Local photographer empowering women through boudoir photography

The term boudoir was first used in 18th century France to depict a woman’s private room, for instance, a room where she would get ready to face the day; an area where she could be her most authentic self. 

Local photographer Kristen Nicole approaches boudoir photography from that same perspective, empowering women to embrace who they are. 

For Nicole, the style “[is] very much about being yourself in any way that you're comfortable, whether that's partially clothed, fully clothed, naked; it's empowering to see yourself.”

Nicole first started “tinkering around” with photography in high school, but started getting serious about it around 2016. 

At first, she just did nature and family photography, but everything changed when she first found boudoir. 

“It was just so pretty that I was like, ‘oh my God, I need to do this,’” she said. 

Once she actually started shooting boudoir sessions, she saw how empowering the style can be, and was hooked from then on. 

“Some clients will come in super confident and just ready to go shoot, and others have a lot more to process before they're ready to step around the camera,” she said. 

But, she says, regardless of how confident someone is when they come in for the shoot, there is still an evolution of self-love by the end. 

“They look at the images and are like, ‘you know what? I have all these insecurities, but I don’t see them here,’” she said. “It’s so powerful seeing women actually see themselves for who they are and not what society has told them they shouldn’t be.”

Though nerves are usually a given with any kind of photoshoot, because clients can choose how much (or little) clothing they wear, there are typically more nerves when it comes to boudoir. 

“But also, because of the way I approach it. It’s very much a celebration of who you are. So it’s very emotional and mental, getting to the point of being ok, this is who you truly are.” 

Because of the emphasis on self-love during the shoot, Nicole says her clients typically go through a transformation by the end of it. 

“A lot of people will come in like, ‘I want photos for my partner, or I'm pregnant and I want to capture my body before this major change, or I'm celebrating this certain milestone in my life.’ And while any reason for a boudoir shoot is great, I find that their reasoning kind of shifts,” she said. 

“So even if they start out wanting to do it for someone else or just wanting to celebrate a certain milestone, it's really amazing to see the shifts into you know, I needed this for me, kind of thing.”

For instance, one mother came in for a shoot and was really nervous about her stretch marks and scars — worried that they would be the centre point of the pictures.

But throughout the session, she became more comfortable with showing them. By the end, when she saw the pictures, “she was like, ‘even with everything my body went through producing my amazing kids, I still look really beautiful. I look different, but it’s a different beauty.’ Seeing her accept that was really beautiful in itself.” 

Once the clients are brimming with self-love after the session is over, she makes sure that self-love continues when they leave, giving every client a hard copy print to take home.

“Digital photos are great, and they can go get them printed. But I found a lot of people wouldn’t get them printed, and they would get lost, or they wouldn’t look at them enough. Because if you have a photo of yourself that intrinsically speaks to who you are, that's available for you to look at and appreciate and admire, it really helps negate society's effects and our own negative thinking,” she said. 

Having a hard copy, she says, is like having proof of who you are. 

“I am beautiful. I am amazing, I’ve accomplished a lot. And having a photo physically in front of you is a reminder, because we can get so bogged down with social media. So maybe you’re going through a horrible day, and you don’t have as much self-love as you did they day before. It’s a reminder that today might not be the best, but it doesn’t affect who I am.” 

Because it’s such an intimate style of photography, she has clients go through an extensive preparation process leading up to the shoot, to make sure they’re as comfortable as possible. 

She starts by discussing with the client what they’re looking for, to determine whether or not she will be a good match for them, “because I want them to come in and just be themselves. Everyone's going to feel nervous to an extent, but I don't want them to feel overly nervous or restrained.”

After the first discussion, they choose the dates, and she sends out a questionnaire to get to know them a bit better, and gives them a checklist so they know how to prepare. 

Then, about a month before the shoot, they meet over zoom to go over any last questions or concerns. She does this because since the pandemic started, she wears a mask during the shoot — so they can’t see her face.

“Being able to see someone’s face is very intrinsic in the trusting process,” she said. This way, they get to see her face beforehand. 

On the day of the shoot, after hair and makeup are done, she says they will sit and talk for about half an hour before they start, to calm the nerves. 

“When I first started, I didn’t have these steps. [But] I’ve found that having this process really helps every client come in as prepared as possible, and helps navigate the nerves on the day of.”

You can learn more about Kristen Nicole Photography here.