When the storm leaves, there’s a silence
That says you don’t have to fear anymore
The trees are greener, the sky’s an ocean
The world is washed and starting over
The boudoir photography season before Valentines is upon us, and I’ve been preparing for my shoot on Saturday with a great deal of pleasure for a number of reasons. It’s my first official collaboration with a businesslady here in Edmonton for an event, which gives me joy. And because it’s my first boudoir marathon day – I’ve been hearing about them for years and I’m so excited to do my own.
The inevitable question came up recently. Why Seven Deadly Sins Boudoir? A lot of people I know are aware that I am a religious person from a quite conservative background, and I knew that not everyone would be sold on the idea. But what not everyone knows is that I ended up with an eating disorder in my teens that distorted my self image and made me believe in my own worthlessness, especially in the sensual and relationship arena. Since finding the beginning to the path of my own healing and my husband in 2009, I’ve wondered how to offer some of that healing back to others.
After a conversation with another photographer who said Boudoir was the best part of her job and a great deal of research into boudoir photography, I realized that I needed a brand apart from the Admire Studios brand to attract people to my studio for boudoir, since it’s not really compatible to mix with family photos in other people’s eyes, despite the fact that sexual love and family are intertwined. I had read a book series a number of years back featuring villains based on the seven deadly sins (Keys to the Kingdom series) and really enjoyed it, and after a bunch of market research, thought that it was similar to many other boudoir business names, but still unique – no one else anywhere was using it as far as I could tell. For example, a photographer in Meadow Lake I had coffee with while I was there (Nat Davidsen) has trademarked “Bella Donna,” a flower and a poison, for her boudoir work.
I was attracted to Seven Deadly Sins because I am a religious person, not because I’ve somehow fallen away. The fact is that anyone who’d be turned off by the name would be turned off by the practice, because they consider expressions of sexuality – even to your partner, which is what nearly all boudoir is for – to be wrong. And I disagree – I believe God created sexuality and gave us a safe place for it to be expressed, but that’s not how it’s framed in the church or the world. Expressions of sexuality are considered a perpetual sin by many.
The first woman I ever shot boudoir photos for told me she goes back to look at the photos when she feels down about herself and how she looks and it makes a difference. After struggling with an eating disorder for many years that made me feel like everything was wrong with me and I was worthless personally and sexually, giving back to other women (and sometimes men) with the same issues is the biggest reason why I wanted to do this. I want to give something positive back to the world. I want people to see themselves in a healthier way, to see that being a sexual person isn’t such a giant blaring sin, it’s how we were created, it’s who we all are, it’s a gift.
The curse is gone, the veil is parted
The garden gate has been left unguarded