You Can’t Put a Price Tag on Self Love – Evansville Indiana Boudoir Photographer

If I could sell self-love door to door, I totally would. I'd walk miles to knock on doors if more women could know their worth and own it unapologetically in their everyday lives. But since I can't do that, being a boudoir photographer is the next best thing.

Boudoir is similar to being a self-love salesperson. You come to my studio after you spent the morning pampering yourself, and then spend an uninterrupted few hours with someone who’s entirely focused on you. Your phone lives in your bag, and your only job is to exist in front of the camera. This experience, beyond being out of most people’s comfort zones, is an experience that you don’t get very often. Even on your birthday the focus isn’t entirely on you, right? It’s on the meal you’re having, who is bringing the cake, when you’ll open presents, and when the party is going to start.

I’m just gonna say it… a boudoir session can be better than your birthday. (!!!)

No, really! During your session, nothing is in my brain except what order we’re going to shoot your outfits in, how the light looks on you, how I’m going to pose you to make you look and feel your best, and the entire time I’m keeping in mind your comfort level and the vibe you’re going for. It’s my job to be focused on you and only you for the time you’re in my studio. It’s my job to make you feel like you’re the only person in the world, because for a few hours, you are.

Is there any other time that you get alllllll the attention on you for no reason other than the fact that you exist?

Speaking for myself, there are only a handful of times in my life when I’ve felt like the only person in the world, when I’ve felt like all the things I want to be - unstoppable, bright, incredible, bold, and badass - and my most recent boudoir session was one of those times. It was so nice to have my only focus be on how good I felt and embodying all the qualities I love about myself… which are two things that I don’t often get to spend uninterrupted time focused on.

This experience is one that builds you up, encourages you, empowers you, and is one that you keep with you long after you leave the studio.

The investment in a session isn’t just for pretty pictures of yourself. You’re investing in your relationship with yourself, and in building and boosting your self-love. It’s a reminder that your home is within you, that everything you are and everything you want to be is already inside of you. It empowers you to live unapologetically authentically, and the confidence that you gain from a session is something that you can’t put a price tag on.

And when I live in those moments when the attention is on me feeling good and being my best self, I remember how important it is to continue seeking out those moments. We all need to make a point to choose things that make us feel this way, and I hope that boudoir is one of those things for you. It’s hard to tell you how meaningful boudoir has been in my life and in the lives of my incredible clients. I’ll let this babe tell you about her experience herself.

Why did you choose to invest in a boudoir session?

I got the idea seeing some sessions that friends had done together on your instagram feed! I decided to gift a session for one of my closest friends for her birthday and thought it would be such a fun experience to have together. We’d known each other for about 5 years at that point and she’s one of the loveliest people in my life and I thought it would be such an empowering thing to do for her. She’s built me up so many times in our years of friendship and I wanted to do something she could always look back on and remember her self worth. Aside from wanting to do something together for her birthday gift, I wanted some photos capturing me as I want to be seen—a badass, empowered goddess. I have made some significant life changes in the past year and I wanted to capture photos from this chapter where I’m following my inner voice and feeling empowered in my decisions and emotions.

How did you feel before your session, and what did you do to prepare?

I was so excited! From the second I tried on my lingerie pieces I was just excited to get in front of the camera and see what happened. [My friend] and I listened to girl power music on our way down to Bloomington, but other than that I just worked out as normal and followed the prep guide regarding exfoliating and moisturizing and all that prior to the shoot.

Why did you choose Eleanor Elaine Photography for your session?

One of my friends from IU had done a boudoir shoot with her and the pictures were beautiful! After stalking the rest of Ellie’s pictures on her IG feed, I knew she had the eye I was looking for and I had a feeling we would be instant friends. Before even meeting her I could tell that she celebrates every body and knows how to make you look and feel good while capturing beautiful pictures!

How did you feel during your session?

I felt like such a badass during my session! It was so fun having [my friend] there because when she was getting photographed Ellie and I would yell words of encouragement and they did the same for me. It was such a good experience for both of us and just felt like such a supportive environment where we could try any poses or ideas and Ellie would direct us to make it look as good as possible. It was also so great to see some photos that were taken while we were shooting! It really boosted my confidence to see what already was captured so I was able to jump into new outfits and poses with seeing what Ellie and I were able to create together! Ellie also had pose suggestions that were specific to [my friend] and me, which felt very personalized and like she knew what would look best on each of us based on our body types and the vibe we were trying to capture.

What was your favorite outfit, and why?

My white lace bodysuit was my favorite because it made me feel like a badass little angel.

Would you do it again?

Hell yeah. From planning and ordering the outfits, to putting on hair/makeup, to taking the photos, to receiving the gallery it was like one extended self love session! And it is such a satisfying product having these moments where I felt glamorous and gorgeous immortalized.

How did you feel when you received your gallery and saw your images?

My thought process was literally: damn, I love myself. I Love myself. I LOVE myself. I LOVE MYSELF. Eventually l I was just repeating “I love myself” in all caps in my head as I scrolled through every photo. I was so excited to have so many options that I loved and that captured exactly how I see myself and how I wanted to be seen.

Which photo from your session was your favorite, and why?

I think my favorite photo was the partial body shot sitting on the artist’s stool. I’ve always been described as “cute,” and I don’t want to be cute. I want to be glamorous and intense and sexy and hot and I feel like that picture perfectly captures how I see myself and how I want to be seen.

Did you feel like the investment was worth it?

1000% worth it. It was really like one extended self care session. I think you can’t put a price tag on the feeling of being in love with yourself from the moment you see your pictures to months after. I feel like the confidence boost I got a month and a half ago from my session still hasn’t gone down.

Would you recommend a boudoir session to others?

If I could buy one for every one of my friends, I would. I think having a tangible product that you can look at and say to yourself “this is me, and I’m beautiful,” is such a priceless experience that every woman should have.

What would you say to someone who's unsure about doing a session?

If you’ve ever had body image issues, do a session. If you’ve ever felt there was a disparity in how you see yourself vs how others see you, do a session. If you’ve ever felt ungrateful for yourself, do a session. If you’ve ever felt like you’re not “enough,” do a session. Doing a session will affirm that everything you’ve done up to that moment made you into the beautiful human captured and immortalized on camera. I can’t recommend it enough.

Like what you read here?

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!