Mmmm, I continue on my journey to discovering ways to photograph women, aiding them in feeling good about themselves. Age is relevant in that I know as women age, they feel less and less sexy and even less beautiful generally speaking. I sometimes wonder what nature had in mind for we women in menopause.

I’ve done boudoir photo sessions in the past but not a lot. It is not common for me to be able to get a release to post something to share with others.  A few months back, I was photographing a client’s kids and we were talking about the whole ‘mom’ thing and how women can get lost in the role of ‘mother’ in a way that they sometimes feel less desirable, less sexy, less beautiful. Can you relate?

This client asked me to do a session for her that made her feel beautiful again… as a woman. I am not fond of the term ‘boudoir photography.’ I don’t know. It’s hard to say, for heaven’s sake! I was looking for a word that immediately conjured up ’steam’ in our thoughts. So I spent some time in the Thesaurus, which I often do, and came up with Herotica photography! Now, I’m not sold on it yet. It has to ruminate a bit with me. So here’s a challenge…

If you come up with a name for sessions with female clients that I like better, I’ll do a session for you at no charge! I’ll even add a framed 8×10 so you don’t have to spend a dime if you opt not to. So post your suggestions now on this blog and tell me what you think. I’d like to do more of these sessions, and in order to do a marketing campaign I need to get my creative juices flowing and I’d like your help!

I know this client was anxious when we set up this appointment. I had a hairdresser and makeup artist come in (thanks, Hillary) to do her hair and her makeup. We talked a lot about her clothing… or lack thereof. We wanted TASTEFUL photography. We wanted classy photography. I guess we were successful. This client gave me permission to share any image I wanted on my blog with all of you because she was so proud. I skipped many of the beautiful closeups because it’s so obvious who she is to many of you. I like the mystery of these better! Sorry.

Notice I didn’t say “how beautiful I made her.” Given the right mood, the right attitude, the right music, the right lighting every one of us gets to become that wild woman inside that NEVER GROWS OLD! When her portraits were revealed to her, she could not quit smiling. When she sent me an email and thanked me for helping her feel good about herself again and making her look so good, I made a comment back to her that she asked me to post on my blog when I put her images up. I told her… “If you feel good about yourself and love how you look, then I’ve given you a mirror to look back at yourself for who you really are!” It is the privilege I have in the work that I do. I’m blessed.

And I can’t help but smile when I think about her grandchildren or great-grandchildren coming upon her beautiful album of this occasion and going crazy over what a steamy great grandmother they had! You go, girl! Hot, hot, hot….