Why I Shoot Boudoir Photography
Sometimes I find it hard to put into words why I shoot boudoir photography. To me, it is so much more than just pretty photos. It's about self-acceptance, body positivity, and art. It is about getting glammed up, being pampered and feeling like a boss! It's about the transformation that takes place between the time you walk in my studio and walk back out that door. It is about being seen as the beautiful person you are, and that is something I believe every person deserves.
I started shooting boudoir photography because I saw the beauty in everyone that came in our door. I believed I could show any person what I see through my camera. Women tell me they feel they can't look "that beautiful" because they feel too tall, weigh too much, or have too many stretch marks. I loved showing them the photos from their shoot and showing them that they CAN, in fact, feel beautiful. Seeing their reactions to their pictures changed me. From that moment on, I knew I had found my passion.
It was now my job to be a mirror for my clients. Not the mirror that the world shows you that shames you, but the one who sees past all of the lumps, bruises, and imperfections. The one that shows you your sparkle.
The Transformation
The transformation that takes place in our studio is the best part of the whole experience for me. When a woman arrives in my studio, most of the time she's nervous, sometimes even visibly nervous. Once they sit in the chair to get their hair and makeup done, the transformation begins. The signs and feelings of nervousness change into feelings of excitement.
Then the shoot starts. The first series is to get you all warmed up. When I show the client the back of the camera after the first series, I usually hear "OH MY GOD, that's me? NO WAY that's me!" As we go into the next series and then the next, the laughter and smiles start to come out. Then she starts to feel sexy. They sexy eyes come out. And you can tell that it's starting to click with them.
By the time we finish the session and go into the reveal, we're friends. We've just shared an experience that they will always remember. We've laughed and shared stories about our lives.
Once I show them their pictures on the big screen TV, their jaws drop. They see themselves like they never have before. This is one of the amazing things about boudoir photography. I get a chance to show them how I see them, how their spouse sees them, how they have felt on the inside but never seen on the outside. I can be their mirror. When they walk out that door, they’re smiling so big and they can't wait to tell all their friends about what they just did.
A Little Piece of My Story
I didn't quite grasp the gravity of what I was accomplishing for women until a few years ago when my husband and I were struggling in our relationship. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what the problem was but I knew how I was feeling. I didn’t feel loved. I didn’t feel valued.
I have always been a “big girl” growing up. I understand how it feels to be invisible. Society doesn’t value us like the rest. I came to the realization that I was starting to feel the same way in my marriage. Slowly we worked on our relationship. We made it a point to make each other our first priority in life. We read the popular book about love languages and used it to reconnect. It was eye opening to see that touch was my second love language, even though I pushed my husband’s hands away from my rolls and flab because I felt ugly. Every time he told me I was beautiful, I mentally rejected it. The problem wasn’t how he made me feel; the problem was how I felt about myself.
Here I was showing women how beautiful they are, but I couldn’t see it in myself. It’s hard to change years of brain washing with society telling you you’re not pretty enough everywhere you look. I said enough! I decided to change how I mentally spoke to myself. I accepted my husband’s compliments when he told me I was sexy. I immersed myself in body positive social media. I wore lingerie to bed. I stopped covering up at the pool.
Whenever I look at another woman, I don’t see her flaws, I see her beauty. I don’t see cellulite and stretch marks, I see confidence and joy for life. If I can see that in other women, why couldn’t I see that in myself? And it clicked. Why don’t I talk to myself the way I talk to others? I wish I could say that everything changed from that point on but it’s a constant struggle.
I think we all have the same struggle to accept ourselves the way we are. That is how I want everyone who walks through my door to feel: accepted. I want you to leave feeling beautiful because you are beautiful. I want you to feel valued. I want you to feel seen, not invisible.
For me, boudoir photography is a celebration of your body and who you truly are. I take pride in being able to help show women how to celebrate their bodies, their battles and their victories. Let me help remind you how to love and be proud yourself.
Let me show you what I see, so you can start seeing it too.
Interested in booking your boudoir experience with us?
Call or Text me at 214-393-7673 or email me at robbie@alemanphotos.com
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Our women’s only group on facebook is where we as women can come together to encourage and support each other though our self love journey. This is also where we share the latest happenings at Aleman Boudoir.
