And then there are those who have a firm grip on knowing the power they possess to barrel through the bullshit of the life situations they’ve been handed. These women have taught me so much. They trusted me with their stories and their emotions. They’ve shared with me things they’ve never shared with others. Their resilience has most definitely changed me over the last 15 years. But what sticks with me most, is how art and a boudoir experience can be so therapeutic. So necessary and so liberating. For both of us.
So when I talk about my work and how powerful it is, I truly mean it. Don’t get me wrong, most women come for a fun empowering experience, just because, and that is most importantly, the best reason to walk through the studio doors. My motto has always been, DO IT FOR YOU! No reason necessary. But those who have come to me with the big reasons, they live long in my memory. They reshape all the sessions after them. And they inspire me to be the best advocate for them that I can be. And I will never take that for granted.
