A beautiful Transformation

Okay, this review made me tear up. Emily is the sweetest person, and I am so honored I was able to help her along her self-confidence journey! I still remember when Emily first booked! I walked her through the process over the phone, and she expressed her concerns of being a “bigger girl”. I assured her that that wouldn’t impact our time together at all, and in no way impacts her beauty 🙂 Leading up to the session, we had another phone conversation to go over her outfits, but really, it was more to calm her nerves and get hyped up! 

The day of came, and I was SO excited to work with Emily! I already knew we were going to get along great, not only because of the amazing time I had with her friend that recommended me, but also because of how much fun we had already had just through phone calls! We had instantly clicked on the phone 🙂 We jumped right into hair an makeup; I poured her some wine, and we had a nice girls talk/ jam session while she was getting pampered.

One of the things Emily was really nervous about was a bad sunburn she had gotten a few days prior. I’m not going to lie, it was definitely on the top of bad sunburns I had seen in a while, but I knew we could work with both her outfits and my posing to help hide it from the photos. And let me tell you… we succeeded! You would have NO IDEA she had any sunburn from her photos! I honestly always forget that fact, because there is no trace of it!

We had such an amazing time at Emily’s shoot. I could see her confidence building with every photo I showed her on the back of the camera, and seeing Emily finally see her own beauty through my camera was so amazing to watch!

The icing on the cake for me was seeing her reaction during her reveal, when she got to watch a short video of my favorite photos from her session on a giant screen. Emily lit up, looking a little shocked, asking “Is that me!?” Her reaction put a huge smile on my face and I just kept saying “HECK YES GIRL; that is all you!”

JUST LOOK AT HER IMAGES!!!

 It’s such an honor to know that Emily trusted me with such a vulnerable experience as a boudoir session, and put her faith in me to help show her the beauty & sexiness that has been there all along <3 Best part of it all? I’ve gotten to work with her since on other photos AND I have made a new friend in the process. Can’t ask for anything better than that 🙂

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!

Why Boudoir Photography?

The human body- its curves, markings, wrinkles, scars, and all its intricacies- creates a canvas of the life we have lived. Our body is a powerful and beautiful reminder of the battles we have won; of the warriors that we are. We should not feel the need to hide it because it doesn’t fit the unachievable standards society has created for us. Instead, we should be proud of our scars. Be proud of the battles and challenges we have overcome. And accept our body no matter how imperfect it feels to us.

Boudoir photography, to me, is what helps us not only accept the body we have, but it helps us fall back in love with it. It empowers us to challenge what the “perfect” body is and kick all the expectations put on us by media, magazines, and society to the curb. We are each created uniquely, and that is what should be celebrated. Boudoir photography is about the transformation that takes place between the time you walk in my studio and walk back out that door. It is about feeling beautiful, and that is something I believe every person deserves. 

The Transformation

The transformation that takes place in our studio is the best part of the whole experience for me. When a woman arrives in my studio most of the time, she’s excited, but a bit nervous. The shaky hands and voice, sometimes sweaty palms and face. I start by introducing her to my amazing hair and makeup artist and getting her comfortable in her chair. I have her favorite music playing, and her favorite drink ready to go. I also hand her a notebook of love notes written by past girls that sat in that same chair before her, filled with love, positivity, and words of encouragement to help her start her boudoir journey.   The three of us then talk about anything and everything (think a girl’s date out type of vibe!) and usually the nerves dissipate. This is when the transformation begins.

After hair and makeup, the shoot starts. I give some tips and tricks to help get those sultry faces you always see but never believe you can do on command, and I start helping you pose from head to toe. Don’t worry, I will get down and show you every pose first myself and then help you get into it (which is always entertaining to watch, because my butt is not flexible at all!). Right off the bat, I show you the back of the camera so you can see all the crazy posing I’m having you do is actually working! I usually hear ‘Oh my god that’s me!? I can’t believe I look like that!” Girllll, yes, yes you do!

After that, we bounce around my three different rooms in the studio and pose your butt against all the furniture and walls while singing along to your favorite songs, sipping on wine, and capturing everything that makes you beautiful!

