Powerful Together ~ Guest Blog, Vancouver WA, Couples Boudoir Photography

I am not even sure where I found Brittney’s business page and Facebook group but somehow, I landed in her group on Facebook. The women in her group, as well as Brittney herself, are so uplifting and supportive. They make it hard not to feel confident enough to do a boudoir session. Prior to my boudoir session, Brittney had taken my husband and I’s photos and then my family photos for Christmas. I have had boudoir photos taken previously but they were taken by my sister, so the experience was different. I never knew what I would need additional boudoir photos for, so I never signed up for a boudoir session until I saw Brittney looking for some models for a couple’s boudoir session. Now this was something I could get on board with. I had always wanted to do a couples boudoir session, but I always told myself to wait until I lost more weight, had a tummy tuck, boob job or this, that and the other. I always had an excuse as to why not to do it and thought my husband would never agree to it. I managed to get the courage to apply for Brittney’s model call, telling myself that she would never choose me because of my body shape. I didn’t even mention it to my husband because I was sure I wouldn’t be chosen but to my surprise, I was chosen (and now this meant that I had to break the news to my husband).

As soon as I learned that I would be doing this couple’s session, my heart started racing, my face became flush. This meant that I was going to be in my most intimate clothes in front of someone who usually doesn’t see that much of my body. This meant that my husband was going to have to get down to his underwear, how’s he going to feel about that? My mind was racing. Before I scheduled my session, Brittney and I had a phone consultation to talk about my expectations of the session and any concerns I may have. Brittney already knew a little about me from my prior sessions, but it was never as intimate as this session was going to be. My husband was totally game for it all (shocked) with only one caveat, he would not remove his shirt. This was not even a concern for Brittney. She made me feel at ease that she could easily work with that request and still make the photos looks great.

After our consultation, Brittney sent me an email with a guide. This gave outfit ideas and even provided links to the outfits. Brittney also went out of her way to create a Pinterest board of ideas for couple’s boudoir with the man wearing a shirt. I was amazed at the extra work she put in to finding ideas that worked with my husband’s request. 

The day of my session, I surprisingly felt at ease. I had never had a session at Brittney’s studio because my previous photos were taken outside and at her Christmas photo location. I walked in and saw all the curtains draped everywhere to provide privacy. Brittney greeted my husband and I with a warm smile and immediately welcomed us in. We got started right away on hair and makeup and before the H&MUA started, she assessed my hair color and skin tone to be sure that she didn’t do anything too dark. The H&MUA asked me how I typically do my own hair and makeup so she could make sure I was comfortable with her styling. She had some suggestions that worked well with my own style and what I was used to. My husband just hung out and joined in on the conversation. He always gets worried when other people do my makeup because it gets too dark or caked on, but this was nothing like that. He even commented on how lovely it looked and how surprised he was on how great it looked.

Brittney suggested that we ease into the session by starting with our least revealing outfit and then as we became more comfortable, we could move into the more revealing outfits. Brittney made us feel so comfortable. As she began shooting, we were filled with confidence and compliments from her. She gave us suggestions on how to hold our heads, facial expressions and where to place our hands. We weren’t just left in the dust hoping we were doing things right and still looking good. We were guided through the whole session. Brittney really goes above and beyond and pays attention to the smallest details, things as small as having water and snacks in the dressing room, a gift bag with goodies, a selfie station in the changing room along with a bathroom.

We left our session feeling confident that our photos were going to look amazing. My husband and I are always telling each other, “I wish you could see yourself through my eyes, maybe then you wouldn’t doubt yourself”. We both have had weight loss surgery (which creates extra skin here and there) and struggle with our own self-image. I knew that this session would be the perfect way to show each other a different perspective on ourselves. 

We got a sneak peek from our session and were blown away. When we finally got to see all our photos, I could see the boost of confidence in my husband, and I could feel the boost of confidence in myself. My husband hates his photos being taken and usually doesn’t have much opinion on which photos he likes. This time he actually had an opinion! Seeing myself in those photos with my husband was like seeing myself from an outsider’s perspective. I no longer saw all my flaws- stretchmarks and rolls here and there. For a brief moment, I saw what my husband sees when he looks at me. I felt strong, fierce and sexy. There was one particular photo that really caught my attention because when I look at it I instantly think, “that’s a powerhouse couple right there” and that’s exactly my husband and I. Brittney captured us and our relationship in a photo! That’s incredibly hard to do considering that our “powerhouse” relationship is something so close and intimate between he and I. I now have a photo to hang on the wall in my bedroom that represents he and I in every aspect.

If you’re on the fence about doing a boudoir session my best advice is, DO IT!!! Stop telling yourself that you want to wait for this or that. Stop making excuses on why you shouldn’t do it. Stop doubting yourself. This will be one of the most self-healing and confidence boosting experiences you will ever have. Brittney is all body inclusive for a very good reason- because all bodies are beautiful.