Boudoir : Sara

This morning, as I looked over the results of Sara's gorgeous session and began to write, I realized that I've known this incredible woman for almost a decade. Over the years, I have always felt so much awe, love and respect for Sara, and today, I'm lucky enough to call her one of my close friends.

She doesn't like when I get mushy, so I'll just stop there and let the pictures do the rest of the talking. ;)

This boudoir session was something we always had in the back of our minds. When the time finally came, we wanted to create a sultry and evocative winter feel to the photographs. We began preparations with makeup artist, Sheldon Bruck, at this stunning home in the Judean Hills...

Makeup by Sheldon Bruck

Boudoir : Nechama

When I woke up the morning of Nechama's session in early November, I threw on a cute romper and headed out the door to Tel Aviv, where it was sunny, warm, and just like summer! Nechama's vibe matched the weather, being incredibly chilled out, and it didn't hurt that natural light filled every corner of her space.

Getting ready with Nechama and our makeup artist, Sheldon Bruck was such a good time! Part way through preparations, Nechama asked me "What kind of music do you like?" When I told her I was cool with almost anything, she bashfully turned to pop and rap, which unleashed perfect boudoir energy as the clothes came off and lingerie dominated our session.

It is always a pleasure to photograph other women in my field. I feel like they understand what I do as a boudoir photographer on a whole different level. Nechama is a talented photographer herself, and the process of working together was truly a blessing and honor.

Here are some of my favorites from our "summer" day...

Makeup by Sheldon Bruck

Boudoir : Vivi

Vivi is the kind of woman and this is the kind of boudoir session that reminds me how much I love what I do and the space that I offer. Her inner goddess radiated from the moment she put her first piece of lingerie on, and almost immediately, we both got lost in the world of boudoir.

Her gorgeous apartment in the heart of Jerusalem was just renovated, so there was no question that Vivi's home was the perfect backdrop for self-expression, empowerment and a whole lot of sexiness...

Hair and Makeup by Sarah Appel

Boudoir : Melissa

"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