What the heck is Boudoir?

"Boudoir." (pronounced "bu-dwar")... "A woman's private sitting room, dressing room, or bedroom." 1777, "room where a lady may retire to be alone," from Fr., lit. "pouting room," from bouder "to pout, sulk," which, like pout, is probably of imitative origin. In the photography world, boudoir is: cute/classy/cutting-edge photos of your female clients (brides and wives- intended to give as a gift to her hubby). I know that in the past, boudoir has had some weird connotations in this industry, (either creepiness, cheesiness, or 80's-style glamour shots... a la Deb's glamour shots from Napoleon Dynamite). But currently, boudoir is getting a new look. In my opinion, it's becoming the next hot thing in the industry, and the demand is SO huge right now! I know a lot of people have questioned why I choose to shoot boudoir photography, wondering if it's sort of a strange thing to do (as a Christian woman)... and so here's my stance on the issue. I LOVE helping women realize how beautiful they are! I love that through this experience, women get a renewed sense of confidence. I love that I can help spark a little romance between a husband and wife. I never would have thought I'd like to shoot boudoir sessions, but when Marissa (owner of Woman Captured) asked if I wanted to try it out, I decided to go for it. And surprisingly, after my first shoot, I was completely hooked. The greatest thing about this job is to hear my clients say "Oh my gosh, I'm so gorgeous!" :) I love capturing that beauty in a woman- no matter what shape or size she is. And I love trying to fight society's crazy views of what we as women need to look like in order to be beautiful. Women do NOT need to fit into a certain size jeans, wear the latest fashions, or try to squeeze into the mold our society has created. This issue runs deep in my heart, because I know what it feels like to hear "you're not beautiful enough" ... or tall enough or skinny enough or whatever... (fill in the blank)... as women, we've all heard messages like this; and I just love being able to show women that they are absolutely stunningly beautiful, just as they are!

Ok, so I guess I'm a little passionate about this issue. ;) Getting back to my opinion on boudoir photography. Our boudoir studio (Woman Captured) strives to create classy, fun images for a wife to give her husband, and I think that this is something that completely aligns with my faith. Our mission statement really reflects our hearts' desire for this business: "Our God grants us beauty and love everyday. He gives us strength and wisdom to create a life that will benefit those around us and those he asks us to help and give to abundantly. He gives us the resources and creativity to create a classy and romantic piece of art that ignites confidence and excitement in a bride or wife and reinforces beauty in a woman and romance in a couple. With praise and deep gratitude we thank God everyday for the blessings He gives to us. We have nothing to fear because Christ Jesus sustains us."

About six months ago, Marissa and I decided to create some resources for other professional photographers who want to add boudoir to their list of services. Thus, we began "The Boudoir Divas". And let me just tell you, the past few months have been insane! Like whirlwind, roller-coaster, better hold on for dear life kind of insane. We really had no idea that this concept would take off like it has, but it's been SO exciting! I know I've been slacking in posting images, and this is why. In just a few weeks, we're releasing our brand new BOOK all about boudoir photography! We've also got tons of [unexpected/absolutely awesome] stuff lined up for The Boudoir Divas in the coming months: workshops, speaking at photography conferences, getting published in some national magazines... the list just keeps getting bigger. I don't know what else is going to happen, but I'm excited to see what God's going to do with this. What a fun adventure!