Hello There!
We're so excited about your interest in a boudoir experience with us! We have seen first hand how powerful this genre of photography can be and would love to work with you!. We are a husband and wife team that love to use our gifts to help women see themselves in a beautiful healthy way. We have worked hard to create an atmosphere that makes you feel as safe and comfortable as possible. We love doing these shoots, but don't take any client for granted as we know how nerve racking it can be to allow yourself to be extremely vulnerable for these photos. We do our best to create a relaxing environment because we want it to be a fun and enjoyable experience that you would want to tell your friends about!
About Joe
I've been artistic since I was a kid. I used to draw comic book characters when I was in 4th grade and always thought I wanted to be an artist. Like most people, I decided to go a more conservitive/secure route in life and became an engineer because I was afraid of not making money. Over the years I realized it was just a job and felt like something was missing. I would travel quite a bit with my job and happened to take a camera with me one trip. I'm a big fan of the outdoors and decided to take some landscape photos. After capturing those first amazing images, I've been hooked on photography ever since. I began my photography career selling fine art prints, creating dozens of unique images with adding a flair of creative lighting. I decided to get into portraiture around 2016. I was able to use my skills of capturing creative lighting and infuse those elements into my portraits to create a very unique look. Not long after, I got into the wedding photography market. I found I had a natural gift and love for working with couples and individuals during my shoots. Some of these shoots have lead to some amazing friendships over the years.
I discovered boudoir like most people would; through YouTube University as I was watching photography tutorials. As I did more research on this style of photography, I was fascinated by how powerful it could be if done right. It's a great vehicle to empower women while making them feel comfortable in their own skin. With fashion, magazines, social media and even well-meaning religious organizations pushing a narrative that for women to be beautiful, they need to look a certain way, dress a certain way, be a specific age, weight, height, etc. Boudoir turns that naritive on its head and says "you are beautiful and powerful just the way you are!". I've worked with dozens of beautiful women over the years and have noticed how so many are reluctant to get their photos taken due to some self deprecating flaw they have convinced themselves they have due to the false narratives being pushed by the social systems. The thing that brings me the most joy in my job is showing a photo to an individual that just makes them beam with excitement. There's no better feeling than being a part of helping a woman see just how amazing she already is!
A Guy That Shoots Boudoir
I'll go ahead and just get this out there. I am a male that does shoot boudoir. I understand that can be a little intimidating by some individuals. I have worked with a lot of women over the years doing portraiture, most of which were not models. One of the biggest complements I have been given is how comfortable I've made people feel. When we decided to start shooting boudoir, the first thing my wife Carol and I did was discuss and plan how to make the shoot as comfortable of an experience for women as possible. We put a great deal of effort into this area due to the sensitive nature of the photography. Carol decided to go through the boudoir experience with another photographer that she never met just so we would be able to have a better understanding of the client's perspective and the nerves that can be a huge part of making this decision. We also will have a female assistant at every shoot to help alleviate any potential discomfort or awkwardness. She will provide support for wardrobe adjustments, hair adjustments, and things like that. I don't like to touch the clients. I will also show photos as much as possible during the shoot and do my best to explain what I'm doing during every step of the process to help provide and keep that comfort level throughout the shoot. I've found that when a client sees those first few photos, the nerves leave and it makes for a fun and enjoyable experience!
There are benefits of having a male photographer for a boudoir shoot. Men and women have completely different perspectives, which can help create a different style of photos than you may get from a female photographer. As a man, I can give a perspective on what a man finds sexy in a pose or a photo, which could be really helpful when doing photos as a wedding/anniversary gift to a spouse or significant other.
Photography Style
I have developed a few distinct looks for my boudoir shoots that have been well received by clients. I use mostly natural light from the studio windows. I like to use more of a light and airy style in front of the large windows for full body shots which creates a beautiful soft look that is extremely flattering both in color and black and white. I will also take the softness of this style and create a dark and moody look that beautifully contours curves which I use mostly in the bedroom and loft settings in the studio. A third look I like to do is a silhouette style in front of a black backdrop. These photos are designed to provide a kiss of light to curves with everything else being in complete shadow. These photos are designed to accent the beauty of the female figure that can also double as great wall art for clients.
I opt for a minimal editing style. I'll perform basic skin smoothing, detail sharpening, and color grading effects to the photos. I don't like to over render these portraits as I prefer to keep people looking more like themselves instead of looking fake and plastic. I'll remove blemishes, but my rule of thumb is that I'll remove it if it's temporary and keep it if it's permanent. I will do extra photoshop work if requested, but I believe the power of boudoir photography is to make you feel comfortable and confident in your own skin.
