Even if you don’t have one, must know what a bucket-list is. A collection of activities & experiences you want to have before you kick the proverbial bucket. Some have a list that runs pages and pages, others don’t even know what they want for lunch let alone what they want to do before they’re gone. Such a task could seem daunting and off-putting to many, but it doesn’t have to be and today we at Valkyrian Images wanted to do our part and help you decide on at least one thing that everyone needs to try out once, a boudoir shoot.
So, let’s start with the basics, shall we? What the heck is boudoir and why should you care? Well put it simply a boudoir photo-shoot is a style in which the subject is shot in a more intimate way than a traditional portrait, this usually involves partial clothing or even lingerie. But before you panic and start thinking your photos are going to end up on the cover of Playboy, let me assure you there are some very important differences between “those kind of photos” and boudoir. With that out of the way, lets begin.
1) Boudoir is for you, no one else.
This is very much the thesis of this blog post, a boudoir photo-shoot should leave you loving your photos, your photographer, and of course yourself. Now of course this is not to say a photo-book of your session wouldn’t make a great gift (its quite a popular thing for newlyweds, we’ve never heard any complaints from grooms so I’m sure they’re enjoying it). However, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s your decision to make and your gift to give. These photos aren’t going out to some big publication or website, they are your private possessions for your eyes (and any other’s you may choose) only. So many people, both men and women alike, carry with them this unfair societal pressure to act and appear a certain way. The nice thing about a boudoir shoot is that you aren’t the product, you’re the customer. Work with your photographer and let them know what is it that makes you feel confident, sexy, like no one can stop you and capture that in the photographs. You have no one to impress, no one to compete against, just an experience to enjoy and cherish for the rest of your life.
2) Boudoir makes a perfect addition to “Me Days”
Building off of the first idea, this experience is meant for you so why not make a day out of it? Going to the spa, get a massage, hair and make-up done to the 9’s, the art of treating yourself to something nice is one of the best ways for self-care. Rewarding yourself for all the hard-work you do is a must to keep motivated. After all that detoxing why not commemorate the occasion with a boudoir session? Spend the whole day getting pampered and treated like royalty, then cap it off with your own personal photo-op that makes you feel confidence, comfortable and sexy.
3) Boudoir is a real confidence booster
Its not hard to find reasons to get down on yourself. Pretty much anyone and everyone has some form of self-image issues, those are completely normal, but you don’t deserve to stay in that mind-set. Boudoir doesn’t discriminate, there is no such thing as “too old”, “wrong skin-tone”, “wrong size”, “wrong orientation” or “not what we are looking for”. You don’t need to have a “perfect body” to be the perfect boudoir model and have the perfect boudoir shoot. At the end of the day the sudden popularity spike for boudoir sessions really has its roots in the push for more body positivity. While your body or your self-image may not be where you want it to be (hardly anyone’s is!) its always important to be able to take a step back and appreciate you and your body for what you are. We’ve had numerous clients who have been anxious or uncomfortable with the way they see themselves but once they see the pictures we created together, its like they are reminded to love themselves. We just recently worked with some great boudoir models, both of which are full-time moms! And yet being a loving wife, a caring mother and a dedicated business-owner didn’t make any of their shots any less breath-taking. And we hope if they ever start to think that way, they can look back on those photos and be reminded just how great they are. Boudoir doesn’t live in to reinforce stereotypes and neither should you.
4) A Second Opinion always Helps
Boudoir doesn’t just act as a reminder of your inner beauty, but it puts on display your objective outer beauty. Photographers are trained to find the objective beauty in the subjects within their viewfinder and put it on display. So many people get lost within what they perceive as their imperfections they are completely blind to the objective beauty that they have to share. Boudoir allows for an objective 3rd person-perspective to find the beauty you may be blind to. Something you may have believed as your weakness the photographer may find is one of your strengths. As photographers ourselves, this has to be one of the greatest feelings we can offer a customer. So many people in the Buffalo, NY area think because they aren’t in New York, NY currently strutting down a runway they have no beauty to offer. Being able to show them just how wrong that assumption is, is a great feeling.
5) Makes for an Interesting Date night
Now this one is a little more fun and light-hearted than dealing with self-image issues, its the fact that boudoir shoots don’t have to be a solo act. Get your significant other in here and have a great time. We love doing this with couples because after that initial round of awkwardness (don’t worry it happens to pretty much all of us) the session is always full of jokes, laughter and memories. For a great example I’m thinking back to one of our more recent sessions with the ever-lovely Sarah Ash ( https://www.facebook.com/sarahxo716/) who was great on her own and managed to talk her non-model husband into joining the session. They were both fantastic, holding poses, cracking smiles, having an overall great time, and of course taking some awesome photos (Some of which you can check out in our portfolio: https://valkyrianimages.mypixieset.com/Boudoir/). Boudoir may be a little out of the ordinary when you think of date nights, but it’s great for new couples as well as ones who have been together forever. Guaranteed to leave you with more memories than another dinner and a movie.
6) It’s not just a binary
The majority of boudoir clients are women, that’s no secret. But that shouldn’t stop men and any other people of various genders from slipping into a little bit of confidence themselves. Like we said previously, Sarah’s husband did great, we even ended up taking some solo shots of him that came out fantastic (and Sarah seemed to really appreciate them). That just goes to show, boudoir is for anyone and everyone. Even non-binary and gender non-conforming people are free, able and should be encouraged to partake in such a great activity. While I can’t speak for every boudoir photographer in the Buffalo, NY area I can say that here at Valkyrian Images when we say we want everyone to be able to slip into some confidence, we truly and wholeheartedly mean everyone.