Why Boudoir Photography?

Sometimes I find it hard to put into words why I love to photograph women in boudoir style.  To me, it’s so much more than photos.  It’s about self-acceptance, body positivity, and art.  It is about getting glammed up and laughing your butt off.  It’s about the transformation that takes place between the time you walk in to my studio and walk back out that door.  It is about feeling beautiful, and that is something I believe every person deserves!

I started shooting boudoir photography because I saw the beauty in everyone that came through our door.  I believed I could show any person what I see through my camera.  Women tell me they can’t look “that beautiful” because they feel too tall or short, weight too much, or have too many stretch marks.  I love showing them the photos from their session and showing that they CAN, in face, feel beautiful.  Seeing their reactions to the photographs changed me.  From that moment on, I knew I had found my passion.

It was now my job to be a mirror for my clients.  Not the mirror that the world shows you that shames you, but the one who sees past all the lumps, bruises, and imperfections.  The one that shows your sparkle.

Headshot of Reno bride in window wearing pearls

The Transformation

The transformation that takes place in our Reno studio is the best part of the whole experience for me.  When a woman arrives in my studio, most of the time she’s nervous, sometimes even visibly nervous.  Shaky hands and voices, sweaty hands and faces are things I see all the time.  Once they sit in the chair to get their hair and makeup done, the transformation begins.  The client slowly starts to shed those signs and feelings of nervousness and anxiety.

Then the session starts.  The first series is to get you all warmed up.  When I show a client the back of my camera after the first series, I usually hear “OH MY GOSH, that’s me?  NO WAY that’s me!”  As we go into the next series and the next, the laughter and smiles start to come out.  Then she starts to feel sexy.  Her eyes soften and her smile becomes natural.  And you can tell it’s starting to click with them.

By the time we finish the session and go into the reveal, we’re friends.  We’ve just shared an experience that they will always remember.  We’ve laughed and shared stories about our lives.

Once I show them their portraits on a large TV screen, their jaws drop.  They see themselves like they never have before.  This is one of the amazing things about boudoir photography– I get a chance to show them how I see them, how their spouse sees them, and to be their mirror.  When they walk out that door, they’re smiling so big and they can’t wait to tell all their friends about what they just did.

A Little Piece of My Story

I have been a portrait photographer for 37 years.  I did a boudoir session here and there- once or twice a year.  But since I wasn’t focusing on getting training for it, or doing it on a regular basis, I just didn’t realize the gravity of the power it possessed!  At the beginning of 2018 I found a studio to share in a beautiful Victorian House.  With a dedicated space I became more motivated to book boudoir sessions, and it truly became a life changer for me too, as much as my clients!  It has become my focus since then, even though I’m still doing other types of portraits, but it fills my heart and gives me so much joy to provide this experience to every special woman I work with.  I take the time to get to know her and her unique qualities, and capture who she really is at this exact moment in her life.  I have even photographed women right before a cancer diagnosis or even mastectomy, or after surgery, and after the birth of a baby, or other major event in a woman’s life.  It is an amazing time to create art along with that new chapter, and anchor those memories to that moment in time.

And I have always fought body and beauty insecurities myself since a young age, and every woman I work with gives me more confidence, belief, and acceptance in myself that I am enough.

SivanPhotography.com

SivanPhotography.com

Yep!  That’s me at my boudoir session!

I want to make sure I remember what my clients go through and make sure to have experiences in front of the camera, so I have a session every so often to do just that.  I had a boudoir session booked across the country in Orlando, FL with a photographer that I admired online.  In November, 2021 I packed up all of my lingerie, shoes, and accessories into a full suitcase to bring on a trip to visit family.  I felt super nervous, just like you, but I ended up being very pleased with my session and photos, and even had a hard time narrowing them down.  I will always have these photos to remember myself as a grandma in my 50s and feeling pretty darn hot!  I even hung two metal portraits in my bathroom that I see every day while I’m showering to remind me that I am a hot mama!

For me, boudoir photography is a celebration of your body and who you truly are.  I take pride in being able to help show women how to celebrate their bodies, their battles, and their victories they’ve been through.  Let me show you your sparkle.  Let me remind you how to love and be proud of yourself.

Interested in booking your boudoir experience with me?

Start your journey here…..