By the time we finish the session and go into the reveal, we’re friends. We’ve just shared an experience that will always be remembered by both of us. We’ve left and shared stories about our lives.

This is when I send my new friend out to grab some food while I go through all their beautiful images, choose the best ones, and lately edit them. When you come back, BOOM! You get to see all your photos that same day! Nothing like instant gratification ? We go through them together (once I reassure you that yes, that is truly you and you are truly that sexy and stunning!), And help choose your products.

This is my absolute favorite part, because you finally see yourself like you never have before. You get to see yourself through the eyes of your partner, the eyes of your loved ones, and everyone else who has seen your beauty this entire time.

A Little piece of my Story

We all go through a point in our lives where the future we imagined is shattered and we have to give up control to be able to move forward. This is a point in which we often learn the most about ourselves, and also provides us with an amazing opportunity to grow. For me it was when I became majorly depressed while also struggling with my relationship. It was difficult for me to admit my depression, because I have always been a light-hearted, optimistic individual. However when that optimism was replaced constant worry, overthinking, breaking down a few times a day, and feeling emotionally numb to everything, I knew this wasn’t how I wanted to live my life and something needed to change.

I started going to therapy and began to unravel all the causes and contributors of my depression. Along the way we discovered that I had developed many unhealthy views about sex and intimacy growing up affected how I viewed myself.

Therapy gave me the confidence to book a boudoir session 6 months out for myself. It became a beacon of the progress I had made and gave me something to work towards in our therapy. It’s safe to say that my boudoir session was a life changing experience. The confidence-boost it gave me seeing myself in a different light was amazing. Photos that beforehand I would have kept private, I was excited to share because I felt so confident and beautiful in them. To me, they were art created with my body and something to be proud of, because truly loving yourself is something to always be proud of.  My boudoir experience empowered me to finally wear the clothes that I wanted, to truly be a 100% myself without worrying what others thought. It was such a freeing experience, and something I wish every woman could experience. 

Yup! That’s me at my Boudoir Shoot!

Photo Credit: Sheer Photography

My own experience made me fall in love with boudoir photography and pushed me to start offering it as a part of my photography business. Being able to empower women to see themselves through such a positive and life-changing light, and helping them realize their self-worth is truly an amazing experience. I want to help lift other women up and show them the queens that they really are. 

My journey is the reason why I am able to go through a major life change right now without spiraling into a depression. I have grown so much as a person and continue to grow. I am finally truly embracing me and being my true and authentic self, regardless of what others may think. I have learned your body is something to be proud of and is not an object to be sexualized. You have the right to show it off to your comfort level, and if someone decides to sexualize what they see, that is on them, NOT on you! In the words of my therapist: “Do You!” And do it confidently, because there is nothing more empowering than being yourself.

____________________________

For me, boudoir photography is a celebration of your body and who you truly are. I take pride in being able to help show women how to celebrate their bodies, their battles, and their victories they’ve been through. Let me show you your shine. Let me help remind you how to love and be proud of yourself!

  Let’s take back our self-image and confidence, and dare to love our bodies the way they are right in this moment!

Interested in booking your boudoir experience with us? Start your journey here:

OR

Top 12 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Boudoir Photography

The thought of a boudoir session can be scary. When talking to clients about their session, I get asked all kinds of questions. So I wanted to compile a list of my 12 most frequently asked questions to give you some insight in preparing for a boudoir session with me!

Do you share my images?

Our number 1 priority is making sure our clients are comfortable, especially with boudoir! It can be a life-changing experience, but that also makes it nerve-wracking! Sometimes you are learning how to love your body, and you aren’t quite ready to share the images with the world or sometimes these photos are specifically for just you or your partner and aren’t for anyone else’s eyes. These are all great reasons for not sharing your photos, and all depends on your personal preferences. We ask every client to sign a photo release letting us know what you are comfortable sharing; whether it is keeping all your photos private, only sharing ones you approve, or sharing all of you images! It 100% is your choice 🙂

Do I have to wear lingerie?

