Today’s fun outdoor boudoir shoot comes from the fabulous Katelyn Turner Design + Photography. Katelyn is a boudoir photographer in Peoria, Illinois, and we just love this outdoor boudoir session she sent us. Her beautiful client Janell has agreed to share about her boudoir experience with all of us – thank you Janell!
Why did you want to do a boudoir shoot?
I wanted to surprise my husband with something special for our 1 year anniversary. A boudoir session seemed like the perfect thing to do. Also, we’d been discussing starting a family within the year and I wanted to document my body, pre-pregnancy, to look back on in the future.
How did you choose your photographer?
I’ve been an admirer of Katelyn’s photographic style for a while. She has such a unique, gorgeous, original style that really wows the eye. I’d been looking for any excuse to book an appointment with her so I searched her site and saw that she offered boudoir. I looked through her galleries and loved each and every photograph. They were so classy and fresh.. I emailed her to book a shoot right away.
How did you feel as you were preparing for the shoot?
I felt very excited to be working with Katelyn, but also fairly nervous. Like most any woman, I had some insecurities about my body but I knew that my husband would love the photos so it would be worth it. I had a lot of ideas for the session so I was pretty excited to see them come to life.
Any advice for ladies thinking about doing a boudoir shoot?
Do it, and don’t look back. If you find the right photographer, your nerves will fly right out the window and you’ll feel nothing but beautiful. You will feel so gorgeous getting all dolled up in your lingerie. Its a great and unique way to embrace and showcase being a woman. You just have to trust the photographer… They do this for a living and they KNOW how to pose you to get the best image possible. Calm down, enjoy it, and let your insecurities disappear. You ARE goregeous.
Your favorite moment of the whole experience?
It was over 100 degrees that day and being outside was like being in an oven. Katelyn had me lay down in the shade of a gorgeous old oak tree and we recreated a classy pose I’d seen in a vintage 1960’s playboy with a straw hat. It was so fun to see my inspiration come to life. Really, the whole shoot was amazing. Katelyn is so fun to work with and really made me feel at ease and beautiful. She kept snapping away and telling me I looked like a bombshell or how gorgeous the photos were turning out. She even turned the camera to me and let me peek at a few.
Define what BEAUTY means to you.
The definition of beauty, to me, means feeling great in your own skin. Its owning your body, every dimple, freckle, and wrinkle and being okay with that. Everyone is beautiful… its all about letting yourself believe that. Beauty is a quiet confidence.
Just for fun favorites: share your favorite lyrics from a song, or a favorite quote.
And I wanna rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
Then magnificently we will float into the mystic
-Van Morrison “Into the Mystic”
Did this experience change the way you see yourself, or the way you think of beauty? Anything else you want to share about your experience?
I really think this experience made me feel less insecure and more beautiful. When I look back through the album, almost a year later, I realize that the things that I was insecure about only existed in my head. Those photographs are so beautiful because they show a woman with confidence.
Thanks again to Janell & Katelyn! Be sure to check out Katelyn’s full profile on Boudoir International!
