I ask two very important questions before every session, two questions that are necessary for me to give the best possible experience to my clients.

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The second question is, “What do you want your photos to look like?”  Most of the time that’s met with a blank stare so I follow it up with, “When we are sitting here next month at your photo reveal, what do you want to see in your images?  What mood to you want to evoke?”  This helps me set the tone for what we will do, how we will proceed throughout the session, what I want to capture, sets I want to use.

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It all matters. And, it’s all about you.  Everyone what’s something different and I’m going to cater to that!

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When I asked this client those questions, she immediately told me two things.  First, she wanted to capture her JOY.  She’s come through a lot, as you’ll read through below, and she wanted that joy, the fun, the effervescence to shine through.  Then she said, “And I want to show my witch side.”  CHECK AND CHECK, BABY!

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Here is her joy and her witch.  The rest of this post is in her words!

(Maura note – as always, photos are shared with permission.  Nipples pixelated on website on purpose.)

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1) Why did you decide to invest in a boudoir photo shoot?  I had a very traumatic childhood. I was taught my only value was in my ability to bear children. I was taught to hide my body, to be ashamed of my curves. I was told to not like sexuality. I was abused and used for years. I was told women could not work unless as a teacher or nurse – “women’s jobs”. I have spent years finding my identity. I knew who I was in there, and did the work to uncover all of it. I had to strip off layers of lies. I worked extremely hard obtaining multiple degrees, and now work for a firm in Chicago! I landed this dream job 2 years ago, treasure my curves, delight in intimacy. I know who I am, and am so happy to find peace. I wanted a set of photos that captured all of me. I know that my sexuality is a wonderfully complex and fun side of me that I am quite comfortable with, and wanted to capture that very important part of me in photos. I have completely liberated myself from the shame they tried to put on me, and I wanted to SEE ME.

2) How did you feel about yourself before your photo shoot?  I was very proud of myself – my inner work accomplishments, and my visible accomplishments. I spent so much of my life just trying to survive, then trying to recover. Finally, over the last 3-5 years, I have felt like I shed the cocoon and am flying. I am ready to live the next 30 years fully. Not fixing and looking back, but looking forward. I am present and celebrate moments. I am not ashamed. I’m not wearing labels others put on me anymore. I know who I am. I wanted to capture that in pictures. So, before my shoot, I felt ready. I wanted to see what that looked like on me.

3) How did you feel about yourself after your photo shoot?  Validated. I see that woman in the pictures and I see the freedom I worked for. I SEE the joy I experience every day. I see health, stability, freedom, confidence, and the version of me who sits happily in her own skin and wants to experience the world. I am not heavy with grief. I have learned where that lives in me. I have learned how give my grief a safe home and treasure that part of me. I have joy, and I can experience it now, not in contrast to grief, but because and with, and I and never have to pretend they don’t exist simultaneously. My pictures validated the experience I feel deeply inside of me. I am so free. I thought that would look good!

4) Describe your session in 3 words?  Validating, FUN, magical

5) What was your favorite part of the boudoir photo shoot?  Oh thats a really tough question because the experience was more than the sum of its parts. I loved Maura. I have watched her and her work, and the community she has been building for a long time. There are plenty of other photographers who could take pictures of me. Maura is not just doing a job though. I watched over and over when clients spoke of their experience, how uniquely special each one was. Maura has the ability to be present and handle each client as the client is experiencing it: A single, special day. Not just another day at work. And I think that is remarkable. This is not just a transaction of service and payment. Maura’s emotional intelligence is off the charts. She could *just* be a photographer, but she takes it far beyond. She gives energy and love. She emanates joy and comfort and that air supports every single one of her clients through their set. That is a tremendous energy investment on her part. So, yeah, my favorite part was Maura. She is a remarkable female leader, and uses her exquisite talent to build others up. Thats too big to even try to wrap words around.

6) What value do you think a boudoir session brings to your life and the community of women you support? I will try not to go on a feminist rant, and will attempt to keep the soapbox from coming out! So, we live in this very patriarchal world, where we are pretty, but we can’t admit it. We are told men want sex, but women are coy and don’t. If we show our curves, it is incorrectly understood by others that it is for attention. What if, we just existed in our skin and loved it? What if we didn’t look at ourselves by how others were going to judge us? What if we took joy in exactly who we are? Thats what Maura does. She lets women be free from judgement for a couple of hours, and gives them a lens to see themselves as they really are. I think a woman gets her power back when she sees herself. The value of a boudoir session is immeasurable, but to try to quantify it in words, it is liberating. Once you see yourself and that side of you with true honesty, it’s a pivotal moment. This is a uniquely personal experience, and women generally don’t do things that are just for themselves. There are several major psychological things that happen as a person goes through the process. First there is deciding to reach out and book an appointment. That in itself is a giant breakthrough. Getting a woman to say she is valuable enough and pretty enough to take that step? Thats HUGE. Then, the experience happens. That is another step in the process because Maura is hooting and laughing, and it’s a FUN experience. The woman goes home that day smiling and excited to see the work. She feels GOOD. Maybe hopeful that the pictures are good, there might be some doubts, but at that point, the experience was so much fun, it was worth it! Then, the breakthrough of seeing the pictures. This woman gets to see herself – happy and relaxed because of the whole space Maura makes. This woman finally gets to see herself: relaxed, invested in, treasured, smiling, sexy, and unashamed. EVERY woman deserves to see herself through that lens. Every woman should.

7) What would you say to other women who are considering a boudoir photo shoot?  DO IT. Do it for a special occasion, do it because its a Tuesday. Whatever reason for deciding to do it is a perfect reason. No excuses, no waiting for the right reason. The right reason is because you exist, you are beautiful. Do it because f&%$ it, you want to!