A seattle Portrait photographer explains the difference (& Similarities) between boudoir Photography & Women's Empowerment Photoshoots


Okay, so what even is Women’s Empowerment Photography, anyway?


I know. Sounds made up and maybe a little hippie dippie… but hear me out.


We’ve all probably heard of Boudoir photography by now, but in case you haven’t, it’s a wonderful genre of photography that has gained popularity in recent years. It usually contains nude, or partially nude, photos of women+, either to celebrate their bodies, boost their confidence, or give as a gift to a partner.


Don't get me wrong... I love boudoir. I think every woman should try it at least once in their lives.

Artistic black and white portrait series showing silhouetted profile views with dramatic shadows and lighting.
A person in white bedding poses seductively in a boudoir-style photoshoot with soft lighting and natural makeup.
Boudoir photography series featuring a woman in black lace lingerie posing against dark background.
Artistic black and white nude photograph showing hands placed on curves with visible tattoo in dark shadows.
A series of minimalist black and white photographs showing silhouettes of pillows arranged in a horizontal row.
Black and white artistic portrait series showing a woman with long dark hair in dramatic poses against white background.
A series of black and white portraits showing the same person in different poses and expressions.
Artistic nude figure with vibrant red hair poses against light gray background showing tattoos and black undergarments.
Black and white portrait photograph showing shoulders and flowing dark hair against light background.
Dramatic side profile portrait in black and white with dark shadows and visible shoulder tattoo.
Black and white photograph of a bare back with hands placed on lower back showing body contours.

"Allow me to offer you some advice: Take a thousand naked pictures of yourself now. You may currently think, "Oh, I'm too spooky." Or, "Nobody wants to see these tiny boobies." But, believe me, one day you will look at those photos with much kinder eyes and say, "Dear God, I was a beautiful thing!"

—The wise words of Moira Rose From Schitt's Creek

I have a shortened version of this quote in my studio since day one, and it’s on my website because I love it THAT much. She’s so right. We’re often hyper-critical of ourselves in the present, and it’s only through the lens of time that we appreciate our own beauty.


And we all know why. Every single day, we’re inundated with ads, reels, and articles about how to get rid of those wrinkles, lose that weight, but not too much! Buy this thing, fix that, be perfect. It’s exhausting. We're used to seeing our faces distorted by filters or the dreaded wide-angle lens of the front- facing phone camera.


If you’re a millennial, like me, you’ve come to realize just how toxic the culture we were raised in actually was. AND what those standards are based on. (YUCK)


Unfortunately, I credit shows like America’s Next Top Model for why I wanted to be a photographer. I loved watching the photoshoots, but didn’t realize until years later what standards it was setting in all of our brains about our own body image. And we didn’t recognize it because it was EVERYWHERE ELSE TOO. CosmoGirl, Teen Vogue, music videos on TRL, scripted television, and even in comments from our own families and friends. I know it goes back even further, and for newer generations, they have an entire new set of unrealistic beauty standards to fight against. 

That’s why I started this business in the first place.


I’ve been a photographer for over 20 years at this point, and throughout my career, I’ve photographed almost every genre you can imagine. From weddings, families, babies, models, musicians, and more. The common thread through all of those was women, who often arranged and organized the shoots, who recognized the importance of photography and how it preserves our most precious moments in time… these women almost always pushed themselves to the back. Cut themselves down.


“It’s not about me,” "I look horrible today," "I'll break your camera!" “No one wants photos of me, this is for the kids,” or “Ugh, can you make me look 20 pounds lighter?”


If I had a dollar for every time I heard that last one, I could’ve retired a decade ago.


I wanted to find a way, for once, to make the shoot about those women. The everyday woman. Without her needing a milestone or a reason. But because she matters. Her story matters. Her body doesn't need to be 20 pounds lighter to appear in photographs. She deserves to feel like those girls in the magazines, even if she doesn’t look like them.

A series of black and white fashion portraits showing a plus-size model in a black tank top posing confidently.

Boudoir gets a bad rap...


