What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before My First Boudoir Shoot
I had no idea what I was doing before my first boudoir shoot. I was actually never planning on even doing a session. I was there to support a friend who was doing it, but then I ended up doing it too. So I didn’t have a heads up. No tips or tricks. No one said, "hey, here's what you're about to walk into." I just showed up, super nervous, with no idea what to expect. And honestly? Looking back, I kind of love that. But also, I wish I had known a few things first.
So consider this your heads up.
You're going to have no idea what to do with your hands.
And that's completely fine because that's literally my job. I will tell you exactly where to put them, and I'll even demonstrate first so you can laugh at me. But just know going in that everyone feels this way. You’re not the awkward one. You’re just human.
You're going to feel nervous for about the first ten minutes. And then something shifts.
And I can tell you exactly when. It's the moment I turn the back of my camera around and show you what I'm seeing. Because what's staring back at you is you! Raw, unedited, straight out of camera. No retouching, no filters, nothing. Just you, exactly as you are. And she is stunning, girl! That's the moment everything changes. Something unlocks, and the nervous person who walked through the door is suddenly gone. Good riddance!
The photos are going to make your jaw drop.
Not because I worked some kind of magic. But because what you'll see on the back of my camera is just simply you. When you see yourself through someone else’s lens, through my lens, it’s just different. And I know you don't believe me right now. That's okay. You will.
You're going to want to show everyone.
Your best friend. Your sister. Possibly a stranger at a bar in Vancouver (ask me about that sometime or check out my blog from 2/13/25). The urge to share is real because the photos make you feel like a goddamn revelation and you're going to want witnesses.
It's going to stay with you way longer than you expect.
This is the one I really wish someone had told me. I thought I was just going to get some fun photos. I didn't realize I was going to walk out of that shoot carrying myself differently. I didn't realize it was going to quietly rewire something in me. I didn't realize it was going to change the way I spoke to myself in the mirror, the way I showed up in relationships, the way I showed up at work, the way I walked into a room.
I really, really wish someone had told me that part.
Because if I had known all of this going in? I would have done it a hell of a lot sooner.
So now you know. You're welcome. 😉