You definitely don’t have to specifically wear lingerie, it depends on your personality! There are a BUNCH of outfit ideas other than lacy little things. I’ve done boudoir shoots in flannels, cut off T’s, ripped jeans, leather, robes…the list goes on & on! When you book a session with me,  you receive a welcome guide that includes a lingerie guide and walks you through both lingerie and non-lingerie options.

Do you have payment plans?

YES! We offer a few payment options.

Pre-Payment Plans:

This is for all you ladies that like to get rewarded for planning ahead.  The way a prepayment plan works is that you choose a date for your session up to 6 months out, then we create your own custom payment plan of x amount of $ every x amount of weeks until your session date. The agreed upon amounts are then auto-debited from your account so you don’t have to remember every time. By the time your session comes along, you have your collection paid off and all you have to do is select your items!! You also get FREEBIES for doing a prepayment plan that are not available to get any other way.  Freebies include a retro viewfinder, glass box, additional 8×12 metal print, a metal print size upgrade, a free headshot the day of your shoot, or a calendar!

Post-Payment Plans:

Sometimes we just forget to set up a payment plan ahead of time, or end up loving more images than we planned on and want to go with a higher collection. In these cases you can still do a payment plan after the fact! These can be pushed out up to 6 months and are also custom made for you! Everything is the same as above, except that you don’t get your products until the last payment is made, and there are no freebies.

Is hair and makeup included?

Hair and make up is included in all of our boudoir shoots! I think it’s really important for you to feel pampered, and having your hair and makeup done is a great way to do that! Our amazing team can help you complete your work whether that’s “I just woke up like this” or full on glam! You can bring any ideas you want for your makeup and we can try to use it for inspiration!

Do you Photoshop my images?

I do edit your images for light, exposure, and color balance. I do not, however, edit anything out that is permanent! I think it can be damaging to have a boudoir session done and then edit out parts of yourself that make you look who you are. Part of the process of accepting yourself and seeing your beauty also means not photoshopping out parts of yourself you don’t like. If there are parts  that you are learning to love and aren’t thrilled about, that’s OK! We are skilled and posing in lighting to make you look your absolute best and bring out your shine!

Where should I buy outfits?

There are so many places to get outfits from; it really depends on your style and preference! . Here is a long list to choose from with different styles and sizing. Victoria’s Secret, Forever21, Adoreme.com, Torrid, eberjay.com, Aerie, foreveryourslingerie.ca, hipsandcurves.com, jasminestacycollection.com. If you were looking for something specific that you can’t find, let me know, and I might know where to get it. I am also happy to help you figure out your style and help you shop!

What type of print products do you have?

We offer a variety of products from folio boxes with matted prints, to luxury albums that you can customize to your liking, to luxury calendars and metal prints! My absolute favorite are the albums.  You can choose your covers materials, have a glass cover with one of your favorite images, and choose to house the album in a couture box, to name a few customizations!  And I absolutely love the feeling of picking up a physical book with all your beauty in it. It is so surreal to see yourself like that!

Do you offer digitals?

We sure do! All of our collections include some sort of physical product, but there is also an A La Carte list you can choose from as well that has digital options on it. Most of my clients go for either my Self-Love collection or the Empowerment collection, both of which include all of your digital images! 

I’m freaking out! How can I calm my nerves?

Nerves are all part of the Experience and very normal! Most of my girls come in nervous, but within the first 5 to 10 minutes, those nerves are gone 🙂 A couple of things you can do when those nerves hit to help: 

• Remind yourself why you booked the session in the first place! Sometimes our nerves like to make us forget the important reason of why we are doing something, and that WHY is what makes it so worth it.

• Join our women’s only Facebook VIP group! It is full of amazing and supportive women, many of whom have gone through the experience themselves and love to help others calm their nerves. Post in the group and let other women that can relate help you through. Not ready to post? Look through the pinned posts and read about other’s experiences and words of support.

• Reach out to me! I am always happy to chat and help calm your nerves. If those nerves are stemming from anything particular (like not sure what to wear or worries around something physical for example), I’d love to squash them and answer those questions for you.

How many outfits should I bring?

