Why I Chose Boudoir Photography
Gosh, there are SO many genres of photography out there, the types of them are endless. Photography is art and takes a creative eye when creating an image. I believe that most photographers are artistic in some way. I have done so many different types of photography and challenged myself throughout the years, you’re probably wondering why I chose Boudoir Photography out of all of the different options.
It all started when I was about 10 or 11 years old (or at least that’s as far back as I can remember). I had one of those “vintage” cameras where you dial up and load up the flash, then take the photo but you can’t see what the image is until you get them developed. Yes, I say Vintage because those types of cameras are unheard of nowadays. Everything has become DSLR where you can see the image on the back of the screen. There were only so many images that would fit on a roll so I couldn’t waste my photographs LOL. I’d then take the film to either Walmart, CVS, or Walgreens to have it developed. The 1 hour photo didn’t come around until a bit later. I had to wait days to pick up my photos. Do you know how hard it is for a 10 year old to wait?! It is then that I started loving photography. I would set up my dolls or dress up my dog or take random pictures of my friends. I still have that album to this day of all of those silly photos that I took. That’s one good thing about the “olden days” is that there are still beautiful images to look at and they’re not just saved online. I’ll touch more on that later. You’re probably wondering why I chose Boudoir photography, but hang on, I’ll get there I promise.
Fast forward to when I was 14 and in 9th grade. I took a photography class and learned so much. I learned about the rule of thirds where the subject shouldn’t be directly in the middle of an image, they should be off to the side more. I learned about different views such as taking photo from a higher angle or lower angle to change it up. I learned to develop film in the dark room and saw the image appear before my eyes in that red light. It was amazing. We even made actual cameras out of shoe boxes! I remember taking a photo of my sneaker. I think I still have that photo somewhere. It was special to me.
Over time, I practiced and practiced with angles and lighting and I thought a bright sunny day was the best kind of light. Nope, you want a cloudy day because it’s natures soft box. It distributes light evenly so no one has to squint or there aren’t any splotches of light/shadows on people coming through the trees.
We all start somewhere right? Look at the overexposure, the family positioning and the way the baby is squished here. This is when I first started. I actually thought I was good here…and looking back that’s ok. It’s people like her that helped me practice and grow.
Then overtime, I realized family portraits can be posed but it’s also the giggles and fun times that really need to be captured. Here are more recent family portraits:
In 2004, my life changed. I met a boy and we started dating. He was my biggest fan. I had a small digital camera that I took photos with and it always made the images slightly orange but I wanted to capture our moments together. He was the first person to buy me my own official camera. I remember us going to Best Buy together and we bought a starter camera that came with 2 lenses. I was beyond excited! He saw the potential in me and wanted me to thrive with my passion.
That boy is now my husband. And we have been together for almost 20 years! He has seen me work my butt off becoming a Veterinary Technician, then an RN, and he always motivated me to better myself. Even though he saw me wearing myself thin trying to do photography on the side and have my full time job at the hospital, he gave me the space I needed and the time I needed to grow my hobby/passion. There were so many late nights and early mornings where I’d edit in the dark because I didn’t want to edit while my kids were awake. I wanted to be a mom too. Trying to juggle it all seemed so tiring but I loved photography so much that I didn’t want to give it up no matter how tired I was. After we had our first child about 10 years ago, I turned my passion into a career and I started my own official photography business, “NinaRose Photography”. (My family calls me Nina, and my middle name is Rose). It felt amazing to start making some extra money on the side.
Here is my self portrait that I took during the pandemic. It explained everything going on at the moment. Our kids were home when the schools closed, so I had to homeschool them temporarily, I made our own masks with our sewing machine, I was still doing photography here and there while maintaining social distancing, I still loved to bake so I’d create cakes at home or I’d help out at my mom’s bakery that she owned. I was an avid coffee drinker (still am) and I was still working as a nurse while being a wife and mother at home. Looking back, I really don’t know how we did it. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. This time being home really helped my photography skills grow. My kids are used to being my photography subjects so I practiced a lot with them. It also helped us grow as a family being together more and feeling like time stood still.
So I practiced more and more and kept taking photos of families and newborns. It was always my goal to be “THE newborn photographer” in the area. I did not have an official website and I booked clients off of word of mouth. My business was rapidly growing and I couldn’t keep up.
I loved photographing newborns. It challenged me and it’s a great skill to have. Many photographers don’t photograph newborns at all because they are so fragile. I took online courses and one on one mentorships and started to become more known in my area.
