Why are you passionate about this topic?
I have been given the opportunity to help women fall in love with themselves again. As a woman and mother I know how easy it is to lose ourselves in the everyday. With boudoir I am able to meet women during every walk of their lives: brides to be, new moms, recently divorced, expecting mothers, 40 somethings, survivors. I get to watch them almost transform in front of me. From sitting down in the make up chair nervous not sure of themselves, to getting in front of the camera still shy, to the last set naked and fully exposed and totally feeling it, and then the image reveal, OY! Its always my favorite, I never thought it would feel good to make grown women cry but it is. It is so rewarding and empowering for myself to be able to be apart of someones story and rediscoverance (is that even a word?) its almost hard to put into words what a boudoir session does for 90% of my clients and myself. Empowering that is all.
When did you first learn this technique? Or, when did you first realize you liked this topic?
When I shot my first boudoir session, I instantly fell in love. I was stuck in the photography world of having to do it all. Shooting weddings and kids started feeling like a job I dreaded going to and I lost myself in the mix. I had shot a few boudoir sessions but not any that I felt like were fully me. So I asked a few friends to get nakey for me and it all went crazy from there, I was hooked! My first really emotional shoot was conformation I was where I needed to be, we shared our personal experiences, we cried together, and she has been a repeat client (5 sessions under her belt to date) since. With boudoir I feel like I have a purpose, likes its my duty to show women how truly beautiful and badass they are.
What are the tips you would share with anyone trying to achieve this technique?
Do your own boudoir shoot! Know what it feels like, to be raw, open, vulnerable. It will help you be able to relate to what they are feeling.
Talk, a lot. I prefer to be there during hair and make up so I can get to know my clients I mean they are going to be butt nakey in front of me which is super uncomfortable period for anyone! I will tell you my clients who get all the awkward nervousness out while in the stylist chair come into their session swinging! 😉
Keep it real. I am blunt, I have the biggest sailor mouth(which I warn clients about in my contract) like f bombs just fall out when I’m shooting but I cant help it when I’m so exciting with the magic happening! When you are shooting don’t be a robot, we honestly spend more time laughing our butts off then actually taking pictures I swear, but it is the easiest way to make clients comfortable, seriously most of the time they forget they’re naked as we laugh about the 3am getting pooped on stories or all the douche bags that lost out on the hotness that is us. Be relatable. Some of my closest friends started as out in front of my camera.
Find what you love and marry the shit out of it.
Seriously when I stopped trying to do it all, I found my place in the world. If you don’t like doing something, don’t do it.
What were the challenges for you in the beginning?
Making them 100% comfortable, my first two years of shooting I only shot boudoir outdoors, which made things harder for sure.
Getting girls naked, I mean my man didn’t see me naked until like month 6 and here I am some random, expecting women to come to me, drop their drawers, AND let me photograph the most intimate parts of them!
Oh and the worst struggle, model releases, nothing is more heartbreaking then shooting an AMAZING set and not being able to share it with the world!
About the photographer:
Meranda Olson is a natural light photographer located in Bakersfield, CA specializing in Boudoir and reminding women how truly beautiful they are. She is a mother to 3 amazing littles, a bulldog, tortoise, and hanky the snake. She runs on coffee, red bulls and brownie batter. In her free time you can find her cruising her favorite local thrift stores, trying to be a pinterest DIYer, or adding to her tattoo collection!
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