however it’s pronounced, it’s flippin’ awesome.

i’ve photographed a lot of boudoir sessions. they’re kinda my thing.

{i know what you’re thinking: aren’t weddings your thing? yes. okay, i have two things. just…go with it.}

i’ve photographed women who were PUMPED to do it and women who were SCARED to death…

…until they got there. 

i think it’s bold and empowering to be honest about what you’re good at so let me tell you something i’m good at {don’t worry, i’m well aware of and honest about what i’m not good at too. like quiet time. not good at quiet time. #chattycathy}.

i’m really good at making people feel comfortable at their boudoir sessions. first reason for that? I’M comfortable and i’m EXCITED. second – i’m proud of you for doing it – for those of you that do it for someone else and for those of you that do it for yourself.

I WANT TO DO IT AS A GIFT.

let me tell ya – this is not a gift that will get returned. well, cause i don’t have a return policy on this…cause that’d be weird. but mainly because THEY WILL LOVE IT. they love YOU. i asked a client who did it for a gift what her experience was like and this is what she had to say:

“i knew from early on in our engagement that i wanted to give my fiancé this gift for the wedding! but man, did i do whatever i could to put it off!! 🙂 once i finally did it, i couldn’t have even believed how wonderful the whole experience was. rachel met me at the brideface studio so we got to chat the whole time nancy did my makeup {which was stunning!} and the session was surprisingly comfortable and so exciting. the gallery of photos is beyond gorgeous and i ended up having rachel design an album for me {which was not my original plan but worked out way better in the long run!} which saved me hours of trying to figure out how to design something myself and turned out SO BEAUTIFUL! my fiancé, now husband, was thrilled with his wedding gift and i’m forever grateful to rachel for celebrating me and making me feel beautiful.”

insert all the tears and happy faces. friends – this wasn’t even one of my brides, {i definitely wanted to mention that – if you’re thinking “you’re not my wedding photographer!” – that doesn’t matter. i can be your boudoir photographer!} so there was no history, just a few hours spent together on a tuesday morning and the results were beyond what she imagined or i could want: beautiful photos, confident client, new friendship. 

I WANT TO DO IT FOR ME.

well then, love, i’m over here wavin’ my hanky at you. 40th birthday? do it. worked super hard and want to celebrate a body change? GIRL. yes. want to celebrate yourself in the middle of this hard thing we call life? check out what one of my clients had to say about that:

“doing a boudoir session with rachel was a decision i’ll never regret. it was something i felt i should do – well because it was during one of the darkest times of my life. of course no gal wants to show it all for photos that she is probably going to nitpick apart. well, i did it and i didn’t pick anything apart! i loved every photo and every “flaw” i had because it was me and i saw what a strong woman i was. when you enter that room with rachel, you enter a no-judgment zone. it’s an area where she tells you how beautiful you are over and over. it’s also a time to be free and be you, and she helps you get there. do yourself a favor because you deserve it, even in the darkest of times.”

holy. ^^^ that’s reason enough for me to keep doing this. and i hope it’s reason enough for you to do it too! 

GIRL, I’VE GOT STRETCH MARKS FOR DAYS.

well first of all – join the club. 🙂 second – one of the first things most of my clients mention is what the giftee really likes about her. hand to God, most of the time, it’s like “my eyes or my smile” – something totally sweet and not nakey-nakey. but then they’ll shyly say…..”well, and he really likes my butt” or “i’ve been killin’ it in the gym so lots of leggy shots” or something like that :), and then, unsolicited, “but can we maybe try to hide my stomach?” or “you’re gonna like help a girl out in photoshop right?”…

i’ll never ask you what you want to hide. that’s not for me to decide and i think you’re perfect. but i also want you to love these pictures so your wish is my command. i did a session this past year where she was probably 60% covered the entire session {promise, true story!} and the pictures were some of the sexiest boudoir photos i’ve ever taken. this doesn’t have to be naked – in fact, it rarely is. 

now, we are like queens of positivity over here and i will genuinely fawn all over you {in the least creepy way possible} the whole time we’re together, but i’m also a girl’s girl and YES: airbrush tans, a little waxy wax, manicured nails, professional hair and/or makeup – we’ll always encourage that. for more than the aesthetic of the pictures – for how it makes you feel. you feel beautiful? you look beautiful.

speaking of professional makeup – we work exclusively with brideface and our boudoir sessions include makeup by them. #asifthiscouldntgetbetter 🙂 we like to protect our clients’ privacy so if you are interested and want to see a gallery of what a real session looks like, and how baller the makeup is, we can provide access to that.

HAVE I SOLD YOU YET?

i sure hope so, i’m working suuuuuper hard over here. 😉

the details of what are sessions include are HERE and at your session, i’ll show you what our albums look like {they are GORGEOUS} and you can decide on your own if you want to create your own gift/memory or let us. 

let me finish with this: i don’t think you need to take your clothes off and take pictures to be sexy. not even one bit. in case you’re confused by me wanting you to do a boudoir session as a gift to someone else because you’re well aware of my “i am woman, hear me roar” tendency, let me reassure you: i want you to do this for you. you are allowed to celebrate your body, your beauty, your sexiness – on your terms. i’m just here to help you own it. 🙂 

CLICK HERE TO INQUIRE!

even if it’s a bunch of questions cause you wanna do it but you’re freaking out….don’t worry. i’m used to that. 🙂 there are a lot of cincinnati boudoir photographers – i’d love to be yours.

xo, rachel