North Georgia Photographer | Mirrored Images Boudoir » Empowering women of all ages, shapes and sizes through boudoir photography

So, you make the first move… you contact the boudoir photog that you’ve researched and you KNOW is for you.  Now what?  Well, hopefully they send you a prep guide or have some sort of consultation where a lot of your questions will be answered, but where is your head when it comes to the final product?  Do you want an handcrafted album, digital files, wall art, speciality art (metals, canvas, etc), a handful of prints, or do you have NO idea what you want?

Albums are amazing reminders of how incredible you are.  Digital files are fantastic for on the go folks.  But, wall art… it makes my heart SO happy!  But, think about the whole picture for a moment.  You booked a boudoir for what reason?  Was it because you needed to look at yourself differently, a confidence boost, a constant reminder of who you are in life right now?  Whatever the reason was, it wasn’t so that you could hide in a drawer or a closet.  I’m going to tell you why getting wall art is the best decision you’ll make.

Hanging an image of yourself (not surrounded by your family) isn’t being conceded or vain, it’s a daily reminder of YOU that you deserve to see.  And, if it’s a boudoir photograph it’s a very raw and vulnerable form of yourself.  During our sessions I am very aware of the style of images I am capturing and I always include a lot of artistic images that most folks would NEVER KNOW IT WAS YOU unless you told them.  We use our vintage claw foot tub for a lot of these images, because they’re perfect to put in your master bathroom or bedroom.  A sexy silhouette in the living room?  Why not?  If you take a moment and think about the images your friends and families have on their walls, stock images, images that came with the frame or they paid for online… are sexy silhouettes not something you see a lot?

Be proud of the battles you have conquered, the ground you have walked on, the obstacles you defeated.

Read our previous blog Is Boudoir For You? For more information on picking a boudoir photographer.

I always want to know what brought you to boudoir.  For some, it’s a gift for a lover.  But, most of our clients come to us because they have a need.  They need to feel beautiful, sexy, empowered, confident… they need to see theirselves as others see them.  They need to document this stage in their life, for whatever reason (marriage, divorce, maternity, post baby, workout gains, spice up the sexy life).  There truly is no right or wrong answer to why you need to do a boudoir session (yes, I said “need”).

When you start your search for a boudoir photographer, you likely have no idea what to look for but price is usually a main factor.  It’s extremely important for your photographer to be a good match for you, and to provide you with what you need.  It hurts my heart when I hear horror stories from clients that hired a photographer who didn’t fulfill their needs and ultimately made them feel bad about theirselves.  I want to make sure every client that we photograph is a good fit for us, and that we’re a good fit for them.  Finding out why you need a boudoir session is just as important as you knowing why we need to shoot boudoir.

In addition to finding out a photographers reason for shooting boudoir, you should also find out how often they shoot (specifically boudoir), is it just a seasonal gig (Christmas & Valentines), do they have a safe and private studio space, do they offer wardrobe options, do they focus on the client experience or is their purpose to just give you a few photo’s to share with a lover, do they have good reviews and client testimonials, do they edit, and if they do – how much do they edit, do they pose you in flattering positions, or do they spend hours photoshopping your body to the point that it’s no where near real life?  It’s also important to know if make up and hair is offered on site, is there assistance preparing for the shoot, are they available to answer your questions, is their response time quick, what type of products are offered, what is the quality of the product, are they active in boudoir communities (this may seem like a silly one, but it helps photographers grow creatively).

Look through their website images, instagram, facebook, etc.  Are you drawn to their particular style?  I personally shoot mostly moody, but often throw in a few “light and fluffy” style images – but if you want all very light and airy, I’m likely not the photographer for you.  When you look at my images, I want you to say “I wish I could do that” because you can do it and that girl in the picture can be you.  But, if you look at my pictures and say WTF is that?!  I’m not your girl.  While looking through their portfolios also look for a variety of body types, heights, ages, ethnicities, shapes, etc.

Final words of wisdom: don’t pick a photographer for anything based solely on price.  Do your research and save your money so you can hire someone who fits your needs!

2018 has been an incredible year and these lovely ladies above have helped Mirrored Images Boudoir grow as a business, but I have grown as a person thanks to them.  The interaction in our Glam Gang group is at an all time high, women are supporting each other in ways they’ve never been able to before.  It’s such an inspirational group and helps me get through the day to day.  Between the group and our amazing clients, Shameless was born!  Gahhh!!  We are launching a body positive lingerie line in 2019 – which has been a dream of mine for many years.  We have put so much into this company and each item we produce, which is designed by our incredible team.  No private labeling – just high quality and well fitting products.

