I’m Stacy. “Mom” to three kids – ages seven, five and three. “Wife” to Tom, and the woman behind this very important, very powerful art form called boudoir photography. I hesitate to focus too much on me because this is all about YOU, the woman who could use a little help to appreciate, value and love herself. I do understand, though, that you wanna get to know the person on the other side of the camera when you’re standing in your underwear. VALID!
Before boudoir became my focus (yes, I went all in!), I was shooting everything from weddings to newborn and family photos. Now, we all know that even if there are others involved IN each of those sessions, the real client is likely the woman. She is one in charge of planning, coordinating outfits, ordering prints – basically the whole process. I always felt like I was capturing great images of the memory and candid moments, but I was falling short on posing HER so that she looked and felt her best. I’m sure you know the feeling of standing in front of a camera and nervously asking, “what should I do with my hands?” or “does this look ok?”. I wanted to ensure that I was able to tell every woman who stepped in front of my camera exactly how to pose and what to do with those hands!
As I continued with my photography business and shooting all the things, I was always drawn back to boudoir. It was definitely intriguing, but more than anything, it just kept popping up in my head. Could I do that? Would I be able to make my clients comfortable? Are there women who want to do something so bold? Guys, now is probably a good time to tell you that I tend to overthink things – a lot. Like, for two years a lot. (Learn from me – don’t wait two years for something that speaks so clearly to you). I gave myself every excuse not to go for it.
Finally, I decided to make the jump. I asked a friend if she’d get naked for me (ha ha boudoir photographer joke, ahem) – and as it often goes, the rest is history.
The way she and I both felt after that shoot was nothing short of amazing. I left there feeling so energized and couldn’t wait to do another shoot. (When do you ever leave work and want to do MORE work?) Here’s the crazy thing — the only thing she hoped for was one good shot. Looking back, I laugh at how low her expectations were, but that gave me an opportunity to over deliver. The entire shoot she said she felt like a model and we were both literally giggling through the whole thing.
More important than the way she felt during the shoot, how she felt while viewing her images was the real benefit. I got chills and cried (oh, the feels!) when she told me how she lives with thoughts of not feeling beautiful and these images changed her view on that. She actually saw her own beauty. I really do believe every woman deserves to have that feeling. YOU deserve to have that feeling. I’m not asking you to look like you just stepped off the runway. I’m not asking for you to feel like you’d have no hesitation to strip down in front of a stranger’s camera (we will become fast friends, so really, don’t worry about that.) All I’m asking for is that you listen to that voice in your head, just like I did, and take a leap of faith.
So, what do you need to know about me? I smile a lot, laugh even more and pose you every step of the way. You’ll not only be surprised how comfortable you feel, but you will be so, so proud of yourself. If you are ready to just go for it, please reach out! I can’t wait to meet you!
