Get Ready to Shine: 6 Fun Tips for Your Picture-Perfect Boudoir Session!

So, you've got your Boudoir session booked, and the excitement is building as the big day approaches. You might be wondering, "What do I need to do to get ready for my photoshoot?" Well, let's chat about some fun tips to make sure your Session day is an absolute blast!

1. Stay Hydrated

   Keep that water flowing! Hydration isn't just good for the inside; it gives your skin that healthy glow that shines through in photos.

2. Catch Some Z's

   While a full night's sleep might be wishful thinking, make sure to get plenty of rest. It'll help keep those under-eye bags at bay and have you looking fresh for your session.

3. Tread Lightly with Tanning

   Skip the spray tan if you can help it. They can be a bit of a nightmare on camera, leaving you looking patchy. If you must, schedule it a few days beforehand and cross your fingers for an even tan!

4. Timing is Everything for Hair Removal

   Give yourself a few days between your waxing or shaving appointment and your Session day. No one wants those pesky razor bumps stealing the show in your photos!

5. Sip Wisely

   Love your wine? Opt for white wine instead of red on Session day to avoid any teeth staining. Cheers to keeping that smile sparkling!

6. Mindful Choices

   Hold off on the wake 'n' bake before your session to keep those eyes bright and clear. What you do after is totally up to you, my friend!

With these laid-back tips in mind, you'll be all set for an amazing boudoir experience. Let's make your Session day one to remember, filled with laughter, confidence, and stunning photos!

The Empowering Connection: Boudoir Photography & Reclaiming Your Spirituality.

Boudoir photography, often associated with intimate and sensual images, may seem disconnected from spirituality at first glance. However, beneath the surface lies a powerful connection between boudoir photography and the journey of reclaiming one's spirituality. This essay explores how boudoir photography, with its focus on self-expression, body positivity, and self-acceptance, can serve as a catalyst for individuals seeking to reconnect with their spirituality on a deeper level.

1. Embracing Authenticity and Self-Expression:

Boudoir photography encourages individuals to embrace their authentic selves. By creating a safe and empowering space, it allows people to shed societal expectations and embody their true essence. Through the process of capturing intimate and sensual moments, individuals can explore and express their desires, vulnerabilities, and sensuality. This act of self-expression can be a gateway to reclaiming spirituality, as it fosters self-awareness and honors the sacredness within.

2. Honoring the Body as a Temple:

Reclaiming spirituality often involves recognizing the body as a vessel for the soul's experience. Boudoir photography celebrates the beauty and uniqueness of every body, regardless of conventional standards. By participating in a boudoir photoshoot, individuals can learn to embrace their bodies with love, compassion, and acceptance. This journey towards body positivity allows for a deeper connection to one's physical form, enabling individuals to view their bodies as sacred and divine creations worthy of reverence.

3. Cultivating Self-Love and Empowerment:

Boudoir photography can be a transformative experience that fosters self-love and empowerment. Through the lens of a boudoir photographer, individuals are encouraged to see themselves through a lens of self-acceptance and appreciation. This process encourages individuals to let go of insecurities and embrace their unique qualities, nurturing a positive relationship with themselves. Reclaiming spirituality often involves cultivating self-love, and boudoir photography can serve as a powerful tool on this journey.

4. Embodying Vulnerability and Authentic Connection:

Reclaiming spirituality often requires delving into vulnerable aspects of oneself and fostering authentic connections with others. Boudoir photography, when approached with the right intentions, can create a space for individuals to explore their vulnerability and foster deeper connections. By sharing these intimate images, individuals can cultivate a sense of trust and vulnerability, not only with themselves but also with their chosen audience. This act of vulnerability can open the door to deeper connections, allowing individuals to tap into the spiritual essence of themselves and others.

The connection between boudoir photography and reclaiming spirituality may not be immediately apparent, but the journey of self-expression, body positivity, self-love, and vulnerability that boudoir photography facilitates aligns with the essence of spirituality. Through the lens of boudoir photography, individuals can embark on a transformative journey that encourages self-acceptance, connection, and the reclamation of their spiritual essence. By embracing their authentic selves and honoring their bodies, individuals can forge a deeper connection with their spirituality, leading to personal growth, healing, and a renewed sense of empowerment. Our mission statement at Elm City Boudoir is to strive to help you on your journey, feel free to contact us and let’s chat about your Boudoir shoot today!

The Top 10 Reasons To Book A Boudoir Shoot Today!

Hey there! Are you looking for a way to feel confident and celebrate your unique beauty? Look no further than Elm City Boudoir in New Haven, Connecticut! Their boudoir shoots are a fun and empowering way to boost your confidence and create lasting memories. Here are the top 10 reasons why you should book a boudoir shoot with Elm City Boudoir today:

1 - Boost your confidence and feel great about your body!

A boudoir shoot is a fantastic way to boost your confidence and feel great about your body. Elm City Boudoir's skilled photographers will guide you through the entire process, making you feel comfortable and at ease. They'll help you choose poses and outfits that showcase your unique beauty and make you feel confident and empowered.