Do you strive to be a better you?  To inspire other women to love who they are?  Do you live a healthy lifestyle and wish to promote the benefits of it to our following?  Our 2019 GLAMbassadors will represent Mirrored Images Boudoir + Shameless and receive incentives from both companies if chosen.  You do NOT have to be a client of Mirrored Images Boudoir to apply!  To receive more information and the application fill out the form below:

Sparkle & Celebrate PINK was created in 2017 by a group of artists who wanted to create a day of beauty and celebration for breast cancer survivors.  Last year, Jenn Hyman, Katie Cotton, Staci Gibbs, and Jade Couch provided professional makeup, hair, body paint, lunch, wine and a photo shoot to 5 ladies in the Upstate SC.  Click here to see the celebration!

This year we held the event at Mirrored Images Boudoir studio in Gainesville GA, just north of Atlanta Georgia.  We had 7 beautiful survivors participate and even more talented artists volunteer their time and talent to the cause.

BreastCancer.org reports

• about 1 in 8 US women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime
• in 2018 an estimated 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in US women, along with 63,960 cases of non-invasive breast cancer
• about 40,920 women in the US are expected to die in 2018 from breast cancer
• as of January 2019, there are more than 3.1 million women with a history of breast cancer in the US
• bout 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer

Those statistics are SCARY!  Imagine yourself in the shoes of a woman who was just diagnosed… not only will your body go through big changes, but emotionally you’re left to cope with this diagnosis while (usually) being rushed into a treatment plan to save your life.  Depression and anxiety impact relationships and intimacy and 50% of relationships end after there’s a cancer diagnosis.  We, as women, need to stand together and support each other.  You ARE beautiful, you ARE strong, you CAN embrace the changes your mind and body have been through.

As boudoir photographers, Katie and I help women to accept and love who they are.  Every woman is capable of this, sometimes it just takes a super annoying boudoir photographer telling you over and over again how beautiful you are 🙂

We are so grateful for these inspirational women to allow us to document this time in their life and provide them with a beautiful reminder of how amazing they are.  Here are two reviews from 2017 participants:

“You’ve helped me begin to find myself again.  I’m getting more comfortable with how my body has changed and I am learning to embrace it…scars and all.  I really thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“My husband’s reaction to the Sparkle & Celebrate pictures was the best feeling in the world!!!!  He is so proud, he wants to share with everybody!  I know I am not a model, but after 10 years of hiding….I finally feel whole again.  I can never thank you enough – not only for what you did for me on the outside that day, but what you did for me on the inside for a lifetime!  Thank you!”

Hey girl, hey!  It’s been a crazy couple of months and we have totally slacked on blogging.  But, great things are worth the wait!  I want to introduce ya’ll to Tammy.  She’s my favorite firey red head <3 Tammy won a session with us last year, during that session she agreed to being videoed for a promotional behind the scenes video.  Not only is the video my fav but her session was incredible.  She was one of my OG GLAMbassadors and shares her personal experience with us with anyone that will listen 🙂  We love Tammy.  She had her second session this year and I don’t even need to tell you which images below are from the second because you can SEE the difference!

Lets Meet Tammy…

“So I think I’ve been a GLAMbassador since before we had a name, lol. I looked at a lot of photographer’s websites and spoke with several both on the phone and in person, but Jenn was the first one I met that I felt truly understood my vision and what I wanted to accomplish with my session. As most women, I’ve always struggled with body image. I’ve been all sizes and I’ve never been comfortable in my skin until my 40’s. I decided to own myself as I am and started to plan for my first session!!! Well, shortly after I had made my decision, I found Jenn and I was lucky enough to win a contest for a free session! And my session was just what I needed to accomplish my goal! My husband was at my reveal and his reaction was “I’m glad you finally see yourself as I see you. “ I literally cried. And now, I show my pictures to anyone who will look at them lol!!! I’m so proud of them and the way they make me feel every time I look at them. I truly feel this is the best experience any woman can give themselves. It will open your eyes to a side of you that you probably won’t believe exists until you see your photos. But after you see it, it will be a side you will hopefully never be able forget!”