THE VALUE OF AUTHENTIC BOUDOIR IMAGES
You know it in your heart of hearts: no one can tell you what it takes for you to feel sexy and sensual. It is something that comes completely from within yourself and how you know yourself to be.
No photographer, no matter how technically good they are or how many posing prompts they have up their sleeve, can force you to feel sexy in a situation where you are not feeling authentically you.
In fact, when a photographer asks you or any other woman to do a particular thing that does not resonate with you and then want’s to give that the label “Sexy” it is really plain and simple objectification. And no woman feels great about herself when she feels objectified.
The only way to avoid that demeaning feeling of being objectified is to bring an authentic version of yourself and stay true to her and have her be honored by the photographer.
AUTHENTIC BOUDOIR IMAGES EVOKE POSITIVE EMOTIONS
No boudoir image in your collection should ever make you feel embarrassed, uncomfortable, used, objectified or unsure of your value.
What you should feel is confident, powerful, strong, significant, valued, in control, and absolutely excited by the essence of who you are.
AUTHENTIC BOUDOIR IMAGES HELP YOU FEEL SEEN AND KNOWN
The best thing that can happen when you first see your boudoir gallery is that you say “That’s really me!” with the exclamation point being the key. We don’t want “That’s really me???” with question marks and puzzlement. You want to recognize the woman in the images as the woman you know is there inside you and you have wanted to share with the world but didn’t know how to do that.
For most women, feeling seen, heard, and known is at times elusive, but always sought after.
You are not alone in that.
While you want to connect to yourself, you also want others to desire to be connected with you.
When it comes to images of you, this is so true - images are an opportunity for you to express your authentic self.
They are also an invitation for the viewer to see you as you want to be seen.
When others see and hear the real you, it makes you feel worth of being seen and heard.
When you have the space to be your authentic self in images, especially in intimate imagery, that sense of value makes a positive impact on your self-confidence and self value.
AUTHENTIC BOUDOIR IMAGES ALLOW YOU FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
When you are free to express yourself, it means you are free to determine how you will be perceived.
Read that again. It’s important!
Determining how you are perceived is very different than conforming to how you believe others want to perceive you.
And there is nothing more powerful than the freedom to control how you are perceived.
Throw in the sensual aspect of boudoir images, and we are talking about control and perceptions that hit at your very deepest core.
That is quite a bit of freedom to claim for yourself!
And with this freedom, you can go from trying to measure up to being the standard setter.
Take a beat and think about that.
AUTHENTIC BOUDOIOR IMAGES MAKE YOU FEEL DESIRABLE
It is more powerful to feel desirable than it is to have another tell us that they desire us.
I’ll just let that one sit there, and you can contemplate it.
BUT, HOW DO WE GET AUTHENTIC BOUDOIR IMAGES?
Well, now, that is the question, isn’t it.
It is so easy to leave it at “we don’t get authentic images by conforming to what culture, partners, friends, or Hollywood tell us sexy and sensual.” But that isn’t giving you much guidence on what to do.
We do get there by a well rounded balance of taking the time to explore how you want to express yourself, and a photographer who listens to what you want and how you want to express yourself.
If you feel sexy when you are mysterious, then we are going to add in lighting and wardrobe that promote the mysterious and then let you run with that.
If you feel sexy when you feel powerful, well, that is another matter. We’ll bring in the power poses, the power heels, and run with all the things that make you feel powerful. And we’ll play until we find the match for you in the realm of power.
And, if soft and pretty makes you feel sexy, then we’ll pull out the soft tulle, pretty lace, and amazing natual lighting that allows everything about you to be defined as soft and pretty.
There are as many ways to feel sexy as there are women. So more than what label we put on your style, the important thing is that you are treated as unique and given the opportunity to express yourself.
WHAT IF I’M NOT SURE WHAT IS AUTHENTIC TO ME
Girl, you are not alone in that!
Sadly, many of us have been so socialized to conform to what culture tells us is sexy that we have stifled our own sense of what it feels like to be sexy.
That is why we spend time together before your session in the discovery meeting talking about these things and exploring what might work for you.
I have a pretty good intuition about it and can usually guess in the right direction after a short little bit of time with you. But I also have very effective listening skills to hear how you want to present yourself and help you put random thoughts together into a more cohesive message and description of where you want to go.
The best way to show you the impact of that intuition and the listening skills is to let one of my clients tell her story.
“To be honest, I was nervous about doing a boudoir shoot. All that “posing” and “trying to look sexy.” My insecurities alarmed in my brain.
“Hiking up the mountain for our photo shoot, I figured I could cross it off my list and never think about it again… and definitely never look at (or share) the pictures!
“Boy was I wrong!!
“Susan Beth’s vision for boudoir photography is like nothing I’ve seen. She believes in beauty from within. None of the seducing, sexy, inappropriate poses.
“I quickly figured out, this boudoir shoot was about ME. It was about loving myself for who I am.
“Her tips and encouragement gave me the confidence I needed to feel good about myself. I wasn’t out there for anyone except myself.
“The insecurity alarms faded away and I just did my thing! Up there on a mountain cliff, away from the world. Just me and the sunset.
“I wish I could tell you how strong I felt walking down the mountain. And how strong I still feel, weeks later.
“I HIGHLY recommend SusanBeth as your boudoir photographer. Listen to her, learn from her. She’s smart, she’s funny, and she’s intuitive. I will definitely be booking another shoot with her soon!”
While this is not the woman in the images accompanying this post, it is someone who went to the same location a few years ago. It is someone who was able to find her authentic self and create images that she will love for a lifetime.
If you think you want to have an experience that allows you to find a way to express your sexy while creating authentic boudoir images, click the button below and let me know.
ABOUT STRONG CONFIDENT FEMININITY:
Susan Beth of Strong Confident Femininity, is a boudoir photographer with a unique perspective. She photographs you how you want to be seen, instead of how you think your partner or anyone else wants to see you. Because that’s the way you will feel best about your images and yourself. She celebrates the uniqueness and intimate beauty of your strong confident femininity with flattering, classy, tasteful, and stunning boudoir photographs.