Helping Clients Feel Comfortable Naked | Boudoir : Lee'at

When it comes to helping my clients feel comfortable for their boudoir sessions, I should start by sharing one of my deepest values when it comes to my work. I value creating a safe space for every single woman I photograph. This means both physically and emotionally. I want women to feel like they own their boudoir space, having permission to completely be themselves and express their sexuality.

It's easier said than done, though. We all have this visual of being in a high school locker room, manipulating our clothing as we undress so that we are not fully uncovered. You can almost feel those judgmental side glances and whispers when we think of getting naked in front of someone else. I get it. It's scary.

I need to assure you that I am not judging you. One of the reasons why I am a good boudoir photographer is that I really do see the beauty in you. Call it cheesy, but it's the truth.

I'm not looking or caring about your stretch marks or your love handles that you can't stop thinking about. Those "imperfections" are things that I actually find so unique and gorgeous about the female form. As your boudoir photographer, I'm going to pose and photograph you with the most flattering angles, in the best light, and I think you're fucking beautiful no matter what. It's that simple. 

Here are some other things that I think help clients feel more comfortable and free as they go through the boudoir process with me:

1. I have a privacy policy. All boudoir sessions are 100% private and confidential unless you choose otherwise. This, of course, includes the images, but also the knowledge that you have done the session in the first place. All images that I share on my public pages, or in my private Facebook group for women are only done so with your express permission.

2. Every session includes a consultation. It's a time when I not only get to know my clients on an intimate level, and they also have the opportunity to get to know me. I know that trust is earned, not given, and every client's trust is important to me.

3. Boudoir sessions are FUN! From choosing lingerie to getting your hair and makeup done, most of the time, my job feels like I'm hanging out with my girlfriends. Generally, by the time my clients look in the mirror after preparations, they are already feeling so much more confident and excited than ever before.

Lastly, I want to mention that when hiring the makeup and hair stylists that I work with, I am careful to find sensitive professionals who really appreciate and understand the importance of boudoir photography. As fun as the session is, it isn't just thrown together. It's carefully crafted for you.

Lee'at's recent session was incredible. Having never done a boudoir session before (which is the majority of my clients), she was a bit hesitant about how comfortable she would be able to get in front of the camera. When she walked out of her session, she said, "It was definitely not as scary as I thought!"

She embodied her sexuality and confidence in a way that was inspiring to see. I truly love these photographs from that morning we shared together...

Makeup by Makeup by Shosh

Best of Boudoir in 2017

Looking back on the best boudoir memories of 2017, I can't believe that there were so many incredible moments packed into just one year. Then, when I think about when I first started my boudoir photography business 4 1/2 years ago, the memories only multiply, and I'm left feeling nothing but grateful.

Boudoir has been a journey of self-discovery. It's been a rollercoaster ride from desperation and tears to moments of sheer joy and revelation.

I remember when I first started, without a car, carrying my photography equipment across the country on public transportation. My dear friend and makeup artist, Cassy Avraham, and I would travel hours on Egged buses for just one boudoir client. In hindsight, it did give us time to think and breathe, to dream and plan together.

I would never have thought that only a short time later, I'd live in a beautiful home that I would be able to transform into a boudoir studio. I would have never thought that I'd facilitate a Facebook group and community of over 3,600 women or be flown to Europe to speak about self-love. I would have never thought I'd be written about in The Guardian or BBC News or what a controversy it would cause, even among some famous public figures.

The most transformative moments were the quieter ones. They happened in the bedrooms of my clients, in my boudoir studio, in randomly beautiful outdoor spaces. It is a real gift to be able to see so many women connect to their bodies, rekindle their sexuality and take enormous steps towards loving and accepting who they are. 

"Watch carefully what happens when you give someone just enough comfort to be themselves."

-Atticus

While the majority of my boudoir clients choose to keep their sessions private, here are some of my favorites from the images I was allowed to share...

After a recent boudoir session, my client wrote this gorgeous poem that resonated with me.

"My body is a temple.
It is my home.
My body bore children and endured loss...

My body has been loved and touched, cuddled, and embraced.
I depend on my body to create and to explore this world, I nurture and invest in my body, because I want to live my life strong happy and healthy for as long as God allows me to...

I love my body because it is me! And I love me.

