Before Danene’s photoshoot, we sat down to chat about her photoshoot, her nerves, her outlook on body image, and more.
It’s important to remember that every body, every age, and every circumstance is the right one to have a boudoir photoshoot. Does that mean you won’t be nervous? Heck no. Having nerves is normal. But hopefully hearing a bit of Danene’s story will help you feel more ready and excited for your own boudoir experience.
The Outfit Options
Before & After With Hair & Makeup
This was Danene’s first boudoir photoshoot experience.
Although she’s seen other boudoir photography before, she wasn’t totally sure how it was going to turn out for her. The nerves kicked in while thinking about putting on sexy clothes, or getting undressed, but Danene was also feeling really excited about it all.
Danene mentioned that she feels every woman has parts of their body they’re self-conscious about, including herself. Having the right poses and angles was something that came to her mind as we spoke in advance about her photoshoot. I reassured her I would be guiding her from start to finish in poses that flattered her body type.
I asked Danene how she feels about her body and how much self confidence she has in herself.
Her first response was that she likes her body. Yay, right.
She went on to specify that she tries to remember to intentionally praise her body, especially as she gets older. Loving your body isn’t always something that comes passively. You need to be intentional. The same outlook you would have about intentionally showing love to a family member or friend, you also need to be intentional about showing love to yourself and your own body.
Danene realizes she’s not in her 20’s anymore, and frankly, she doesn’t care! Well into her 30’s, Danene complimented herself on her mental growth, especially when it comes to loving her body and knowing that you’re never going to have the “perfect body.” Women will always be comparing themselves to others, and in the end it’s pointless. Danene is proud to say that she’s not shy about showing her skin.
She hopes her boudoir photoshoot will be a continuation of the self love journey.
I asked Danene, has she always had this body confidence? Her immediate answer was, no.
When she looks at old photos of herself in her 20’s, she remarks how she was thinner or fitter, but that her headspace was in a negative place. She actively remembers not appreciating her body and critizing different parts.
What’s different now is that she appreciates her body on a deeper level. She celebrates the fact that she has a body that is strong, active, and can do all the activities she loves. In general, Danene enjoys seeing muscles on women. It’s sexy to be strong. She wants to keep embodying that as she gets older.
After The Photoshoot
Danene’s reaction to her photos?
“Yea! I want to put these on my wall, I’m sexy!”
The confidence boost was visible and Danene acknowledged it, too. Seeing her photos for the first time during the Photo Premiere, she commented how she looks effortless in the poses. She was amazed at that because she admitted at times it felt like she wasn’t necessarily ‘doing it right’ during the photoshoot. Sometimes she would feel unsure if the pose looked good, but mentioned how relieved she felt to know I was there as her photographer to guide her into poses the entire time.
Fun fact: Danene loves her black and white portraits as much, if not better, than her color portraits.
Danene’s final thoughts
Danene says that a boudoir photoshoot may feel intimidating or nervracking, but that if you go for it, it’s absolutely worth it. How we view ourselves can be skewed, and having a boudoir experience helps remind us of our strong and powerful beauty.
