Why I Shoot Boudoir Photography
Content note: This story mentions domestic abuse.
There's a question I get asked sometimes: "Why boudoir?" For years, I dodged it. I'd give vague replies, keep it surface-level. I realised I was doing a disservice to the people who trust me. If I'm asking clients to be vulnerable with me, they deserve to know what drives the person holding the camera. The real answer isn't simple, and it's not comfortable. But if you're trusting me with your vulnerability, you deserve to know mine.
The project that changed me
During my towards the end photography course days, I was mostly specialising in model and glamour photography: clean light, striking poses, magazine polish. The type of image that’s used in advertising. For my final showcase, I did something different. I displayed a series that depicted a domestic abuse survivor in a boudoir setting. Some images had bridal elements, the white, the softness, the person she was before everything changed, contrasted against what abuse had taken. Images designed to be confronting, to make people uncomfortable.
And it worked. People stood in front of those prints, went quiet, and then turned and walked away. You could feel the air change. But the real goal wasn't about the discomfort itself. It was about agency. The power belonged to the person in the photo, not the person holding the camera, not the person viewing the image. The image was hers. The story was hers. And that changed everything.
That showcase pushed me to redefine what glamour photography could be. I didn't want to make images that simply looked pretty. I wanted to make images that gave power back to the person in front of the camera.
Why this matters to me
This work found me after loss. around that time I lost a close friend due to domestic abuse. Grief changes your eyesight. It sharpens what matters and strips the rest away.
When the people you love have been disempowered, the idea of helping even one person feel in control of their body, their story, their image becomes sacred work. Over the years, that question has shaped everything: what does it look like when someone takes their power back?
Why boudoir?
Boudoir, at its heart, is choice. It's the right to say "yes" to being seen. And just as importantly, the right to say "no." It's deciding how your body is viewed, what parts of you are revealed, what parts are private, and what story the final image tells.
I'm still the guy who loves a beautiful pose and a cinematic shadow. But boudoir is more than aesthetics. It's a collaboration built on consent, boundaries, and a fiercely protective respect for the person in front of me. We're not photographing pain. We're photographing ownership.
My approach, in one sentence
If one person leaves my studio seeing themselves with more dignity and self-respect than when they walked in, I've done my job.
Not because a photo "fixes" anything, but because it can be a marker in time. A reminder: I am allowed to take up space. I am allowed to be seen on my terms.
What this means for you
This work has shaped everything about how I approach sessions. Every consultation, every choice about lighting and posing, every moment of collaboration. It all comes back to creating a space where you feel safe, seen, and in control.
I can't rewrite the past for the people I lost. But I can honour them by creating a studio where power is returned, beauty is chosen, and stories are owned by the people who live them. If one person breathes easier, stands taller, or reclaims their gaze because of a session we did, that matters.
Why I'm telling you this
Boudoir is intimate work. If we work together, you'll be vulnerable with me. I believe you deserve to know what drives the person holding the camera. Not just their technical skills, but their values. This is mine.
Thinking about it?
If you're curious but nervous, let's start with a conversation. No pressure, no sales pitch. Tell me what you need, and we'll design a session that feels safe, bold, and unmistakably you.
Ready when you are:
If you need support
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please reach out to trusted local services or national helplines for confidential support. (In Australia, 1800RESPECT offers 24/7 support.)
