I need to say, that this shoot did not erase all the years of self-image issues I have. I still deal with it almost daily. However, what this shoot and Brittney gave me, was hope. Hope that even at 40 years old I could be beautiful and sexy! Knowing that is so inspiring to me.

Now that it’s all over, I have a beautiful portrait of myself hanging on the wall in my bedroom. I see it first thing every morning and constantly remind myself that I am sexy. I am beautiful. I don’t need validation from a parent or a lover to know my worth and my beauty. This process has been so good for me in so many ways.

With “wedding season” starting up again, I have gotten a lot of inquiries regarding bridal boudoir sessions (sessions intended to create a gift of images for their to-be spouse on/before their wedding day).

I’ve worked with some brides who use these sessions as an opportunity to be photographed in a more intimate nature with specific accessories that they plan to wear on their wedding (like their veil, garter. jewelry, lingerie, etc.) and others who want to use items that remind them (and their significant other) of their relationship/love for each other (such as significant clothing items, engagement ring, or other props). This session with a bit of a combination of both!

Once again, I am SOO behind with my blogging! I have a ridiculous amount of boudoir session recaps to type up and show you. Including this one… with this fiery red-head!

This session was one of my first in my new Vancouver, WA studio space. It was so much fun to work with her and play around with some new sets and features!

The word “pivot” has most definitely been overused these last couple of years, but there really isn’t a better way to describe what this couple had to do to make their beautiful beach wedding day come true!

I had never felt so cared for and thought about from a complete stranger than how I felt leaving Brittney’s studio. From the second I walked in, it was like a safe zone and I left my worries at the door…. The only thing I would change about my entire experience would be if I could tell the insecure girl who chickened out the first time “Hey trust me, you’re gonna love it!”

I’ve known Sandra and David for several years. When they reached out to me about photographing their wedding at Bridal Veil Lakes, I was no less than excited… and then I found out more about what they had planned, and my excited grew ten fold.

They used words like “canoe” and “mariachi” and “waterfall” and I could just picture the magical day that they would have!

It was a BEAUTIFUL sunny day in August when Kim and Dennis exchanged vows at the Settlemier House in Woodburn, Oregon. The bride and groom planned to have a first look before the ceremony, however, like most weddings, the schedule needed to be adjusted and plans changed. The change, however, only added to the emotion of the day as it meant all of their closest friends and family members got to witness Dennis shed some tears as his bride approached him where he waited under the shade of a gazebo.

I am so grateful for the journey of learning to love and accept myself as I am today, not what my ideal is, whether that’s from the past or in the future. Loving and accepting myself as I am has brought so much peace to my soul.

I learned to love myself when the people around me didn’t. I’ve learned to accept and love all the light and shadow that make me who I am. I’ve learned that life is a beautiful mess and it simply doesn’t always look beautiful or perfect.

Amanda's grandparents own the Allen's Crosly Lanes bowling alley in Vancouver, and she asked if we could have our session at her grandparents’ bowling alley. She remembered having tons of birthday parties and family celebrations there because her grandparents have owned it for many years. Because of the pandemic, the bowling alley was closed down for a while and had an uncertain future... so Amanda wanted to document it in a special way!

The traditional one year anniversary gift is paper… what better way to honor that tradition than with an album of sexy, powerful boudoir photos? =D

I have a lot of clients who book sessions with me to create images for their significant other for special occasions (weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, etc.) and this was one of those sessions!

This beautiful woman booked her session with me several months in advance so that she could pay it off little by little and not arouse her partner’s suspicion and ruin the surprise! When it was finally time for her session, I was so excited to work with her and create something amazing together!

I couldn’t tell you how long my session lasted. It could have been 45 minutes. It could have been 3 hours. I honestly can’t remember. I just think about it and think of how relaxed I felt, boobs out and all.

I’ve since been able to see the shots Brittney captured, and I’m in love with them. Years of practicing my RBF paid off, and I don’t know what we talked about, but the genuine smiles and laughs she got were incredible. To see myself in that way, it made me feel powerful. Not the kind of power where you know you can do something, but the power you feel actually doing it.

Our goal for this session was a relaxed, “chilling at home” kinda vibe… and they totally rocked it! most of the session was filled with them laughing and joking and just generally enjoying each other’s company. Cuddling and holding each other… the love in my studio was palpable!

Maybe one day this little girl will wear this dress on her wedding day. She’ll be able to look back at these photos of herself as a 3 year old wearing her mother's wedding dress, and compare them to her own wedding photos. Maybe one day the dress will get passed on and used in various ways for generations to come. These images will always be there to document and remember this moment, between this mother and his daughter, and how much this dress meant for them

I was approached a couple of years back about intimately photographing a couple. At that time, I was pretty new in the boudoir world, and was still trying to get my bearings with posing and photographing women… I wasn’t yet ready to try to bring a second subject into the mix.

Since that time, I’ve learned a lot about the genre, followed some other amazing boudoir photographers, and started to get a little bit of FOMO of the CONNECTION that they are able to capture during their couples sessions. So I decided that 2021 was my year to branch out, try something new, and challenge myself!

With 2020 came a lot of unusual changes. I don’t have to tell you how weird the last year has been, but I did find it interesting that even during a global pandemic, my business continued to grow, and my boudoir bookings were increasing. I made the very hard decision to branch out to my own space, a space that I could decorate and set up with more permanent set designs and larger props.

The light was absolutely GORGEOUS when I arrived at Wintler Community Park for our session. I always arrive about 15-20 minutes before a session to walk around, scout out some locations, and just generally breathe in some inspiration. I crossed my fingers HARD that the lighting wouldn’t change before Rebecca and Ian arrived… and was thrilled that it didn’t!

Honestly I didn’t even remember what we talked about but I was at ease and moved through the session naturally & comfortably. I found JOY!!

As I walked away from the studio, I was thinking to myself “Damn I’m pretty HOT!” and “what an intimately FUN experience I just had!!” I couldn’t wait to see how my pictures would turn out.

It’s definitely common to think you can only order standard prints and get access to the digital images from your photography session, but here’s the truth… There are so many ways that you can get creative and have some fun with your photos! Here are five creative things you can do with your boudoir photos!

I photograph couples a lot. They are usually in beautiful, outdoor locations, which I LOVE, but what I dig even more is photographing couples in places that MEAN something to them. I absolutely adore this couple’s engagement session at… Target! You guys, if a couple ever asked me to take their photos in a store like this, I would be on cloud nine! It would be so fun to challenge myself with this kind of creativity!

Here are a few more ideas that I have for some “unique” engagement session locations that honor your relationship together!