2 - Celebrate all that makes you unique!

Your boudoir shoot is a celebration of you! Whether you're looking to showcase your playful or sensual side, Elm City Boudoir's photographers will work with you to create a shoot that celebrates all that makes you unique. They'll capture stunning images that showcase your personality and style.

3 - Create memories that you'll cherish for years to come!

Your boudoir photos will be cherished memories that you can look back on for years to come. Elm City Boudoir's photographers are skilled at capturing intimate moments that tell your story. They'll create images that make you feel beautiful and empowered, and that will always remind you of this unforgettable experience.

4 - Show off your playful or sensual side!

Your boudoir shoot can be as playful or sensual as you want it to be. Elm City Boudoir's photographers will work with you to create a shoot that showcases your personality and style. They'll help you choose poses and outfits that highlight your best features and make you feel confident and empowered.

5 - Surprise your partner with an unforgettable gift!

A boudoir shoot is a perfect surprise gift for your significant other. Elm City Boudoir's photographers will create images that are both tasteful and seductive, making for an unforgettable gift. Your partner will love receiving a unique and personal gift that celebrates your love and connection.

6 - Embrace your sensuality and feel empowered!

A boudoir shoot is a chance to embrace your sensuality and feel empowered. Elm City Boudoir's photographers are skilled at capturing intimate and sensual moments that make you feel beautiful and confident. They'll guide you through the entire process, making you feel comfortable and at ease.

7 - Boudoir shoots are perfect for all body types!

Boudoir shoots are not just for models or those with "perfect" bodies. Elm City Boudoir believes that every body is beautiful and will work with you to capture stunning images that showcase your unique beauty. They'll help you choose poses and outfits that highlight your best features and make you feel confident and empowered.

8 - Enjoy professional hair and makeup services!

Elm City Boudoir offers professional hair and makeup services to help you look and feel your best. Their makeup artists will create a look that enhances your natural beauty and complements your shoot. You'll leave feeling pampered and confident.

9 - Shoot in a private and safe environment!

Elm City Boudoir's studio is a private and safe environment where you can feel comfortable and at ease. Their photographers will work with you to ensure that your shoot is a positive and empowering experience. You'll feel confident and beautiful, knowing that you're in a safe and supportive environment.

10 - Have a unique and unforgettable experience that celebrates your beauty!

A boudoir shoot with Elm City Boudoir is a unique and unforgettable experience that celebrates your beauty. Their skilled photographers will capture stunning images that showcase your beauty and make you feel confident and empowered. You'll leave feeling beautiful, confident, and empowered, with stunning photos that you'll cherish for years to come.

So, what are you waiting for? Book your boudoir shoot with Elm City Boudoir today and celebrate yourself!

So what happens when you book a Boudoir session?

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is what exactly happens when you book a Boudoir session? And what's the process? I figured this is a bit longer than I'd normally up on my FAQ page, and so I decided it's worthy of its own blog entry.

How do I book a Boudoir session?

Easy, just head to the contact page and fill out the form. Once we've received your form we'll shoot you back an email to schedule a quick, 10 minute phone call with me, just to get to know one another and chat about your shoot. We'll shoot the breeze, and talk about what options you have. We then formally book your date and collect your session fee.

And then what?

Over the following weeks, approaching your shoot date, we will send you some tips and tricks to help you prepare for your big day!

What happens on the day of the shoot?

Our shoots typically take place quite early in the morning. You'll arrive, usually around 8am on the day of the shoot, and you'll make your way straight into hair and makeup. You can count on spending about 90 minutes getting styled by one of our incredible artists, and you'll look amazing!

We then have a look at the outfits you brought with you, and put together some combinations that we will then shoot. This part of the process usually doesn't take very long, 15 minutes max.

The actual shoot will take around 60 minutes. Should you take advantage of one of our pre-payment plans you'll see your shoot time increase to 90 minutes - more time for more looks! By the way, for those wondering, nude doesn't count as a look, so if you were on the fence whether or not you wanted to go nude on your Boudoir shoot, don't worry about using up a look!

After your shoot is over, I'll work on selecting and editing your photos, and we will schedule a Zoom meeting about 3 hours after your shoot is finished, when you'll be able to see the absolute best images from your shoot. We'll narrow down your selection together, and place the order for your chosen products.

Where are my products made?

All my products are handcrafted by some of the most incredible artisans in the world. My Luxe Leather albums are handmade in Portugal, and use the finest Italian leathers. The matching Luxe Cases are made of beautiful Wengé wood and the same Italian leathers used on my albums.

Our stunning Metal Wall Prints are made in the USA, and are literally your images printed on a sheet of aluminum, ready to hand on your wall. These prints are stunning, they have incredible depth and jump off the surface.

We also have paper prints that use some of the finest archival papers around. Since the papers we use are archival quality they won't fade, and will hold their appearance for decades.

By the way, custom framing can be arranged through our friends at Hull's in New Haven, CT

What can I do to pass the time until my products arrive?