...Undeservedly, of course. It will never not make me furiously angry that almost every boudoir photographer I know currently has or has had some kind of shadow ban on their social profiles. Some of them banned altogether. Photos removed. Reported. It’s happened to me too. For being “vulgar” or “against community standards.” Yet violence, misinformation, and hatred run rampant. But god forbid we see a tasteful image of a woman loving herself. 


Besides ending the stigma of boudoir, I also wanted to widen the scope a bit. Because while I love that there are so many women embracing the idea of loving their naked bodies, I also understand that not everyone feels empowered in that way. And maybe they think that they would do a photoshoot, but don’t want to feel like they have to be in lingerie to do that.

Cue “Women’s Empowerment Photography.”


Now, I’m sure I didn’t coin this, and I’m sorry to whoever did, I would give you credit if I knew!


This takes that self-love idea of boudoir and expands it. Maybe you feel empowered in your favorite business baddie powersuit. Or a gown that you’d never have another occasion to wear. Your favorite t-shirt and jeans. Or maybe it’s the “widow's robe” that I have in my studio wardrobe. I call it that because it reminds me of those clips of old movie stars running down the stairs in their giant house robe after just collecting the life insurance. You know the one. It’s a big hit in my studio, and I see the instant shift every time a client puts it on. *Hair flip*


Women’s Empowerment Photography is about giving yourself permission to celebrate who you are right now, as you are.


If you want to get glammed up to do that, let’s do it.

If you want to show up as you do every day, and to fall in love with pictures of yourself without doing anything extra, this is for you, too.

And heck, maybe by the end of the shoot you’ll think... f**k it! Let’s do some nudes too.

I love that for you, girl.

Ethereal boudoir portrait featuring a flowing champagne-colored tulle gown against a warm beige backdrop.

The "Widow's Robe" in action. You see what I mean, right?

A figure wearing a pink floral crown poses in a series of four artistic boudoir portraits with golden sunburst effects.
A series of joyful portrait shots against a white background showing natural curly hair and genuine expressions of happiness.
A black and white portrait series showing a woman in a dark blazer posing against a dramatic shadowy background.
Portrait series showing joyful expressions and black lace attire against dark background in boudoir photography style.
A sequence of silhouetted figures in dramatic poses against a warm-toned background showing fluid movement and dance.
A person in a black blazer and striped shirt poses casually on a chair against a white studio backdrop.
A person in a black long-sleeved top sits on a dark wooden floor while showing their bare feet.
A series of photos showing a person in a white fringe dress dancing and moving expressively against a beige background.
A black and white photo series showing a figure in a white blazer and black top posing against a light background.
Portrait series showing dramatic lighting on dark hair with red lipstick against black background.
Artistic portrait of someone wearing a floral wrap dress seated on a wooden stool against a dark backdrop.
Artistic photo series showing dancer in black top with pearl necklaces moving gracefully against sepia background.
A person in a white fringed outfit dances and poses playfully in a photo series against a neutral background.
Dramatic black and white profile portrait of someone wearing a textured fur coat against a dark background.
Stylish portrait of a person in a gray bodysuit and white high-waisted pants with natural curly hair against gray background.
Black and white portrait of a person with platinum blonde hair wearing a patterned jacket and black top against a plain backdrop.
Portrait of someone in a black leather jacket and sheer top with flame designs against a dark gray background.

So, what is Women’s Empowerment Photography, you ask?


It’s a chance to see yourself through those kinder eyes right now.

Without having to wait years and years.

To say… “dear god… I AM a beautiful thing!”

And carry that through your daily life.


On those days when you’re not feeling it. Those bad body image days. You can look at your album, or folio box, or wall art, and say… that’s me too. She’s still in here, and I love her.

That same love that you have for your inner child? The you right now, deserves that love too.

Hype her UP!


I’m here to help you do that.

Client Love

Shinead

1 / 3

"I felt like I was actually seeing myself for the first time truly through someone else's eyes.

I feel like, especially women, we're so hard on ourselves and always look at the flaws...but when looking at my pictures, I don't even see any of the things I don't like."

1 / 3