9 Reasons to Schedule Your Amazing Boudoir Shoot This Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is coming: the most romantic day of the year. Whether you’re single or have an incredibly special someone in your life, chances are, you can’t escape the hearts and flowers.

Whether you’re looking for a Valentine gift this year or you want a pick-me-up that will put you in the best possible mood for your Valentine (even if that happens to be you on the couch with a bowl of your favourite ice cream!), a Valentine’s Day Boudoir shoot can help make this day one that you will remember forever.

1. It’s a great time to go all-out with the theme.

Hearts and flowers. Cupids. Soft, sexy portraits that display a playful side—or, if you prefer, red and black tones that will exude the vixen energy you have. There are so many amazing themes to go along with Valentine’s boudoir shoot, including:

The things you love most

The things you and your partner love doing together

Soft pinks and whites

Dark black and red splashes of colour

Single’s awareness day: hey, you don’t have to have a partner in your life to make the most of Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate and roses (or just chocolate!)

2. This is the perfect time of year to find the sexiest lingerie.

Around Valentine’s Day, many of your favourite stores will go all-out for the holiday, displaying racks of incredibly sexy lingerie that will be sure to make your mouth drop open when you see yourself in it—not to mention what it will do to your partner’s.

You’ll find plenty of new styles and colours to choose from, which could just mean a new favourite type of lingerie.

3. A Valentine’s boudoir shoot is a great way to increase your confidence.

Do you have big plans for Valentine’s Day—or big plans to enjoy with your partner in the near future? A boudoir shoot could be just the confidence boost you need. After a boudoir shoot, many of my clients leave absolutely glowing—and they carry that confidence with them for weeks and even months after the shoot is over.

Going it solo this Valentine’s Day? A boudoir shoot could be just the push you need to feel confident and comfortable with yourself again.

4. A boudoir shoot can be an amazing gift for that special someone in your life.

A Valentine’s Day boudoir shoot is a great way to show off your sexy side to your partner. You’ll get an amazing opportunity to explore what makes you feel sexy, then show it off for your partner in a way that they might not have seen from you in the past.

It’s an amazing gift that he will be sure to appreciate—and chances are, he’ll show his appreciation in ways you’ll be sure to enjoy.

5. A boudoir shoot can help you feel closer to your partner.

It doesn’t matter if you sleep right next to one another every night or your partner is halfway around the world: sometimes, you want a special opportunity to feel closer—and what better opportunity than Valentine’s Day? As you explore your idea of what makes you feel sexy, you’ll discover new things you want to share with your partner—and sharing those images will help open the door to those important conversations.

You might just reveal a side of yourself that your partner never knew you had, deepening your connection for years to come.

6. You can enjoy your boudoir experience for years to come.

It doesn’t matter if you’re doing it for yourself or as an incredible gift for your partner: a boudoir shoot is a gift that you will be able to enjoy for the rest of your life. As you look at the photos from your boudoir shoot, you’ll get a chance to see yourself through your photographer’s eyes, unlocking your incredible inner beauty and showing you exactly why you should be someone’s much-adored Valentine (even if it’s your own).

This amazing session will capture you exactly as you are right now, which means you will always be able to look back and see that glow—and feel that confidence all over again

7. During your boudoir shoot, you’ll unlock that inner sexy feeling.

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and you want to feel sexy and fabulous when you go out for a date with that special someone in your life. During your boudoir shoot, you’ll unlock that feeling of sexy in a way that you never have before, setting you up for an amazing holiday.

8. You’re looking for a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day that’s a little unique this year.

This year, why go with the same old stuff you’ve always done? Instead, shake things up, whether you’re with a new partner, the same one you’ve celebrated with for years, or on your own.

Create a new tradition or a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you will compare many of your future holidays to. A boudoir shoot will be sure to transform your holiday into something magical.

9. A boudoir shoot is an amazing gift for you!

Let’s face it: sometimes you just need to do something special for yourself, and a boudoir shoot is an amazing opportunity to make that happen. You’ll have a chance to enjoy a glass of bubbly, and relax as the camera focuses on you. Not only will you have the chance to explore your idea of sexy and unlock your own inner beauty, you’ll get to luxuriate in the feeling that for one day, it’s all about you.

It doesn’t matter if you have a partner in your life to share your images with or you want to do it just for you: this Valentine’s Day, make it happen for yourself.

Are you ready to book your Valentine’s Day boudoir session? Give me a call on 07783782034 to discuss, or fill in the contact form to schedule your session.

Body Image & Mental Health.

Body image and mental health are closely related. They are the two sides of the same coin, a coin called “us”. The way we think our body is and how we see it is different. This affects the way we talk to ourselves and how we relate to others. Most importantly it affects our mental health are closely related. They are the two sides of the same coin, a coin called “us”. The way we think our body is and how we see it is different. This affects the way we talk to ourselves and how we relate to others. Most importantly it affects our mental health.

Body image and mental health are so closely linked we should stop a moment and be honest with ourselves. In this article we will reflect on how we can strengthen our perception of how we look. So in doing that, we will be able to live a healthier life.

Body Image & Mental Health Is Nothing New

Romans used to say “Mens Sana in Corpore Sana” which means that a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. Today the complexity of our society pushed change in what the Romans used to say. Body and mind interact with each other. Not only a healthy mind can only flourish in a healthy body. A healthy body needs a healthy mind. Body image and mental health is a closed circle.

There is a strong relationship between body image and mental health. The relationship between the two has been underlined in a study which analysed people involved in cosmetic surgery. The results of the “before and after" are significant.