But….I also did not have my own studio. I’d have to convert my living room over to a makeshift newborn studio each and every time. Let me tell you, that was more exhausting than the shoot itself:
Putting everything away, then having to go pick up my kiddos from the sitter 3 hours later was making this Mama re-think newborn photography.
I had done several Boudoir shoots during this time by using my Grandfather’s old apartment for privacy. I started to fall in love with it.
It was then that my husband asked me, what do I want to do with my life? Do I want to continue being a nurse or do I want to be a photographer. I thought that was such an odd question to ask. I didn’t understand what he was asking. I always thought, why can’t I be both? That’s what I’m doing now isn’t it? He saw the potential in me to have my own full time photography business but I didn’t see it possible quitting my nursing job. A couple years went on and then we realized we wanted a change of scenery. My husband was hired at a job in Tennessee. Moving from upstate NY where we were both born and raised was a huge jump! But we were ready to take the leap. The town we lived in was slowly dying and there was no room for growth. He was able to find a great job so I could now do Photography full time. Ohmygosh is this really happening? I can actually have a space dedicated to me? My own studio? I needed to pinch myself. So I got right to it and started working my butt off learning about SEO, made a website, met new people, I was a vendor at events, learned about social media, marketing, etc. Sheesh, this is more work than my 9-5 was LOL. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wanted to switch gears a bit so I sold all of my newborn props and outfits and went to mainly Boudoir photography.
I invested in Albums and wall art to show off sample images of what your album and prints can look like. Like I said before, I’m a firm believer in prints. Especially with Boudoir photography, you are investing in yourself. You don’t want to have just digital images that you may or may not share online and they stay in an online gallery forever. Plus, finding a place that will print your spicy images are definitely hard to find without them confiscating your images. Having an album or prints to look back on for years to come is the reason why I believe in the prints. It’s a nice reminding of how Bad Ass you are and the fear you overcame. Also, by keeping them in a keepsake album it keeps your privacy and doesn’t have your images leak all over the internet. A beautifully crafted album is guaranteed to last a lifetime. Keep it for yourself or do a session as a surprise for your significant other. Whichever you chose. Know that your images will be kept confidential and never be shown publicly unless given permission to do so.
Little back story as to why I chose Boudoir photography: An old coworker of mine about 5 years ago had a Boudoir session. She brought her album into work and we looked at it together in the break room. I was in awe of these photos. This coworker hated her body. I mean really hated it. She never wore makeup and was always trying to hide herself in oversized scrub tops. But let me tell you…this CHANGED her. We looked through the album together and I couldn’t stop telling her how beautiful she is and how amazing she looks. I told her that this is what I see everyday. I told her that I always love seeing her beautiful smile and love hearing her little hums to music when she thinks no one is listening, and the way her hair always looks so perfect no matter what way she’s wearing it. She started crying in the break room and said, “I would have told you that you’re crazy for saying that to me, but now seeing myself like this, I can see it now too”. I teared up because she was crying. I gave her a hug and said I am so proud of you for doing something like this. She said, “me too”.
It was from that moment that I knew I wanted to change women’s lives and how they look at themselves. If something so powerful like this can change someone’s way of thinking and have them love themselves, and I have the ability to do so with my photography, I want to do it too! So my studio has been converted to Boudoir photography. I crave Boudoir photography now. I’m on a mission to change so many lives. All women deserve to feel beautiful and sexy and I can help make that happen and boy does it feel good!
That is the main reason why I chose Boudoir photography as my niche. I still photograph families on occasion but I have found that Boudoir photography is my life. To help women feel empowered and motivated to start their self love journey is truly amazing. Helping women realize that our bodies are amazing and they are SUPPOSED to change. Having babies, aging, stress, etc can all change our bodies. Let’s start normalizing “normal bodies”. We aren’t teenagers anymore and we still tend to think we need to look that way to be beautiful. No! It’s all about having confidence. I don’t want anyone missing out on life because they didn’t like the way they look.
I want to thank all of you! I want to thank the women in my private Facebook group for following me on this journey, my friends and family for being so accepting (because let’s face it, Boudoir photography is not for everyone), and to the future clients I have not met yet. You all are helping my business grow and I can’t think you enough. It is my mission to spread the word about Boudoir Photography and the deeper idea behind it. It’s not just taking photos of someone in lingerie…..it’s SO much more than that physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Let’s see what else we can create together! Because this girl doesn’t know how to stop! And if you’re on the brink of quitting your passion, here is why you should never give up on your dreams.
Stay beautiful!! XOXO
Check out some of my other Blogs regarding Boudoir photography:
Finding the right Boudoir photographer
Why you Should Compliment Yourself
Why Boudoir photographers don’t like digital images