When I first decided to run a boudoir giveaway, I had the goal in mind of offering 3 sessions to women that deserved one. It quickly evolved into something so much more: sharing every day women’s stories and journeys, so others knew they were not alone in their struggles. It evolved into one of my biggest beliefs, which is that EMPOWERED WOMEN EMPOWER WOMEN. And sometimes that starts with just letting others know they are not alone in their journeys, and that they DESERVE TO LOVE THEMSELVES regardless of where they are in that journey. If we can even inspire one amazing woman out there to start her self-love journey, we are on the right path <3

Meghan was our 2nd place winner of the boudoir giveaway, and embodied the reason I ran this giveaway: to celebrate your self-love journey and help inspire others! She also brought her roller skates for the session, and I couldn’t have been more excited to have fun with those. Read her story below 🙂

Meet Meghan!

Meghan’s Journey – Through her lens

After Meghan’s session, I had asked her if she could write up a little snippet about her journey and experience, to share with you. I believe her story is so important to be heard, because I know so many women out there can relate. Here are her words <3

I was hesitant to have this experience because I’ve always struggled with weight, body image, and self worth. I can remember being made to feel self conscious about the way I looked and being objectified by males, as young as 11 years old. I’ve spent most of my life covering up, or sometimes exposing more, in hopes they wouldn’t notice the “bad” parts. I was always the heaviest in my family and usually my friend group, which in turn made me quite funny.  I’ve struggled with relationships with men and friends. Always giving more of myself, without much in return…and allowing it. So as you can see, a boudoir session would never have been on my mind.

A few years ago I found myself in my forties, single, and living alone for the first time in my life! I decided it was time to make myself a priority at that moment. I started to take care of both my mental and physical health, as well as learning to set boundaries with everyone in my life.

I stopped hating my squishy belly and big thighs. Not because a man said they were pretty, but because I realized that I was worth so much more than I ever gave myself credit for. I stopped conforming to what everyone else liked and started to truly be me.

I started to roller skate, joined a monthly sticker subscription, and covered my fridge with my colorful magnet collection that continues to grow. At the end of the day, it makes me happy and that’s all that matters.

I entered a contest for something SO far out of my comfort zone that I thought I would never even win…and I not only did it, but loved every moment.  So here I am, 45 years old being unapologetically me. I’m proud of how far I’ve come and I’m so excited for what’s ahead!

If any of Meghan’s story resonated with you, please reach out and let us know! Info@rocphotoexperience.com or text us at 585-432-0403. We can’t wait to hear from you 🙂

Shout out to Glow up By Angilee for hair and makeup! She is a queen in the hair and makeup world <3 

Want to experience your own Empowerment Session? Book a discovery call to learn more!

Not quite ready to take the leap, but want to learn more about the possibilities?

Join our Women’s only Boudoir VIP Facebook group, full of some of the most supportive and amazing women you will ever meet! Joining also keeps you up to date on everything boudoir related, including sales, new sets, and important announcements!

Ok, now that I’ve booked your boudoir shoot, what do I have to do to prepare for my boudoir session? Every woman askes that, and it can be kind of nerve racking. There are tons of nerves and emotions leading up to a boudoir shoot, and that’s ok! I’m here to help! I wanted to write down some guidelines and suggestions to ease and organize your minds and prepare you for this awesome experience!

• Drink lots of water leading up to your session! Our skin looks its best when it’s hydrated, and we tend to feel better as well 🙂
• Bring a plain white T, and your favorite pair of heels. Sometimes the simplicity of just a white shirt is all we need to feel sexy… and the power of our favorite heels to feel strong and confident!
• Do your nails! Treat yourself to a mani/pedi. Solid neutral colors or french tips photograph best. Please stay away from anything super bright.
• Stay away from spray tanning and tanning beds 2 weeks or less before your shoot. The color needs time to settle in, and can look unnatural in photos if done too close to your shoot!

• Pack the night before! The last thing you want to do is stress yourself in the morning. You will receive a packing list from me before your session – use that list to make sure you have everything you need, so in the morning you can just grab the bag and go 🙂
• If you are going to do any major hair changes, do them at least a week before your session. This is especially important for coloring your hair!
• Tattoos are a work of art, and I love photographing them! But for them to look good, they need time to heal. Please no new tattoos less than 2 weeks before your session!
• STRETCH! Boudoir poses will have you use muscles you didn’t even know you had. Strewtching beforehand will make a huge difference the day of your shoot, I promise!

