Inherent confidence

I have been a boudoir photographer for years now. I have documented countless women’s journeys. Some of them starting their marriages, celebrating in some way, and some who finally came to the realization with how magnificent they are and were moved to document that. I have alluded to how much this work has inspired me in the past. But I am not entirely sure I ever sat down and combed through what it has taught me.

I have met women of all shapes and sizes with all different stories. I take each of them with me long after shooting wraps, and their personalities dance around my brain as I edit their galleries.

As I uploaded L’s session onto my computer I remembered what it felt like to be around her. There is a certain electricity a woman gives off when she loves herself wholly and without suffocating dimmers. It’s the kind of light that can be heard. One that tingles the interoceptive parts of your internal senses. I have long searched for the right word to describe it but have never truly found the one that fits. Powerful? Yes. Magnetic? Yes. But there’s something soft about the whole thing. I have searched and searched and have decided that the word should be feminine. Because feminine should be synonymous with powerful. And that exact thought is the one you ponder when you meet L. And without this gorgeous career, I wouldn’t have ever been able to fully appreciate her force.

feminine should be synonymous with powerful.

Watching women walk into my studio with the full intention on celebrating themselves, is something I will be in awe of for the rest of my life. It has brought me so much perspective. Not only their confidence, or their stories, but their willingness and eagerness to pose themselves as the main character.  A vulnerable, striking protagonist whose story just keeps beginning.

It is the sort of thing I didn’t know mattered much until I started to realize that had I not been exposed to it, I might’ve made different choices or maybe wouldn’t have been equipped in moments that I needed to be. It has taught me to embrace vulnerability, stories that don’t look like my own, and always OTHER WOMEN.

Even the ones that intimidate me. The gorgeous ones. The genius ones. The inherently confident ones, too.

And in the tiny moments in between shots I can see the positive impact this kind of declaration has had on me. The unapologetic celebration of women, their gorgeous bodies and their loud presences. It’s shoots like these that I feel so grateful that my gorgeous daughters live in a world where women are so heard.

So seen.

So powerful.

So…feminine.

Thank you for sharing your light, L. One that could never be dimmed.

xx,

L

Boudoir Photographer Chicago Suburbs

Laurie Baker has been a professional boudoir photographer in the Chicago suburbs for over a decade now.  She has an established commercial studio space in Homer Glen, Illinois.  This location is in a southwest suburb about forty minutes from the city of Chicago. She also services local towns including but not limited to Burr Ridge, Oak Brook, Naperville, Hinsdale, and Frankfort.  Laurie works with an all female team including professional hair and makeup artists and you can read more about these artists here.  She has a beautiful studio wardrobe from which you can pull pieces and use during your session. Her work is known to be understated, romantic, and an opportunity for women to be photographed in a modern and beautiful way.  To see more of her work, visit her recent blog post and view a full session.

If you’d like to book your session, reach out to Laurie to start the reservation process!