First of all, Happy Valentines Day!
We’ve had the pleasure over the last couple of months to work with some wonderful talent, and one of the models we worked with surprised us with a wonderful Boudoir experience.
When people think of Boudoir photography, even in our day and age, they too often think of a sleazy motel or “naughty photos” that someone takes with disreputable intentions. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Boudoir is a form of fine art; it always has been. Boudoir photography allows a woman or a man (yes, we have had male clients as well couples who enjoyed the Boudoir experience with us) to feel free, empowered and confident about themselves. Boudoir can be many things. From a gift to a loved one, to the celebration of achieving a personal goal or the survival of a life event, it is the most personal form of capturing one’s beauty; we take all types of clients who want to celebrate their being. They want to preserve themselves in that moment in time so they can always remember how beautiful they felt, or for their spouses, even for future generations who will see the photo and exclaim “Wow, Grandma was gorgeous!”
Self-portraits have been a standard among families of “nobility” for centuries; the matriarch of the house always commissioned the best painter to capture herself at the peak of beauty, to remain on the wall forever, maintaining the memory of her at her finest hour. Each new matriarch added a new portrait to the wall to preserve her image to the family and guests. Famous models from Clara Bow, Jean Harlow and Mae West made this a more famous artform in the late 1920s and going forward. Even then it was considered a tasteful art, and the quintessential “pin-up girl” is a widely-known piece of our American history.
For example, when we spoke to a particular model (pictured above) about her boudoir photography, she was nervous and perceived a taboo to be associated with Boudoir pictures, almost as if it were associated with the adult industry. We explained to her more about the process, she brought her boyfriend with her for encouragement, and by the end of the shoot she was elated and felt like a queen. There was nothing but elegance and grace, and she was thrilled to see her own true beauty and know she’d have that memory forever.
The day of the shoot – what we say was unexpected but at the same time is always expected, a woman who began a bit nervous quickly grew comfortable with herself; soon she looked like she could take on the world! She’d look at us with the next pose and say “I’m ready when you are!” When she saw the images of herself a few of days later she loved them. She told us that she “never saw herself as that beautiful,” and we replied “the beauty is there all the time, it was a matter of just bringing it to the surface.” She is looking forward to another shoot with us (for a different style of photography) and we can’t wait to see how she knocks it out of the park next time.
If one looks and reads about Boudoir, they will see how Boudoir is a classy, tasteful art that can even be shared with others; each Boudoir session is completely unique even when the model herself has had a Boudoir experience before. We all change, grow and age – many of us want to keep the memories of ourselves beautiful forever. Stay tuned… this is the first of a 3-part blog series!
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Studio MAP – Michael Ali Photography is lead by talented senior photographer Michael Ali and Creative Director Camille Forté. Michael and Camille are know as the “Dynamic Duo” They are leading premiere Boudoir photographers in the south new jersey, Delaware, and Philadelphia area.