• If this is a bridal boudoir session, bring something that will be at your wedding (a garter, veil, a piece of clothing with your new last nam, etc…) to personalize your session! We also have a veil in sudio that you can use 🙂
• Step out of your comfort zone! This may seem like a given, but even in choosing your lingerie, dare to choose something you would normally be scared to try! This experience will help you see yourself in a way you never have before, so why not embrace it and buy that piece you’ve been drooling over, but convinced yourself you shouldn’t wear!?

Want to learn more info on our boudoir shoots? 

Visit https://rocboudoirexperience.com/the-experience/

or schedule a free discovery call here:

Or join our women’s only facebook vip group for more resources and support!

When I asked Keisha to write about her boudoir shoe experience with us, she quickly responded with a huge “YES!” When I first read this it brought me to tears. Not only because of the impact her experience had on her, but also because I could relate to her journey. Here is her story, written by Keisha herself.

Keisha’s Story – Through her lens

My boudoir experience with Jolana was nothing like I was expecting. It was such an empowering and wonderful time. She made me feel so comfortable and like we were friends when we had just met for the first time.

To set the scene, it was my 25th birthday and I had just had a party the night before. I was not only hung over but SUPER nervous. I had been modeling for 12 years but never did a boudoir shoot. Growing up, I was always super skinny. I was bullied for it and so I started to hate my body. I had tried to do everything I could to gain weight but I could never gain enough to make a difference or to stop people from picking on me. Even as I got older, random people would make comments about how I “needed to eat a cheeseburger or I would fly away”, or “oh my gosh! You’re so skinny. Do you eat!?”. It really had an effect on my mental health. I wouldn’t even look at myself naked.

Fast forward to moving from Rhode Island to Rochester, I found a small group of photographers and came across a post of Jolana’s about a giveaway and entered it. Something told me I needed to work with her. I ended winning the giveaway and I had no idea what was in store. I show up at the photoshoot location and she gives me the warmest welcome and even had a bottle of champagne for me for my birthday! (How sweet!) While we were shooting, she guided me in what her vision was and we were laughing like we were best friends the entire time. A couple weeks later, it was time to see the MAGIC we had made.

We had taken so many pictures and she went through literally over 100 photos of me and made them PERFECT. I almost cried. I couldn’t stop saying “oh my god, that’s me”. For the first time I felt sexy and seen. Like my body was beautiful and free. Not only did she take the most beautiful pictures, she changed my whole outlook on my self image. I even showed my parents my pictures (not the full nakies), but even they loved them!

I would recommend The Photography Experience to everyone! Jolana will literally change your life.

Want to experience your own Empowerment Session? Book a discovery call to learn more!

Not quite ready to take the leap, but want to learn more about the possibilities?

Join our Women’s only Boudoir VIP Facebook group, full of some of the most supportive and amazing women you will ever meet! Joining also keeps you up to date on everything boudoir related, including sales, new sets, and important announcements!

Making your Experience Tangible

Having a hard time figuring out how you’d like to see your photos displayed? You aren’t the only one, I promise! Before I started photographing boudoir I also had no idea that I’d want a photobook or even a metal print to hang. Luckily for you, I have already gone through all the uncertainties, and for this reason have samples of everything available, ready for you to pick up and feel! Seeing yourself in print is such an empowering feeling, words really can’t describe it. And I have some amazing options for you to choose from:) 

Photobooks

Photobooks are the most popular, and honestly they are my favorite as well! They come in a variety of sizes and shapes too!

• First off… they are luxury books, handcrafted in Toronto by an all women team.
• You have so many amazing covers materials to choose from, which means you can make that album be YOU inside and out
• Couture boxes are available to store your albums, and not only do they keep them safe, but they are an art piece of their own and can be personalized (these boxes also come with our most popular collection!)
• We even customize the gilding (the edge color of the pages you see when it’s closed) to make your book even more special and you!

Folio Boxes

You might be wondering… what the F is a Folio Box!? Well here is my description, but the photo below might do it more justice than my words 🙂

It’s an 11×14 box that houses 8×10 matted prints. As with the albums, the box cover material is fully customizable.  The matte around your prints protects your photos from getting bent!

