“I shoot boudoir photography”
“What’s that?”
And so I end up explaining boudoir photography.
Almost every person I end up talking to about what I do asks this question. Now there is nothing wrong with this question, but their responses to what I say are… let’s say varied. And there’s nothing like having to explain to your grandmother that you take pictures of women in their underwear or less and that it’s not pornographic content.
Since I first picked up a camera I always wanted to focus on the beauty of the human body and capture it in ways to tell a compelling story. But being a 23-year-old man and not wanting to come off as perverted or indecent, I didn’t pursue this avenue for almost a year. When I finally asked one of my friends to model for me, I knew I was going to continue down this path and somehow, I was going to have to tackle the sometimes-awkward conversations that came with that decision.
Enter my family.
I will say that they’re not against what I do, but some of them were definitely on more of the uncomfortable side in the beginning. But they understood it’s what I want to do, and they left it at that. But the conversations caused some laughter (on my part) and concerning looks from others, so I’ve highlighted some of the best parts below.
“Don’t you get aroused?”
This was a fun question. Something I never want to talk to my family about in general, but they asked so…
No. When shooting/editing/brainstorming or doing anything ‘work’ related I see everything as art or even just as is. A naked body isn’t inherently sexual unless you think of it so. I see the beauty and encourage my clients to look at themselves, hoping they can see how incredible they are and feel empowered. Being able to experience this and witnessing the moment where people fall in love with themselves is unbelievable and a feeling I’ll never grow tired of.
“Don’t you care what people think of you?”
My nan still says to me “What would people think of you if you were run over wearing that”. And my response is still, “If I were run over, I wouldn’t care what people think, I’ve just been run over!” Slightly out of context, but she’s basically asking wouldn’t I be embarrassed because of what people think of me, either because of my clothes, or in this instance because of what I do.
My answer has been the same for many years, regardless of the topic. I don’t really care what people think of me. It does sound bad, and yes, I want my friends to like me and family, co-workers etc, but I’m not going to change who I am just to please people. If they don’t like me being real, then I probably don’t want them around me anyway.
“Why do you want to shoot that?”
The end all, be all question. Because I enjoy it? Because I love being able to create with the most intimate, natural, and beautiful canvas there is? Because I hate the stigma about showing your body? There’s lots of answers I could give for this, and I always try my best to explain my position, but it also changes depending on the day and what I’m feeling strongly about there and then.
Ultimately, I love creating, and creating with the human body is the most fun I ever have. So if you’re interested in having a boudoir shoot, get in touch! Let’s start planning the experience of your life!
