A great marriage is amazing, but that doesn't mean it doesn't require work from time-to-time to keep the romance alive between partners. After all, we live in a super fast-paced time where multi-tasking is the norm, spouses see each other on the fly in between work, business travel, kids' activities, etc. Heck, in our house, it's so busy we implement the no-phones-at-the-dinner-table-rule just to intentionally carve out at least 20-30 minutes of uninterrupted family time where we can all connect with each other and have real conversations without our eyes and attention glued to our phones. So it's no wonder that after 12 years of marriage, several children later, careers, and a dozen years of life together, this gorgeous client reached out to me because she wanted to do something that would completely surprise her husband.
She wanted to do something he'd never expect her to do in a million years. She wanted to do a beauty and boudoir photoshoot to reconnect with her inner lioness (which I love, btw, and as soon as I saw that was her reason I immediately wanted to photograph her and help her on her journey SO badly!) so she could reignite the spark and deep connection she and her husband shared. We talked about storyboarding her portrait experience to include a narrative that he'd understand. She selected pieces that were meaningful, garments that were fun and carefree, and pieces that were hilarious and an inside joke only he'd understand. You see, your portraits are customized to you and how you want to see yourself. You're unique and so is your story and your portraits should reflect that.
I was fortunate enough to receive an e-mail from this client after she gave her husband his gorgeous imported album and she shared his reaction. I'd share it myself, but I think it's best if you read her words for yourself. Here's what she had to say.
"Ladies.... You all deserve a photo shoot with Jill. She is Freakin awesome. She makes you feel alive. She walks you through every step and you come out of your session with vibes you never know were inside of you. I want to portray the side of it from my husbands side. Ladies we have been married for 12 years. Our marriage was literally on very rocky ground. I told Jill in the photo shoot that I don’t even know how my husband will respond to these photos. I told her he may not even want to see them as I am not good enough and will find the little things in my photos to pick apart. I went into this session to build myself up and to find my inner beauty the lioness I am. I found that but more. I did not tell my husband I was doing the photo session. But I went all in. Went out on a limb as I wanted my marriage to turn around. So for Christmas 2020 I surprised him and gave him my book from my boudoir session. We went to a rooftop bar and I gave him my gift. I did not know how he would respond. Ladies he flipped out. He literally s*** his pants. For weeks after he was still commenting on how freaking awesome I looked and that I booked the session on my own. He told me this was the best present he has received. So if you are on the line do it. You won’t regret it. Hands down the best money spent. Thanks Jill."
This type of reaction is why I'm a portrait photographer. Helping women reconnect with themselves or discover themselves for the first time is powerful, friends, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. And the added bonus is that her marriage sparks are reignited like never before and the positive impact this portrait experience had on her confidence is a lasting, positive change that I'm humbled to have been a part of.
What has you curious about reserving your very own beauty or boudoir portrait experience? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!