The Story of how we "accident-ally" opened up a BOUDOIR Studio.
After I (Richelle) had a terrible car accident in 2017, I was left with major neck and back pain, which made being a full-time wedding photographer virtually impossible. Jaques and I were forced to look at our business and figure out how I was going to be able to run a photography business with these types of injuries. Jaques and I opened up a Headshots and Boudoir Studio to start transitioning into studio work. It wasn’t very long after we got started that Jaques and I fell in love with the thought of showing women their beauty through the Art of Boudoir. We decided to let go of Headshots, and make Boudoir Photography our primary focus.
Naturally, because Jaques and I were wedding photographers, we immediately started to help brides create jaw-dropping gifts to give to their groom for the wedding day.
One day, a bride asked us to take photos of her groom opening up his wedding gift from her. We had helped her create a boudoir album a few months prior. As we were shooting his reaction on that wedding day morning, we were shocked!!!
Here was a groom looking at his wife-to-be in lingerie, and what did he do? He literally cried.
Through his tears, he kept saying how beautiful she was and that he could not believe that she did this for him.
He felt so LOVED! Yes...loved!
Jaques and I left that hotel room changed people! My eyes were as big as saucers. “Jaques...this is literally impacting people and marriages”.
WE WERE HOOKED!
The stories started pouring in how we were impacting women's confidence!
The stories are countless and give me tears every time I tell them.
This one client below in the photo explained to Jaques how she went out after her shoot and bought a whole bunch of shorts for the first time in over 10 years, she then went over to him and HUGGED him with gratitude! The great thing is, clients don’t have to wait until they are confident enough to come to the shoot; the shoot actually gives women confidence!
After we started to hear all of the life-changing stories, our goal for the shoot went from creating a gift for their spouse or fiance to impacting her confidence so much that she finally saw the beauty that was there all along.
Not 10 years ago, not 10 pounds from now, but, right Now!! All of a sudden, the gift became a complete bonus!
Self-acceptance is beautiful
We want her to leave the session feeling beautiful, confident, sexy, empowered, and most importantly... we want to be a part of her journey to self-acceptance.
A woman who has a healthy self-image can do anything, and a woman who has confidence is the most beautiful woman of all!
WHY Richelle loves Boudoir
Personally, for me (Richelle), being a women who struggled with self-image and confidence issues my entire life, there is something that happens inside of me when I see a woman finally let go and stop covering her insecurities during the shoot, it's something ammmazing to watch!
There is something that happens inside me when I watch her looking at her final images in the office for the first time and she looks over at me with tears in her eyes.
There is something that happens to me when she giggles of excitement and hides her face because she literally can’t believe that it’s her in the images!
When these things happen, I KNOW that she actually finally sees her beauty, and my heart literally becomes so full, because never in a million years did I think that our little studio would literally impact the women of our community to this extent, and I am so happy!!
I'm your cheerleader! And you better believe that when you come to our studio, I'm going to help you feel loved, welcome and beautiful, BECAUSE YOU ARE!
Why Jaques shoots Boudoir
For Jaques, his goal is for you to see yourself as ART.
Jaques is a multiple-times published Boudoir photographer and artist and people drive hours to come get photographed by him for Boudoir.
Magazines and models seek him out for his dark and moody style of photography that leaves a woman seeing herself as a beautiful piece of art.
He was born and raised in South Africa, where he created nature and wildlife art, but also where the female body is celebrated and seen as Art.
Jaques always tells me and the clients that he wants her to see herself in a way that she has never seen before! Jaques says ‘My goal is to see her face light up when she sees her images and to be in disbelief that it’s actually her! I want her to be proud to show her groom or husband the final products!
He always tells our clients that if these images don't blow your husband's mind, we have failed, LOL!! It should be the very best gift he has EVER received!
Every woman wants her man to look at her this way, and Boudoir Art and Albums are the perfect way to showcase the sexy women that she is.’
Our Goal became to impact 3 women per week. We wanted to help women and create 3 new stories a week through the Art of Boudoir.
The Transformational Experience
From the moment you finally book your shoot till the moment you leave your ordering session with your albums and artwork in hand, you get the VIP treatment with us!
We deliver an experience like NO other!
We roll out the red carpet, make you feel like the important person that you are, and by the time you are done with the entire pampering of hair/makeup/champagne, shooting experience, you go from clammy hands to finally finding that part of yourself that you forgot you had: that inner diva that is WORTH celebrating! Yes, YOU! JUST AS YOU ARE RIGHT NOW!!!
Self-acceptance and confidence are so beautiful, and we can't wait to show you how truly beautiful you are ALREADY!!!
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