Helping You Feel Empowered in My Studio — Evansville Indiana Boudoir Photographer

Boudoir is sensitive and intimate, and I know booking a session comes with a lot of questions! In holding space for you, I'm dedicated to doing what I can to help you feel empowered in my studio. I want you to feel safe in the studio, and though I can't know what safety looks and feels like to you, I do my best to provide soft space for you to be yourself and feel at ease in the experience, even if it’s a little outside your comfort zone. (And if you feel like it is, that’s okay! It’s outside most people’s comfort zones.) Through the process, from planning to delivering your beautiful photos, it’s really important to me that you don’t feel rushed.

Time is not running out, and I fully support your decision making process every step of the way.

In the first few months of 2021, I completed a 6 week training with Katie Kurtz called Cultivate that helped me learn how to lead and hold space through a trauma-informed lens. Before that training, I was aware of trauma, but I didn’t know what it meant to be trauma-informed. I knew about consent, but I didn’t know how to speak about the choices you have during the boudoir experience. Through this training, I became more mindful of how I could infuse consent into every step of the process — and I’m still learning! The best part about Cultivate is that I continue to revisit the teachings and concepts, and learn new ways to do these things.

Because boudoir can be such a vulnerable experience, it’s important to me that I have these skills and that I’m conscious of the impact I’m making on those around me. Especially those who trust me to capture these intimate photos for them.

I’ve been on the other side of the camera, and have been left feeling like I didn’t know what was coming next, like I didn’t have a say in what we did, and like I was an inactive participant in the process. Once, I walked into a studio for a mini boudoir session with a photographer who had a second photographer with her who I had never met and didn’t know would be attending and photographing my session too. When you’re about to undress for a virtual stranger who’s photographing you, the last thing you want is to double the amount of strangers in the room!

I joke about it now, but to be honest, it was an uncomfortable situation. I was asked if it was okay, but in that moment, it was clear that the answer wasn’t no because the second photographer was already there and ready to go. Through the trauma-informed training, I did some reflecting on that particular experience and thought about how I could make sure my own clients didn’t ever feel that way. I realized that it would’ve felt totally different if I had simply been given a heads up that there would be another photographer!

Cultivate helped me reframe and rewrite a lot of the copy in my guides and resources to be more expansive and direct so my clients always know what they can expect from me and from the experience they’re investing in.

Part of being more direct in my copy was sitting down and considering each step we go through leading up to your session and envisioning ways that I could be more accepting of people who may not think like I do and really meet people where they’re at in their process. Learning how it feels to hear that there’s no rush to make a decision, being given the power to choose to do what feels best in my body and spirit, and simply being asked what more I needed during my process was really enlightening. If I had to sum it up, it helped me learn how to hold space and the importance of building trust.

The training was experiential, meaning throughout those six weeks I learned and experienced what it felt like to have space held for me in a way that was able to hold my full humanity. I may be the president of the crybaby club, because I’m feeling emotional just thinking about it. It really changed the way that I approach boudoir and changed the way I viewed my business altogether. It helped me not only be a better businesswoman and boudoir photographer, but it helped me learn how to hold space, not just provide it. It helped me see the areas in which I can continue to grow and improve to offer you the best experience possible in my studio.

With all that being said, I’d like to detail exactly what I do to help you feel empowered in my trauma-informed boudoir studio.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but I think it’s important to be very clear about my approach during your session, and to be conscious of the things I do and actions I take. Each part of the trauma-informed boudoir experience that I offer has been designed to help you feel comfortable and confident throughout the experience. I always do my best to make my space one that is supportive of you and gives you space to make choices that feel aligned with your wants and needs.

Here are some of the things I do to help you feel safe in my studio:

• I ask for verbal consent before making any physical contact — to adjust your hair, your outfit, or your pose.

• I provide designated changing areas.

• I maintain consistent transparent communication throughout your session.

• I give you space to voice your ideas and desires for your session.

• I use encouraging and supportive language.

• I support your choice to dress (and undress) to your comfort level without pressure.

• I provide choice in regards to posing, and give instructions with optional modifications when I’m able.

I know boudoir can seem intimidating and the idea of it can make you feel nervous leading up to the day of your session. When I’m on the other side of the camera, I feel the same way! But by being conscious of the experience I’m providing and how I’m holding space for my clients, by being direct in my language and copy to help you better understand how I do things and what the experience is like, I hope that it helps you feel empowered in and out of the studio. xo

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I would love to have you in the studio so you can have an experience like this for yourself! Whether you’re all in and ready to go, need some more info before we get started, or are on the fence and want to talk things through before you commit – I’m here for ya! Click here to get in touch!