"This boudoir session was a long time coming. Really, I originally emailed Rebecca back in November. Though, life got in the way, and my dream of a Fall shoot (with blankets and sweaters) ended up happening in July, with lots of tissues to blot away excess sweat.
I had always been intrigued by the idea of boudoir photography. It was different, and exciting, and sensual. It showcased women embracing their femininity, strength, resilience, and power. Yet it also seemed weird, and foreign; ideas that are a byproduct of my religious upbringing, I guess, and so I never did anything about it. Every so often I would come across another article, another image from a shoot, and the curiosity and “what if?” would come back, but life got in the way.
A few years ago, I made a conscious decision to do more for myself, to allow myself to do the things that I wanted to do, without feeling guilty or waiting for a more opportune opportunity. I quit a job that had started to go sour before it completely sucked the life out of me. I started my MA degree, and recently switched tracks because my initial plan wasn’t working.
I am very much the type of person to stick things out and see them through - sometimes until the bitter end. I also hate backtracking and redoing something, or starting over.
These two parts of my personality don’t always go well together, so I typically don’t do anything that I want to do without crazy research first. Followed by hours, if not days or weeks of overthinking and contingency planning.
Hence the break between November and the actual photo shoot.
I remembered my promise to myself, and reminded myself of something that a friend of mine told me, “nothing is going to happen unless you get out and do it yourself”.
These pictures will be mostly for me, to remind me that I deserve to do things for myself, and be selfish in that regard and that it’s okay. They will push me to take time (more than 10 minutes) to do fun things that I enjoy (that require me to get out of the house and spend money) without justification, or guilt, or waiting for a better time.
This session is only a beginning..."
Hair and Makeup by Sarah Zohar