Hmmm, dunno. Eat chocolate, binge watch your favorite tv show again (I do it, too), but mostly go about your everyday life knowing that something absolutely amazing is going to hit your mailbox about 3 weeks after your shoot! By the way, we can either mail your products directly to you, or have them come to our office so you can pick them up all at the same time!

So, that about covers the entire process, feel free to use our contact form to ask any questions you might have, or just skip straight to booking your Boudoir session!

About Mental Health & Giving Life Meaning

Earlier this year, my mental health hit rock bottom. I had a nervous breakdown. Full-blown panic attack, trembling, crying, body seizing up, the works. It was long overdue, to be honest, but sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can begin your climb. I make no secret that I have mental health issues. I have depression, my mind works against me a lot of times, and what some people may view as lazy is me actually feeling paralyzed. I'm scared, and I have been scared since I was a little kid. And getting older ain't helping.

I just turned 50. Now, media will have us believe that your twenties are the highlight of your life, and if that’s not your experience you’re doing something wrong. You’re supposed to feel insatiable, absorbing experience after experience like a sponge, and have hit your pinnacle before 30. And if you didn't, well, tough luck, buddy, enjoy your mediocrity. Of course all that's bullshit. Many people don't find their true calling until their 50s, 60s, maybe even 70s, I find myself filled with desire and hunger. The desire to experience. The desire to live. The desire to feel alive. in fact, a feeling that I share with many of the women I photograph.

I know I’m not alone in this, we derogatorily call this the “mid-life crisis,” but living for me is not about status symbols like buying a flashy car and pretend I’m 30 years younger in order to try and date 20 year olds. I think the “mid-life crisis” is actually the realization that most of what you have done up until that moment of realization was a waste of time. Chasing someone else’s aspirations, organizing your life around someone else’s arbitrary rules, and selling your body, heart and soul for way too low a price because we’re scared that if we don’t we might not be able to sell ourselves at all.

To loosely quote Marvin Gaye: This ain't living.

I don’t want to merely exist, I want to live.

I don’t want to merely exist, I want to live. Living is about the thrill of experiencing art. The thrill of seeing how something new makes you feel. The thrill of throwing out the old routines and inventing new traditions. 

Middle of last year I did something I hadn’t done in a long while, I fired up Ableton Live, which is a music production app I used a lot back in my days as a professional musician, and dipped my toes into music again. Now, I haven’t done anything I feel comfortable sharing yet, but I’m doing this with a haphazard approach, a sort of “let’s see what happens if I do this” kind of method, and I ended up rediscovering the thrill of both ambient and techno music. I’m feeling the joy of experimentation leeching into where I want my photography to go, and my brain is overflowing with ideas. I now practically live at the art galleries around me. I want to learn how to make artisanal chocolates. I want to learn how to make French breads and pastries. I have ideas for photo projects well beyond what I do with Boudoir, and folks, if you could see what's in my brain right now, you'd be mashing that Book Now button so hard. I'm not kidding.

Go where your heart wants to go

I think the morale I’m learning is that you need to go where your heart wants to go, consequences be damned. And look out and nurture your mental health, because no one else can do it for you, and once it’s broken it’s fucking hard to heal. Change often hurts. Growth often hurts. But the biggest pain of all is not moving at all.

So rebel, my little ones, and conquer the planet.

Women Are Tough As Bricks

Women are tough as bricks. They endure

Clients sit in the hair/makeup chair, hands nervously clasped in their lap, and they tell me stories of what they have endured. These stories never cease to take my breath away:

-Women who are taking care of their parents/siblings

-Women who have had their faces surgically reconstructed after suffering debilitating disease

-Women who have been laid off and are desperately searching for a job that they want, not that they have to settle for

-Women who have given everything to someone who cheated or lied or treated them like shit

-Women who are raising their children by themselves

-Women whose boyfriend, husband, best friend, mom, dad, or child has died and they are swimming in a gut-wrenching pool of grief that threatens to swallow them whole

-Women who are lonely

-Women who are dead broke and the future is uncertain

-Women who are drowning in guilt, shame, sadness

-Women who just want to feel normal. Who have to physically will themselves from their beds. Who battle depression every minute of the day

-Women who are sick. Some who are actively dying and facing leaving young children behind

and women, who on paper haven't endured anything too traumatic, but who grapple daily with just feeling worthy, loved, wanted…..'enough.'

You Aren't Alone

Women are tough as bricks. You all get up every single day, pick up and carry things that feel far too heavy. You persevere. You find a way--sometimes when the entire deck is stacked against you.

And you? You aren't alone. Even when you feel so far away from anyone who could possibly understand...you are surrounded by other brick-tough women who are also in the depths of their own valleys, forging ahead.

If you are in a season of "enduring" right now, I want you to know that you are exactly where you are supposed to be--not a minute too late or early. You have everything you need to achieve anything you've ever wanted.

You are smarter, stronger, and more resilient than any other species on the planet. The minute you figure that out, you are gonna run the whole damn thing anyways.