Getting real... the next step for Breathless Boudoir.
Introducing: REAL sessions!
(There’s an insane deal at the bottom of this post… read on!!)
For the past 10 years (has it really been that long?) Breathless Boudoir has gone through many iterations of itself, each one bringing me closer and closer to authenticity both in myself and in my clients. When we first started Breathless Boudoir… (fun history, my ex husband, Max Trombly, and I started it together. He’s now in New Orleans creating fine art with families: https://www.maxtromblyfineart.com/)… we did what Max and I referred to as “Bubblegum Boudoir”. It was all about the lingerie, shoes, accessories, and fancy poses. For some reason we thought we had to fit into the box of what the genre of boudoir photography was. The photos were awesome, but they weren’t us. So we put away the cheesy smiles and went for a more introspective feel.
The next stage of Breathless Boudoir was when I took over the business and ran full speed towards women’s empowerment! I focused on representing women who may not fit the media’s representation of what ‘beautiful’ is. I started showcasing curvy clients and women who weren’t just in their 20’s. It stopped being about the material things, the lingerie & accessories, and started being all about the woman I was photographing and the love and connection in couples. I started getting back to my roots and doing more fine art work, which is where I started in photography. Then after moving to Virginia and falling in loooove with the outdoors here, I added outdoor photography to my repertoire. My heart and soul ignited with inspiration!
Each of these steps lit a fiery passion in me.
And now it’s time to take another step.
This is the part where it gets really real for me, and sharing this feels vulnerable, but here goes. I pour every ounce of my being into every single photoshoot I do. Working to help empower other people constantly can be exhausting. Even though I love every second of what I’m doing, I’ve been feeling my cup running low. Doing this for 10 years… I got burnt out.
**Side note - It feels vulnerable for me to admit that I’ve been burnt out because I’m afraid that if you know that I got burnt out, you’ll think less of me, or worry that I’m not professional. Eek! (>.<)
So I started looking at why that’s the case, because burnout happens for me when I’m not being true to some part of myself. I’ve been asking the big questions of who I am in my personal life and working hard to celebrate all the many facets of myself that make up who I am. I crave that same kind of celebration of wholeness in my photography work as well. I feel like with boudoir photography I’m looking through a peephole at a very small section of human authenticity, the part that has to do with sexuality. Yes, we’re sexual beings, but we’re also so so much more in addition to that! We all have sooo many different aspects of our lives that make us so beautifully us in addition to our sexuality!
I want to create photographs that are as real and close to the truth as possible, and that celebrate all the many facets of you. I want to create a time capsule with you that you can look back 10, 20, 30 years from now and be able to feel and remember the you that you were when we took these photos. I want real, heartfelt emotions. Natural poses. An environment that reflects who YOU are. I want you to be wearing what you feel the best in, and sitting in your coziest spots that are familiar to you. I want you to put on your favorite music (and I’ll pray that it’s not Justin Bieber… except for maybe that one song I don’t know the name of but can’t help but dance to…) and move through your space in a way that you would on one of your best days if no one were looking… or if your lover were watching. You can dance in your favorite underwear or cozy up in your favorite sweater to read. Snuggle with your partner or your cat. Practice yoga or play music, cook a meal, drink coffee… whatever your favorite things to do are! My goal is to create an experience with you that brings out the best parts of yourself so that you’ll remember who you are when you need it the most, so you’ll have a visual reminder to continue to inspire you to strive to be the person you want to be.
These ‘REAL sessions’ will be available starting in March. They’ll take place in your home or your favorite place. We’ll start with an in depth consultation to get a loose idea (but not a plan) of what direction you want to go in for your shoot, what feelings you’d like to portray, what you’ll wear, what you’ll do, etc. On the day of your shoot I’ll show up and we will basically be hanging out, chatting, drinking tea and leaving space for inspiration to show up (my favorite way to work!). It can be whatever you want it to be, whether that’s super sexy and you’re wearing lingerie or nude, or if you’re wearing your comfy sweats and just hanging out in your space.
