Let’s admit it, everyone loves a little drama now and then. You don’t necessarily enjoy being the brunt of said drama, or even perhaps the instigator, but the sitting-back-and-watching-it-unfold-as-you-munch-on-virtual-popcorn portion of it is, well … fun.
About a month ago, I received an email from a writer at TheDaily.com, wanting to ask me some questions about boudoir photography. I checked to make sure the website was legit (which it was) and I happily accepted her call a few days earlier. The writer was utterly pleasant and the discussion consisted of the regular questions that I field on a daily basis about this type of photography. “What is it?”, “why do women do it?”, “how do you feel about?”, the standards.
When you get interviewed, you never know what you will be actually quoted on or which way an article will actually go. I suppose if I was a little more interview-savvy I could have requested a proofread before print, but I didn’t. The final article was a little …. wrong.
You can read the whole article here:
http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/08/11/081112-wknd-style-boudoir-brides-ruiz-1-3/
I talked at length about how the portraits empower women – whether they are in loving, committed relationships that need a little spice or are newly divorced and want to feel sexy all over again and get their proverbial groove back. I really wanted to focus on the fact that the sessions not only were for their partners, but also a special gift for themselves. And, as a result, there was just a little bit more pep in their step.
What I didn’t want it to turn into was a discussion about modern pornography. To think that women are doing boudoir so their husbands do not look at porn is just plain silly and totally takes away from the purpose of these images. I have had the opportunity to photograph several lovely ladies who are away from their husbands for long periods of time – whether it be due to a deployment or job demands. They just want to leave their significant other with a little reminder of what they will be seeing soon. It’s not about just providing visual stimulation, but reinforcing the special connection that you already have.
And in this world of saturated media, they say any publicity is good publicity. The article in turn sparked discussion all over the blogsphere, including this article on Jezebel:
http://jezebel.com/5933999/boudoir-photography-is-the-wedding-industrys-answer-to-internet-porn
Ahh, here’s that porn topic again. Mmmmm, drama. Sprinkle in a little infidelity and some plastic surgery digs and you have a yummy recipe right there. I’m enjoying being misquoted, especially when I said that the ladies are ordering two books, one for themselves and one for their husband. When this became about boyfriends and breaking deadly sins, I have no idea.
Only a short time later, another article emerged on The Week. And it had a fairly good focus with a new twist. While it quoted much of the original article, it was really a big FYI piece.
http://theweek.com/article/index/231899/boudoir-photography-the-divisive-new-wedding-trend
I think the most important part of the article is to highlight the question of “what happens to these images?”. Now that’s a great question to really dive into! Some things to double check when booking with a photographer are as follows:
1) Who has access to the images? This seems like a fairly innocuous question, because I am sure most people who assume that only the shooter will see the images. However, if the photographer outsources their editing work or has studio assistants, there may be a few additional sets of eyes on the images. A bigger, and more important question to ask in terms of access is, “where are the images printed?” Photographers rely on professional labs with impeccable reputations, not warehouse stores with a printing kiosk . Some (like us) have in house printing up until a certain size ensuring that the images, from start to finish, stay right in front of secure eyeballs.
2) Do you securely back up your images? I.e, is the hard drive password protected, for example, and is it stored in a secure manner in the event that if it is stolen that the images cannot be easily accessed?
3) What happens to the images after x amount of time? A nice follow up to question #2. Are the images backed up for a certain amount of time and/or are they completed deleted after that time period?
4) Do you securely post the images / who can access them/ how long? There’s that secure word again. If the images are posted online, how long will you have access to them and will they be password protected. Also, is the photographer using a professional hosting site or a public one that could be accessed by a bored hacker who figures out their naming convention?
5) Will the images be used for the photographer’s studio? The final question is perhaps the most important one. If you sign off on a release that allows the photographer to use your images online – how exactly will they be used and will your name be associated with them? Are we talking about you on a canvas in their studio or on their website, for example. And do you have any approval rights in determining what images are used? All very important questions that should definitely be addressed if you decide to share the images publicly.
But this isn’t over yet. This trail of articles ended in the best one part of this story … a call from the Dallas Observer. Now we are talking local stuff, finally, and with a writer who sees how the other articles lost their way. Let’s get back to the original story here : empowerment, confidence, loving yourself. The Dallas Observer article did that, and so much more. When I started talking to the writer about boudoir, she asked many of the same questions as the writer for The Week and I decided to get personal. I told her how I did my own set of pictures a few years ago and how it made me feel – amazing. All of those years of thinking about my imperfections melted away when I saw the images. THIS was me, and I felt beautiful.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/mixmaster/2012/08/boudoir_photography.php
So that’s the reason that I believe that boudoir photography has become popular – not because it’s a way to keep your man visually aroused or a reminder of days that have passed. Instead, it satisfies that nagging voice inside that makes us wish we were somebody else with someone else’s features. You will be surprised at the beauty that a photographer can see. We see the inner fire and the beauty that fuels it and it is our job to share that with you.
Why be somebody else when you are amazing, just the way you are?