What lies beneath
May 4, 2018
No longer just a risqué present for a groom-to-be, boudoir photography is now a gift that women of all ages and sizes are giving themselves—as a means of empowerment.
We talked with Charlotte-based photographer Critsey Rowe, owner of Couture Boudoir and one of the premier boudoir photographers on the East Coast, about the growing trend.
Her packages start at $1,200—both in Charlotte and around the globe—and the women she works have ranged in age from 25 to 72 years old and from a size 00 to a size 22.
Considering a session? Don’t worry: you don’t have to bare all. Some women opt for subtle and demure, while others prefer a more sensual vibe.
Why do women today do boudoir shoots?
About 90 percent of the time people contact me, it’s for a groom’s gift or an anniversary. But I feel like once they do it, they realize that it was really something they did for themselves. I wish more women would do it and see that it’s empowering for them. It changes the way you look at yourself.
How do you help women prepare?
I give them a whole beauty guide that tells them everything—what’s going to happen, what to wear, what to bring. I have a hair and makeup artist who comes with the shoot.
What would you say to someone who’s nervous to be photographed so intimately?
People will say “I can’t model” or “I can’t look like the girls on your website,” but that’s my job. My job is to make them look like models. I do pose coaching, so they don’t have to know anything. And every woman is beautiful. No one is too old, too young, too skinny, too big. coutureboudoir.com
Feature photo by Couture Boudoir