Love yourself. Love others. And be loved."

I'm so grateful to my clients who have bared their bellies and their souls. Who have gone on this journey of self-discovery with me. While it's endlessly therapeautic, I think we had A LOT of fun in the process.

Thank you to my team; the makeup artists, hair stylists, film labs, florists, designers and printing houses who have all been tremendous contributors and partners in creating beautiful art with me. To have professionals that I love working with and whom I can trust is priceless. 

"Photography makes one conscious of beauty everywhere, even in the simplest things, even in what is often considered commonplace. Yet nothing is really 'ordinary,' for every fragment of the world is crowned with wonder and mystery, and a great and surprising beauty." -Alvin Langdon Coburn

This self-portrait is everything...

Last summer, I traveled to New York City just for my boudoir clients, and it was absolutely amazing. It's a city that made me feel alive in a different kind of way...

I don't often photograph couples, but when I do, you know that they are special...

Something I love about boudoir is that it can translate to all stages in our life and celebrates our femininity not only through our bodies, but through the stories that we carry with us.

What's my favorite photograph? Maybe the one I'll take tomorrow.

For now, I'll be cherishing the experiences and photographs that came from 2017.

Lastly, but certainly not least, thank you to my biggest fan, my greatest support, and love of my life. Yehoshua, I could not have accomplished what I have so far without your unconditional love and encouragement. You are not only an inspiration to me as a person, but as a photographer and artist as well. To be able to share a passion for photography with you is one of the sweetest blessings. 

Hello, 2018. Let's rock and roll. 

Shoutout to all of you who have made this year possible!

Film Lab - Panda Labs

Makeup and Hair Stylists

Cassy Avraham

Jaquelyn Mowszowski Lawrence

Lia Ciner

Sheldon T. Bruck

Rhonda Lev

Sarah Appel

Leah Neppe

Dana Kaplan

Katy Taurel

Louise Lerman

Designers & Florists

Sara Winter - Florist

Haim Shushan - Graphic Design & Branding

Marina Valery - Wedding Gown & Lingerie Designer

Petit Pois - Lingerie 

Lifestyle Influencers

Noa Elharar

Leann Lev

Yael Kimmelman - Life by B

Boudoir : Layah

I have been overweight or obese since I was 7 years old. I’m now about to turn 27. I spent my entire life looking at the girls around me and wishing I looked like them. Once a week, I would walk down the street and little children would laugh at me and call me “shmena” (fat). I have watched countless friends get married. Been a bridesmaid in many of their weddings and always stared at the pictures after and would hate how I looked. There may have been a few “good shots” but I would analyze and criticize every picture of myself. I would measure how much my body took up in each picture. Notice every fat roll that would never leave.

Just over 2 years ago I made the decision to have Gastric Sleeve Surgery to help with the weight loss. It took a year but my surgery date was June 7th 2015. A day that changed my life forever. A day I will never forget. I can't express in words what this past year has been like. I have lost over 120 lbs (55 kg) which is crazy! But, it's not even about the number on the scale. It about all the NSV (non scale victories) that happened. At first, it was fitting into shirts that were to small on me for years. Then fitting into a shirts I bought in smaller sizes for when I was in the in-between stages of losing weight. Being able to buy a gown for a wedding from a store on Yafo as opposed to getting it custom made was a big one. Suddenly I was being noticed in ways I never have been before. I was on a radar that I never even knew existed.

Then, I started liking what I would see when I looked in the mirror instead of just avoiding it completely and wanting to run away.

I have learned more about myself in the past year than I ever have in my life. I shed so many layers both physically and emotionally. I keep on being tested by G-D, where I feel like he is making me take a stand for myself. Just to let myself know that I'm worth it. And some huge tests may I just say. People keep on telling me how great I look. How beautiful I am. I want to believe them, and some days I do. But I know what they don't. When the clothing comes off, my body is just as ugly as it was before, just looks like a shrunken version. I have extra skin that is saggy and still plenty more weight to be lost. When I catch myself thinking like that I really do try to stop it and remind myself how far I have come and that I need to be proud of what I have accomplished.