The Body Affects The Mind

A recently released study indicates that the number of teenagers who are resorting to diet to control their body shape is huge. We are talking of almost 50% of the young female population. Our perception of our body pushes us to change our habit. In extreme cases it also creates dangerous situations. Body dysmorphic disorder, the obsessive preoccupation of the flaws in our appearance, is in sharp rise.

We focus on details and we are bombarded by messages of perfection. Instagram and social media in general are one of the channels through which BDD can spread. We look around and see perfect lives and perfect bodies. They are in our magazines and social media timeline is full of them.

Getting To Terms With Who We Are

We want to be the best of ourselves at any time. Your ability to body shame yourself with the way you talk to yourself is cunning. We use the most terrible words in describing our own flaws. I wont ask you if you do it, yet I would admit I am doing it myself.

“What a fat shit!” I found myself murmuring to myself after having seen my reflection in the mirror. Wow, that’s harsh. I would have never used those words for anyone else in the world. So why am I body shamming myself? Because we don’t listen enough to the words we use in describing ourselves. We don’t believe that we are hurting us. And if our mind is hurt, the reaction is not “I am going to hit the gym” more likely it is going to be a chocolate biscuit. Ouch

A Man With A Belly

Body image and mental is not solely a woman’s problem. In the past two things have happened that gave a hit to my confidence. The first was a photo a friend took of me. It showed me that the belly I have is not what I think it should be. I looked at the photo and thought: enough! The second was meeting a guy exactly my age and comparing his body to mine, I admit that his body would have shamed the most of us, but I still compared myself, something I strongly preach against.

Both of them are completely my faults and I am working hard to get a solution. The truth is that before a ‘solution, I want to come to rems with myself. When I was in my twenties I was two stones lighter than today. I was very active and went to the gym. My “coming to terms” with myself starts from understanding that the Paul I am today is not the one I was yesterday. I have a more sedentary life, I have turned 50 and I am a bit lazier than I was before. If I want to find a guilty, I just have to look in the mirror. Yet coming to terms with who I am is the first step towards healing my body. Remember: “Mens Sana in Corpre Sano””!

What About Boudoir Photography?

As a boudoir photographer it is challenging to decide which photographs to publish. From one side there is the pressure of showcasing what the general public loves. From the other there is my stand on self-confidence, and in todays blog the body image and mental health link. The truth is that I photograph real women. They can be your neighbour, your childs teacher, or the girl across the road. They don’t have perfect bodies, they all have their hang ups, but they all have their boudoir photographs taken for one reason. The reason is that they want to see themselves from an eternal eye.

The body image and mental health link is so strong that seeing through goods photos is a huge boost to yourself. I do not change who my clients are, I do not show someone else’s body. What you see is you, just photographed in the right way. When the real you comes out, then that’s the photo we want to show you.

So….how are we doing? What if you could be in those photos and see yourself honestly, for the beautiful woman you are?

Boudoir Sessions

Expectation v Reality

This post is about some expectations people have with their sessions. So I'm here to break it down for you! I hope you enjoy, get a laugh, and also take some things away! So without further ado, the expectations and realities of a boudoir session.

Expectation: I’m going to look and feel sexy while doing it!

Reality: Aaaaahahahahaha, no you won’t. You’re going to be thinking to yourself, “There is no way this looks good. There is no possible way. I’m shaking like a leaf, my mouth is hanging open, my neck is twisted funny, am I cross eyed?!?” But you just got to have faith in me. You’ve seen the proof, it’s magical! It just doesn’t feel magical in the process.

Expectation: It’s going to be easy and I just have to lay there!

Reality: Nopity nopity no. You have to arch, bend, reach, stretch, squeeze. I may put your body through a lot but just remember it’s out of love! I want you to have the best experience and that means I may have to mildly torture you. What often feels alien to your body looks great. Trust me. Don’t let it scare you off, it’s not as bad as it sound and the final result is so so worth it!!

Expectation: They’ll photoshop that away!

Reality: Wrong. I try to keep photoshop to a minimum. I remove anything that isn’t permanent like bruises or blemishes (if you’ve got a wicked killer bruise though, I might reschedule you because you’re probably in pain and I don’t want to push you when you’re already hurting). You need to see you how others see you. This is not about contorting yourself into something you aren’t. This is about starting or continuing your body love journey. It’s a body and it’s doing exactly as intended.

Expectation: I’m too awkward!

Reality: Human, I will tell and show you how to do everything - including how to breathe!! You will not have the ability to be awkward. Once you make it through your first pose, you will be a natural and that thought will go right out the window! Own it.

Expectation: I don’t wear or own lingerie, I can’t do this!

Reality: I personally don’t know anyone who just hangs around their house in a teddy. The typical cycle of owning lingerie goes something like {I bought this super cute thing, wears super cute thing for five minutes, tucks it away in a drawer to keep it safe, run out of clean underwear and wear the super cute thing, put super cute thing in rotation, eventually throw super cute thing away}. The great thing about wardrobes is that most of it is actually NOT lingerie. There’s dresses, leggings, bodysuits, crop tops, jackets,

robes SO MANY THINGS!!

Expectation: You can never make me look that good!

Reality: LIAR!! As I say regularly, “Did you really think you were the one person I can’t make look good?!” You are so glorious , in every way, and yes, you do look that damn good.

I hope you learned something, had some fun, and that I've eased some of your fears. Are you a past client and we missed something? Tell everyone in the comments! Sharing knowledge is beneficial to all of us, so tell us what you got!!

Have a great day.