What comes to your mind when you think of boudoir?
For me, it is a glamorous woman captured in a moment that is both super sexy and maybe even a little mysterious. A woman that is so unapologetic in her feminine-ness that it inspires. However, very rarely did I ever feel like this woman could be me.
But why not? Why can't this woman be me?
Oh, I don't know, I don't have the best side profile cause my noise is a weird shape. Plus I have the legs of a baby deer. And my stomach isn't as flat as it used to be. I also have a giant scar running down my chest that doesn't exactly look sexy?
These were all the things I would keep telling myself over and over again.
It wasn't until I found this online Facebook group where I started to change my perception. It's called The Empowerment Studio and at first I joined because of the name. I mean, who doesn't love to empower and be empowered by other women? I quickly realized what made this group so special though, it was a safe place where photographer Kinzie would share her boudoir projects and all the women in the community would gather around to celebrate the woman in the photo and how much of a goddess she was. However, the best part were the women in the photos. These were WOMEN with stretch marks and freckles and wrinkles from smiling so hard and it just made them so beautiful. I figured if these women were brave enough to try something different, then so was I. I started my own empowerment journey and now looking back on the whole experience, these are the things I wish I knew before my photo shoot:
I wish I knew... there really is no such thing as bringing too much clothing to a photo shoot. You don't want to bring a whole suitcase, but it there are five or eight outfits you can't choose between, just go ahead and bring all of them. Kinzie will help you narrow it down once you get there.
I wish I knew...a boudoir photo shoot does not just mean "sexy" for Kinzie. It means confident. So bring whatever makes you feel wonderful when you wear it. Whether it is the red lace lingerie or that over sized chunky sweater. Cause yes, that over sized chunky sweater looks super sexy on you when you are feeling unapologetically your best self.
I wish I knew...taking photos half dressed with a stranger is actually super fun when it is with Kinzie! Why? Because Kinzie is a shinning ray of positivity and love. She has this amazing talent of being able to see the smallest most beautiful detail in you. Not only does she share this discover out loud to you, but she also captures it in her photos so you can cherish it forever.
I wish I knew... not to worry so much about doing the "wrong pose" because there is really no such thing. The whole point of the session is to celebrate being yourself and you really can't mess that up. Plus, Kinzie is absolutely amazing at giving you direction and suggesting the best natural posses for you. My favorite part about the photo shoot was taking her suggestions and putting my own creative spin on them with a hair flip or just the fact that I laugh uncontrollably when I think something is funny.
I wish I knew...these photos were not for my boyfriend. Going into it, I was thinking this could be a really cute anniversary gift. After all, I have done a few photo shoots so this one shouldn't be much different right? SO FREAKIN WRONG! Everything was different about this experience. As I shared in a previous post, after having open heart surgery my body changed and I am still struggling to embrace said changes. But during this experience I could honestly say for the first time in a long time I felt amazing for who I was and my story. I felt strong. I felt feminine. I felt brave. And I felt these things because of Kinzie and her amazing gift to show people their own awesomeness.
There you have it, these are the things I wish I knew before booking my empowerment boudior shoot. Bring all of the things, Kinzie will help you find what makes you shine. That being said, this shoot isn't just about being sexy for the camera. It's about finding yourself with Kinzie as your guide. Being half naked (or fully naked, you do you boo) in front of her is actually super easy and posing comes naturally when you let go of your previous notions of what you thought was going to happen. You've got this and she has you. So if you have been thinking about doing a boudior photo shoot, or even just trying something different, and you are waiting for "the right moment" or a sign then this is your sign! From one queen to another, go do this. You deserve to invest in yourself.
To learn more about Kinzie and the Empowerment Studio check out the following links below!
