A Cabin & Outdoor Boudoir Photoshoot in Red River Gorge, Kentucky
I do realize that the title of this post is a bit contradictory … the fact that the words “outdoor boudoir photoshoot” are together is a contradiction in itself, as boudoir according to the dictionary technically means a woman’s bedroom or private room. However, words can shift and evolve, so bear with me here! The alternate title to this post would’ve been “Outdoor Nude Photoshoot in Red River Gorge"", and while I have taken nude photos outdoors, this one doesn’t have any. I’ve been requested to keep those private & will follow through with that promise!
Back to the post: something I cannot stress enough about boudoir photography is that so often my clients go into booking boudoir photos or even just considering booking a boudoir session for their partner and their partner alone. I feel like this is missing something. Boudoir can truly be such a gift for you, too. The partner aspect can merely be a bonus.
Appreciating and loving my body has been a lifelong and continues to be a journey for me. I imagine many other women also feel the same. Actually, I know this from talking to you all on a regular basis. Our bodies are so often either hyper-sexualized, or ignored all together if we don’t fit the standard of “beauty”. Our bodies are meant for so much more than hyper-sexualizing and deserve to be viewed in their full light and beauty. When I take your photos, of course, your photos will be sexual and have sexual undertones, and they can emphasize that as well. Stepping into feeling sexy can be so confidence inducing! Just as we as people are sexual and that is a part of life, so that will be a part of your photos, but I’m trying to say that it’s not the only part of us.
I strive to have a more soft, feminine, beautiful, romantic boudoir style … so you can truly romanticize yourself and use boudoir as a tool to grow yourself loved journey. Sure, our bodies are sexual and I love highlighting that as well, but we’re so much more than that. I want my work to show the truly living, beautiful, whole person and perfectly-imperfect body and soul that you are.
Our bodies are also ever changing … we may gain or lose weight or shift as season shifts in our lives, whether that is a emotional hardship or celebration, or a large outwardly visible shift, like stepping into motherhood, adulthood or menopause. Or even perhaps learning to embrace your sexuality for the first time could be a reason to have boudoir photos taken. Our bodies are ever-changing, adapting to the seasons. They’re beautiful and they’re so much more than what we’re often made out to be. I want my boudoir photography to honor and bring to light all the idiosyncrasies of your soul, body and spirit.
And so that is why boudoir photography does not have to just be for your husband, partner or spouse. I can’t tell you how many clients I have had book a boudoir session just to get pictures for their boyfriend … they’d say they were nervous, but they were gonna do it for him. And then they ended up realizing what a beautiful gift in disguise it was for them, too. So whether you know it or not, it is a gift for yourself. Whether it lets you see gorgeous and stunning you are in the moment today OR maybe later on, it allows you to look back at yourself with kinder and softer eyes. It’s more than just snapping those sexy pictures for your husband, and also about the experience of investing in your journey of self-love towards your body and spirit.
I photographed my first outdoor boudoir photoshoot in Red River Gorge a couple years ago. And, actually, I had mine taken outdoors even before that! There is something so freeing and liberating about it. I think boudoir and nude photos surrounded by nature, especially in a place like Red River Gorge (I love Kentucky ♥), can help you feel connected in the moment to the earth. If that’s your feet being planted on the cold ground or the moss brushing up against your skin, there’s just something so exciting (and yes little nerve-racking), about it.
Speaking from experience, an outdoor boudoir photoshoot feels like a cool breath of air in your lungs. I think that the outdoors plays into the aspect of what I was saying before about steering away from hyper-sexualizing, rather than getting photos taken indoors in a studio. Being outdoors and nude for photos, especially in Kentucky, can create an atmosphere for naturally beautiful photos that highlight your beauty in such a way that flowers are beautiful.
I don’t want for this to come off as if one style is better than the other, because I also love the studio or home bedroom type of boudoir photography as well. But there is something more overtly sexual implied by taking boudoir photos in a bed with a sheet, versus outdoors in a field or in the woods or a creek. I love the difference between the two. I love getting both types of styles for my work, and I love the variety that simply changing a location can provide, which is why this little cozy cabin with the woods surrounding it provided the perfect backdrop for this boudoir photo shoot with a sweet client in Red River Gorge.
♥
Kendra
While I’m honored to have been recently named one of the top boudoir photographers in Louisville, Kentucky thanks to this article, I am also looking to book more clients in the Lexington and Red River Gorge area as well. Click the button below to check out my boudoir page & inquire!