So here it is. It's the post that I've had saved as a draft for a month. My own personal boudoir shoot. The only reason that I was even the slightest bit hesitant to post these images was not because I was worried about who might see them, or because I was worried about my husband having an issue with it (seeing as how he has them up as his laptop, iPad, and iPhone backgrounds for all of his friends and clients to see, which is an honor.), or that my bod was going to be plastered all over the internet forever and ever. I just didn't want everyone to think that I was a narcissist posting my own images on my own blog. BUT, I'm over it. I'm proud of them. And, after all...I DID shoot them myself. Yeah. I did. {disclaimer: not a recommended route to take for your own photos.}
I think sharing each woman's story, if I'm permitted to, is just as important as the photos. Sure, most of my clients, when first approaching me about boudoir, say "I want to do a shoot for my _______{boyfriend, husband, girlfriend, etc} for __________ {their birthday, our anniversary, Valentine's Day, etc}. Then I dig a little deeper and discover the real reason why they want to do a shoot. And it's about them.....not the lucky gift recipient. That's my story too. I wanted to celebrate myself...which is something that I am not used to doing. I do a lot of preaching about embracing your body. I do a lot of preaching about being beautiful on the inside. It wasn't until after I had my 2nd son, Max, that I was able to really grasp that concept. Without being too long-winded::: Yes, I've always been "thin". I have NOT always taken good care of myself. Instead of taking any sort of action, I just continued to eat crappy "food" and be insanely inconsistent with my workout regime while blaming all sorts of external factors for my lifestyle choices ("I'm just too BUSY to eat well"). After having Max, I was forced into extreme clean eating (he was allergic to dairy, soy, gluten, and beef...and I was nursing him). Once I started feeling the awesome benefits of healthy eating, I felt really, really awesome. I had energy all of a sudden. Energy that I then used for physical activity which then snowballed the benefits. Pairing this newfound eating lifestyle with my fantastic personal trainer and a little extra effort on my own at the gym or a yoga class, I had discovered that I am finally happy in my own skin. I'm comfortable with myself for the very first time ever. I'm not perfect. And I'm perfectly happy with that. THIS was a reason for a celebratory photo shoot. Oh...and my husband and I's 14 year anniversary back in December. The gift giving was just a bonus, though.
Now, the process. This was a bit different from my usual boudoir shoots. Making sure my composition, exposure, and shooting angle was just right was only half the challenge. Now I also had to worry about posing myself...and looking good while doing it. I shot my boudoir photos over 3 different days in between motherhood and running my business, with a tripod and the interval timing feature on my camera in my old apartment that had VERY little natural light, a complete lack of decor, and a maintenance man who coincidentally was always working on the landscaping directly outside of my largest window. Talk about a challenge.
Don't be too impressed, though....about 98% of the shots looked like this:
But I ended up with about 14 images that I was proud enough of to present to my husband.
SO--I don't want to hear "That's easy for YOU to say...you're on THAT side of the camera!!!" coming from anyone. I've been on both. And now MY boudoir photos are posted all over the internet for everyone to see. And I'm not ashamed of that one bit. This body has birthed two beautiful boys. This butt has been busted in building two businesses. These eyes have been strained to the max while editing thousands and thousands of images. These legs have held me up when I've been completely and utterly exhausted. These hands have held the gear that has made my life possible. I am happy. The happiest ever. Cue Katy Perry's "ROAR"......
For more information on Austin TX boudoir photography, visit the Click Chick Boudoir website. For availability or to book, email Chick@ClickChickImages.com