Who is this option good for? Well, sometimes we want to tangibly be able to touch our photos, and have the option to keep them private, OR hang them on our wall! Why not have the flexibility of both and have the best of both world right? 🙂 A Folio Box is the perfect option for this.

Wall Art

Sometimes the best way to show off your beautiful self is by having your favorite piece be the staple of one of your walls! Now I know what you might be thinking: I can’t hang a boudoir photo on the wall… what if someone sees it!?” I felt the same way. But then I saw my photos and fell in love. I ended up getting TWO metal prints for my own bedroom, and it was the best decision I ever made. Now every morning that I wake up and feel bloated, skin is broken out, hair is a mess, etc… all I have to do is look at myself hanging right across the bed, and I remember how beautiful and sexy I am regardless of how I feel. It’s an instant confidence boost!

We offer various different sizes of metal prints, and also offer them in matte and shiny, so you can choose the aesthetic that best fits your home!

And best of all, they are super light and easy to hang! Which means you can hang them anywhere your heart desires 🙂

Fun Add-ons

Depending on which collection you go with, and if you do a pre-payment plan or not, you have access to freebies! We like having fun little ways for you to admire your photos, and best of all these options also make great gifts! Here are a few:

• Beautiful, high-end desk calendars
• Retro viewfinders with your favorite images (great for the more risque ones!)
• 5×7 Photo Ice Cubes (glass standalone photos)
• Mobile App

Something for everyone

Everything you see above, plus more, will be at your session, ready for you to pick it up and see what feels right. We make sure all items are high quality and do your gorgeous self justice! If you’d like to see more before your session, join our Facebook VIP group and check out our Lives! We have a couple dedicated just to showing off all these beautiful products 🙂  

Ready to book your session? 

OR:

When I asked Maggie to write about her boudoir shoe experience with us, she quickly responded with a “YES!” When I first read this it brought me to tears. Maggie’s reasons for doing a session, and transformation, has been one of the most memorable ones. Here is her story, written by Maggie herself.

Maggie’s Story – Through her Words

I have been a mom for two years. It actually goes beyond two years, when I think about it. It truly started when I decided that I wanted to become a mother. My mind changed and I started really taking care of my body because I knew a human would soon be relying on my health to have the best start to life. I was very focused on this goal and was so fortunate to be blessed with the gift of life so soon into my journey. This meant that I also didn’t fully consider the degree of change my body would endure to support a new human life. Something I started to understand was that my body had a new purpose. 

 At 3 months, I realized that my body was never going to look the same again. I wanted to have a celebration for my readiness to embrace this change in my appearance. A change that meant I was bringing my beautiful boy into the world. 

That is when I decided that I wanted to have a boudoir session with Jolana! I wanted to capture my feminine strength and motherly readiness in one empowering photo session! I was excited to see how Jolanas artistic eye would enhance my almost showing baby bump. She immediately connected with me and embraced my ideas and vision for the shoot. I wanted some photos to proudly announce my pregnancy, as well as photos that made me feel and look sexy. Afterall, that’s how I got to this situation, haha!

Jolana sent me welcome guides with everything I needed to know to prepare for my session, lingerie guides, FAQ’s and also made sure to speak to me on the phone to answer all my questions. She was so personable and made me excited about the photos right at booking!

Her studio space was beautiful. She made me feel so comfortable that I was able to get dressed right in front of her! She embraced all of my varying outfits that I brought with me and was excited to work with my more unique choices. 

I will say that her suggestion to stretch before your session is spot on. I actually did stretch beforehand but I was still sore for a day after! Pointing your toes and arching your back when 3 months pregnant was no easy feat! But boy oh boy were my photos beautiful. Her use of light and dark shadows really enhance your shape and make you look sexy AF!

I book Jolana for all my family photo sessions now and will definitely be booking another boudoir session very soon!

Want to experience your own Empowerment Session? Book a discovery call to learn more!

Not quite ready to take the leap, but want to learn more about the possibilities?

Join our Women’s only Boudoir VIP Facebook group, full of some of the most supportive and amazing women you will ever meet! Joining also keeps you up to date on everything boudoir related, including sales, new sets, and important announcements!