Her Gaze | New York Boudoir : Alexandra Sofia

Last year, Alexandra sent me a beautiful email after reading an article about my boudoir work in The Guardian. I quickly found out that Alexandra was a creative director and curator for a cultural program in New York City. Her incredible program encourages women to showcase their artistry on stage. We immediately bonded in our similar values about empowering women through feeling comfortable and loving their own, unique being. 

As soon as I started planning my travels to the United States for my boudoir clients, Alexandra was one of the first people I contacted. We began to speak further about our feelings regarding female empowerment, what it means to be a woman in the world today, and of course, what we envisioned aesthetically for her boudoir session. She told me more about the concept of "Her Gaze," which is the way in which we choose to be seen, instead of being viewed in a purely sexual or objectified manner. Alexandra's values and openness drew me into her narrative and inspired the beautiful experience and images that came from her boudoir session. 

We met at a lovely suite at Beacon Hotel in New York City, with Lou Lerman as our fabulous hair and makeup artist. The cloudy skies and light raindrops on the windowsill provided a calm and warm atmosphere for the magic that was about to happen...

In Alexandra's words, "Spirituality, for me, is experienced through the sensual body. Through loving and being loved. My body holds the delights of being caressed by a gentle breeze, the smell of fresh cut grass and my bare feet encountering a shallow brook. It is also true that my sorrows and the agonizing pain of illness are present in my spiritual journey. These are some of the experiences that give me the capacity to be strong, vulnerable, tender, and open."

"I believe that it was fate that led me to learn about Rebecca’s boudoir photography.  I felt I could be safe with her to let go of being in control and take a moment to be receptive and trust her to unveil the roundness of my passion."

Kodak Film // Processed and developed by Panda Labs

Boudoir : Julie

While looking for boudoir photographers in China seemed almost impossible, Julie decided to search for one on her trip to Israel this past winter. Through our e-mails, we automatically clicked, and as the date approached, I became more and more excited to photograph this stunning woman. 

Julie mentioned that she knew it was important for her to have an opportunity to see herself in a different light. Even though she loves her body at this stage in her life, motherhood and day to day routines sometimes make us forget how beautiful and sexual we really are. 

Our boudoir session took place in the heart of Jerusalem. A quaint, stone and Arabic style Airbnb in the neighborhood of Nachlaot...

Makeup by Sheldon Bruck

Hair by Katy Taurel

Kodak Film // Processed and scanned by Panda Labs

Boudoir : Leann

All I knew about Leann was drawn from her stylish Instagram feed. She's a beauty blogger, has stunning eyes and lives in Italy. Little did I know that our boudoir experience in Tel Aviv would be so vulnerable and deep from the very moment Lia, the makeup artist, and I walked through the door.

What I loved about Leann was that she put it all on the table. A woman who was willing to be raw and open in a way that brought me into her world...

Makeup by Lia Elisheva

Kodak Film // Processed and scanned by Panda Labs

Bridal Boudoir : Dreamy Collaborative Session

The story we know is that a little girl grows up dreaming of her wedding day, almost as if it is the peak of her journey. In the sake of re-writing our narrative, we're dreaming of so much more. When Sara Winter and I came together to create our artistic vision for this session, I envisioned our story to be about a woman of confidence with a foundation of self-love and acceptance. I saw beauty. simplicity with a touch of bohemian romance, but I also saw this woman as someone who could really look at herself and embrace the journey she is on, in the moment. As a bride embarks on a new chapter of her life with another human being, it is meaningful to recognize and document the power of a special uniqueness that lies within and her own sensual, intimate expression.

At a stunning home in Israel in the city of Beit Zayit, we began preparations for what we hoped would be a platform for our art and our collaborative creative energy. My husband, Yehoshua, and I are a wedding photography team, and we were excited to work on this project together since it is in the realm of everything we love about photography. While these images are through my personal lens, you will soon be able to see his perspective and beautiful photographs as well.

Throughout the boudoir session, the remarkably talented Sheldon Bruck, makeup artist, and Katy Taurel-Ciabotaru, hair stylist, cultivated a couple different gorgeous looks for us to photograph. The florals by Sara Winter and wardrobe by designer, Marina Valery, had me in a complete dream world...

Floral design by Sara Winter
Makeup by Sheldon Bruck
Hair by Katy Taurel-Ciabotaru
Lingerie and veil by Marina Valery
Model - Noa Elharar

Kodak Film // Processed and scanned by Panda Labs