I have been a fan of Rebecca’s photography before she became a boudoir photographer. I used to wait to see the posts her and her husband would share after doing a wedding. I always noticed how they managed to capture each moment so perfectly and elegantly in a photograph. When she started posting pictures of women looking so beautiful and natural, as well as noticing their comments of self-empowerment, I was floored. I had never even known what a boudoir session was… but I found out very fast. I have gone through so many pictures of women who got to have their own session and read blogs of women who talk about how beautiful they felt and how liberating the experience was. Once again I found myself wishing I was one of those women. I never in a million years thought that I would have the guts to not only stand in front of another person in such an intimate and personal way but definitely, I didn't think that it was possible for me to look like one of those brave and beautiful women.

On June 7th 2016 I celebrated my one year surgiversary. I started to sit and think about what had happened over those 365 days. I had two ways of looking at it. I could think “I lost 120 lbs but also went through some hard times which led me to cheat and not exercise enough. So really I could have lost more…” or I could think “ WOW! I can't believe I lost 120 lbs, I started looking at myself in ways I never have before, opened myself and let myself be vulnerable for the first time ever. Plus so much more…”.

Well, I chose the other option. I no longer want to be focusing on the negative in general, but even more so, when it comes to who I am and what my body looks like. I keep on having to stand up for myself and prove that I am worth it, yet I don't really let it fully sink in that I am. So I decided to contact Rebecca and do a boudoir session. I am not married. These pictures are not for anyone other than myself. Yet, I deserve to see myself as a woman. An attractive woman. A sexy woman. That mindset has been completely foreign to me. Knowing Rebecca and her work, I felt like there is no one better or more trustworthy to share this experience with. It was going to be my own present to myself for all the hard work I have put in. I had no idea how big of a present it would actually be in the end.

After booking my session with Rebecca, I was both excited and nervous. I went out and bought some of my first lingerie ever. Before the session Rebecca was there to talk to me about my thoughts and feelings and help me prepare in anyway needed for the big day. When that day finally came I didn't even know what to think or feel. It was very surreal to me. Just being pampered by getting my hair and makeup done was such a nice feeling. Then watching how Rebecca helped me find the perfect shot and pose, while investing in making it something that is different and out of my normal “box.” I remember thinking that I don't know how to look sexy, how to pose sexy and I assumed that the photos would come out fake looking. As much as I trusted her, I didn’t yet trust myself. As the time went on I got more and more comfortable with being photographed. By the end of the session, I really just let go and had fun with it. Those pictures are my favorite ones of all.

When I finally got the pictures back I couldn't believe it. I kept on going back to them and not being able to wrap my head around the fact that it was me. Any picture that is just of my body and not my face still surprises me. It’s me, my body, and it is beautiful. One of the following nights, I sent this message to Rebecca:

“I just went through the pictures again. when I got to the one of me on the couch, in the red underwear... at first I just stared at the fat rolls on my sides. but then I stopped and thought.. what if it wasn’t me? what if I just saw this picture as a picture that you posted one day..... I would LOVE it!! I would be so damn proud of whoever that girl is!!! and then I realized that that girl was me. and I have to really love myself and the picture... looking back to it now, the picture looks totally different.  Thank you so much for being a part in this Rebecca!”

I still have a long way to go in my road to self-love, but I am further along this road than ever before. I always was a good dresser for my body type. I never let my size stop me from having style and putting on a nice dress. But now, I feel good when I do. I don't just analyze myself and wish that I looked like everyone else. There are days when I get back to the unhealthy headspaces but I try to catch myself from it. The goal is not to look like anyone else other than myself…. and I look pretty damn awesome. I just need to remember that every day, and not get caught up in all the imperfection that ultimately just makes me ME. 

Hair and Makeup by Sarah Appel

Boudoir : Yulia

From the beginning, I could see what a kind and beautiful woman I was about to have the pleasure of working with. Yulia is originally from Moscow, but in the recent years, she has decided to make a life for herself here in Israel. After speaking for just a little while, I learned that she works as a pole dancing instructor at a well known studio in Jerusalem. As I photographed her, it became evident how strongly passionate and talented Yulia is at what she does. The way that she is in touch with her body was inspiring, and the way she utilized her emotional and physical strength was something to simply admire. All of the elements in this boudoir session, from the hair and makeup by Sarah Zohar, to this gorgeous home in Beit Zayit and the quiet confidence that Yulia withheld, created results that I've fallen in love with...

Hair and Makeup by Sarah Zohar