Up to four outfit changes are included in your shoot, though I highly recommend sticking with 3 or less. That fourth is a great option for a jersey, or something you just want a couple of photos in. Don’t forget you can also go  nude or do “in between the sheets” (going nude but using a sheet to cover yourself) as an outfit option. 

Once you book your session with me, I’ll send you a Welcome Guide that has clothing and lingerie tips to help you prepare!

And if you aren’t sure what to bring… bring it all and we can look through the options together!

Should I get to my shoot early?

You should plan on getting to your shoot about 5 minutes early just so we can get settled in and talk about your outfits and colors and make a plan for your hair and make up! If you are anything like me, you plan for 5-10 minutes early and end up getting there right on time, so don’t sweat it if that happens!

Where is your studio located?

We are located at 11 N. Goodman Street in downtown Rochester, New York, right between East Avenue and University Avenue. We have our own off-street parking, so no need to worry about the hassle of finding a spot.

Want to learn more info on our boudoir shoots? 

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

or schedule a free discovery call here:

Busting Excuses

When we get nervous, we make excuses. We make excuses not to love ourselves or take care of ourselves. Sometimes life is just busy and we are too crazy at work, or always have to drive someone SOMEWHERE. Sometimes it’s more important to spend time with our partner. We also use excuses like “I wanna lose 15 pounds first!” and “I just don’t have the money right now!” I want to write this to show you all that no matter the excuse you can do it! Let me show you are worthy of self love!

“I don’t have time for myself.”

It’s also important to remember that if you aren’t taking care of yourself, mentally you’re not going to be able to handle taking care of everyone else, which makes sense but it’s actually much harder said than done! Sometimes I am the worst at making sure I’m giving myself mental health breaks and that’s why I think it’s so important to share this with you all. I make the same excuses as above and sometimes I need someone to look me in the face and say, “SLOW DOWN, give yourself a break, breathe for a minute!”

At a boudoir shoot you are able to breathe and love yourself for a few hours. Think of all the energy you’ll save on a daily basis if you stop comparing yourself to others, or stop worrying about what other people think of how you look. You get to see where your beauty really comes from and this lifts such a huge mental weight.

You need to take time for yourself, why not spend it having an amazing time and getting glammed up for once?

“I’m not where I want to be weight wise/I don’t fit the medias idea of a good enough size”

Did you know that the body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally, by only 5% of American females. ONLY FIVE PERCENT.

I will say this over and over again, WHY do you have to be a certain size to LOVE yourself? WHY do you have to fit a strangers messed up idea of a perfect body to LOVE your own body? WHY are you comparing your size to everyone else, when no 2 women are the same!

I think it’s amazing to have goals and want to get healthy, but does that mean you have to hate your body to do those things? Absolutely NOT! You should love yourself every step of the way. Be proud of where you are so that you can be proud of where you’re going. Have a boudoir shoot to celebrate where you are now, and then have one when you lose that 15 pounds to celebrate how far you’ve come!

“I never feel sexy or sensual anymore so a boudoir shoot must not be for me.”

WRONG.

This excuse is actually the EXACT reason you SHOULD do a boudoir shoot.

Often times we lose touch with our femininity or sexuality when life gets crazy because of health/kids/work. It happens a lot it is absolutely normal and okay! A great way to find this side of ourselves again, is to have a boudoir shoot done to put that spark back in us. I can show you that you have that inside you somewhere, and it might even ignite sparks between you and your partner as well!

Another thing to remember is that you don’t HAVE to wear super sexy clothing/lingerie. If you feel like this doesn’t show your personality, then  there are so many other outfit ideas.  If you need ideas, I would gladly talk to you about them.  Upon booking your shoot I’ll send you a Welcome Guide that covers clothing & outfit suggestions too.

“A boudoir shoot is an investment and I don’t have all the money right now.”

Yes, a boudoir shoot is an investment. It is also an investment in yourself. You are investing in your well-being and confidence as well! We do offer payment plans so that it might be easier to book a shoot! If you have any questions about repayment plans shoot us an email at info@rocphotoexperience.com