As an Ottawa Boudoir Photographer, I meet many different women from all ages and at different stages in their lives — each of them with different inspirations or incentives to do a boudoir session. Meet Miss H! Like many women, Miss H wanted to do a boudoir session for a wedding gift for her husband but it didn’t quite work out. So she made the decision to commit to a boudoir session AFTER her wedding when her and her husband decided to start a family. Here is her story:
Q: What’s going on in your life right now that motivated you to do a session?
Miss H: I have always been REALLY critical of my looks. I just got tired of looking back at when I was younger/thinner and regretting being sooooo hard on myself. My husband and I are talking about maybe starting a family and I thought I should do something so I could look back and see that I can be sexy even though I don’t have the body I did in high school.
Q: Besides beautiful photographs, what else did you hope to get out of the experience?
Miss H: I was hoping to have something to remind myself of how I can be (and AM) sexy even though I don’t always feel it.
Q: How long had you been considering doing a shoot before you booked yours? What was the final push? What did it feel like to finally book your session?
Miss H: I considered doing a boudoir shoot before I got married but the stress of the wedding (both physical and financial) prevented it. Now my husband and I are talking about trying to get pregnant, so I knew if I was going to do it, I needed to make it happen NOW!
Q: Before your session, how would you describe your relationship with your body, your beauty and your sensuality?
Miss H: I am super critical of my body and have a list of flaws from head to toe. I don’t consider myself to be sexy in my usual dress or behaviour.
Q: How did doing a session affect how you feel about your body, your beauty and your sensuality?
Miss H: This session made me see the potential I have to be sexy and beautiful if I take the time to pamper myself.
Q: What were you worried about before your session? What helped to overcome that?
Miss H: I was worried that my attempts to look sexy would not work and I would just look awkward. I also usually hide my tummy and thighs so I was concerned about how much fleshier I would look in less clothes. Suzanne’s direction and wardrobe recommendations were reassuring!
Q: Tell me about your session day: How did you feel on your way over? What were your favorite parts? How did you feel on the way home?
Miss H: I was definitely nervous to shoot the session but Suzanne was so good at directing me that I soon forgot about my concerns and was only focused on holding POSES. Driving home it felt like I had been to a yoga class not a photoshoot. It was work but fun!
Q: What were you feeling when you saw your photos at the viewing?
Miss H: I was the most nervous about the viewing. I was worried not many poses or photos would have turned out the way I wanted. I was also worried I may not look like me. But Suzanne’s work is so beautiful and personal!
Q: Why did you decide to hire me as your photographer?
Miss H: There were a couple of other photographers who I reached out to but they were hard to connect with and were NOT very clear about their process. Suzanne was always prompt in responding to me and my questions and shared lots of information about herself and her work.
Q: If your friend were considering doing a shoot, what would you say to encourage her?
Miss H: I would tell her just to go for it! I would encourage her to spend some time and money on HERSELF so she can see how beautiful she is!!!