Empowered and at Peace | New York Boudoir : Rebecca

This breathtaking session took place last year, in October 2021. I know, I know. I can’t believe I haven’t posted it yet either!

As the first cold breezes flew through New York, my makeup artist and I arrived at our gorgeous Airbnb to begin the first of many boudoir sessions.

In my client’s words, “I’ve been speaking with Rebecca for years now trying to work with her. Splitting time between Israel and the US, conflicting schedules, and of course, Covid, we were finally able to make it work. This was years in the making!”

When my client, also Rebecca, walked into the Airbnb for her boudoir session, she lit up the room. After all this time, I could not wait to photograph her.

Through the pre-session process, I had the chance to get to know Rebecca more and help guide her through the physical and emotional preparations. I remember her telling me about her journey, sharing her feelings about her body, and giving me all the details of her stunning tattoos. Her coaching call gave us the opportunity to have a collaborative vision for her experience and the art we wanted to create together.

Afterward, she said, “This was the most intimate and personal set I have ever done in my life. Rebecca made everything so personal and important in all the best, happy, and healing ways. She makes you look within and asks the questions you are afraid to answer. I felt so much lighter and empowered after talking with her and spending time with her makeup artist, Rhonda.

Film photography has always been my favorite and most personal because of my late Aunt, so I’m not surprised that seeing the developed rolls, I feel at peace. I loved every second of this experience.

I feel at peace. I hope everyone can find that.”

The session really flowed so beautifully and naturally, and I see how that energy came through in the portraits…

I love traveling to new places and having different backdrops for the sessions. Even through the window, you know I’m not in Israel anymore!

Her eyes and the connection shots just totally blow me away.

When Rebecca saw this picture for the first time, she said, “This is the one photo I would want to represent me for the rest of my life. My jaw is on the floor. I can’t believe it.”

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have photographed you, Rebecca. Thank you for trusting me with these intimate and vulnerable moments on your journey.

For those of you who are in the U.S. and want to have this unique experience, there are still some openings left for the first week of May 2023 in New York. Feel free to e-mail me at rebecca@rebeccasigala.com to explore the possibilities together. xoxo

Follow my incredible client, Rebecca, on her Instagram page. @embersofbecca

Makeup and Hair by Rhonda Lev

Embracing Vulnerability through Boudoir | New York Boudoir : Ekka

For many years I struggled with my weight, but I still always loved my body. About 10 years ago, I had weight loss surgery, and I realized that while I didn't hate my old body, I loved my new one. Then, 5 months before my wedding in August of 2018, my weight loss surgery began to fail me, and I needed an immediate revision. Very quickly I saw my body returning to the way it once was, months before needing to fit into a wedding dress.

I was devastated.

With help and support of those around me I was able to have it fixed, and my weight went back down, but my body was still different. That was the moment that I realized I wanted to capture how I felt.

Through doing a boudoir session, I also wanted to give my biggest supporter, my husband, a token, a gift- beautiful pictures of the body he loves and the person he loves most. He loves every flaw and every part of me and has helped me love and embrace those parts of me too. What makes him happy makes me happy. We love my little tummy pouch that I will never loose, my stretch marks on my wide hips and thighs, my multiple laparoscopic scars on my tummy and my mushy arms.

As my session approached I hoped for a wonderful space where I could learn about myself and my confidence, and a take away of a really beautiful time in my life, both physically and spiritually…

My experience was beyond any expectation. As much as I told myself and others I wasn't nervous, I think I was on the inside. But at the same time I was so ready for this experience. I got to know Rebecca Sigala through a wonderful and close friend of mine whose endorsement of the experience and, moreover of Rebecca, put me at ease and even made me eager to have this experience.

I loved chatting with Rebecca and Marcus Santiago, the makeup artist and hair stylist, leading up to the shoot. It broke the ice and made us all feel like friends. By the end of that one hour we were all following each other on social media and looking forward to the boudoir session.

I felt confident and vulnerable at the same time. My confidence came out of knowing my body and not being ashamed to share my flaws with the camera and the woman behind it. My vulnerability came from not knowing how to act in front of the camera. Rebecca helped me overcome that vulnerability and guided me through the process to help create with her the best looking pictures of me.

Overall, I couldn't stop speaking about the experience with my close friends and family. Even telling people I did this no longer made me feel bashful. I was so excited waiting for my photos!

When Rebecca sent me the final gallery of images, I viewed them together with my husband, and he was blown away. I knew he would be. He loved the intimacy of the shots, the style of the photography, the color and the black and white, and he loved the little personal touches I added by making sure we featured parts of my body that I know he loves, and I love too. I was also happy to have been able to have the creative freedom to wear special items I knew he would love and would make this session really special.

I ended sharing a bunch of pictures with my closest friends. They loved them too! I was also super proud and honored each time Rebecca shared a picture from my session on social media!

I took from this experience a greater sense of confidence. I not only accept having to be in a vulnerable state, but I embrace it. It no longer makes me feel vulnerable. I guess my husband has also helped me with this. With him I have always felt like my best self; free, open, and confident. I never felt like I ever had to be ashamed or hide any part of me. Until my session with Rebecca, I didn’t feel that same way around others.

This session made me realize that it isn't about the others, it’s about me. I now have that confidence and comfort-ability to be really open and free.

Home Sweet Home | New York Boudoir : Lea

Lea’s dreamy childhood home, located on the outskirts of New York city, had a perfect ambiance for the boudoir session that we had been envisioning. While I’m based in Israel, I offer destination boudoir sessions, and this past summer, I had the honor of traveling to New York for Lea and several other clients. So while I had seen pictures Lea sent me beforehand, it wasn’t anything like seeing it in person. The architecture, the plants, the windows, the colors. Every detail was exquisite. New and old were woven together beautifully in this 1960’s home, remodeled for a modern day family.

Doing her boudoir session in the place where she grew up was significant to Lea.

“I wanted to explore my femininity and a side of myself that I didn't feel comfortable expressing in the past. I grew up in a pretty male dominated and immigrant/traditional family, and I felt that it was hard to find my place.”

Boudoir sessions are often about reclaiming parts of ourselves that we feel like we have lost or never properly tapped into. It’s incredible to see the healing that often times takes place through this experience. Having an intention beforehand, like Lea did, can be extremely important.

When I asked Lea if she got anything out of the session that she didn’t expect she said, “A sense of accomplishment. Like ‘Hey I did this!’ It’s something I wanted to do for ages and never went for it cause I didn't feel like I looked right at that moment.”

On the morning of her session, we were all focused on creating something unique and artistic together. Lea’s makeup and hair was done by the talented, Marcus Santiago, and she looked absolutely incredible.

Beautiful, sensual, emotional, and expressive are words that come to mind when I think back to this day…

Makeup and hair by Marcus Santiago