I want to talk to you about the images we see in advertisements and online. No, not about how they're photoshopped and present an unrealistic view of beauty. That's a topic for another day. I want to talk to you about the presentation of the people in the images.

Go take a look at a fashion magazine. If you don't have one, you can check out pintrest. Say here.

The images are amazing: the clothes, the pose, the make-up. But I want you to take a look at the faces. What do you see?

While some photos will show the models with a hint of a smile, or sensuality, or innocence, most of the faces are fairly neutral. Little to no expression.
I call this model face, and it's so prevalent, it was mocked in Zoolander, where Ben Stiller shows off his different looks, and they all look the same.
In Fashion photography, the photo is about the clothes or the makeup or the hair or the product being shown off. It's not about the model, who is little more than a living mannequin.

I love fashion photography for its creativity, for its sometimes outrageousness, and I love incorporating elements of fashion into what I do, especially when looking at the power dynamic of subject and viewer.

But my photography is not about the outfit, or the make-up, or the hair. Yes, these are important elements of the image, but what I want to capture in the photo is YOU.

Rather than fashion, I want to shoot passion. I want to capture personality. Motion, emotion, action, reaction. Yes, let's bring in elements of fashion and pin-up and traditional boudoir and more besides, but let's get away from that lie that you can't show emotion in images. Yes, you can. You're allowed to be happy. To have fun. Or to be all hot and bother and have fun. It's okay to laugh and smile and dance and sing. You can be silly, be sensual or be emotive and create stunning works of art.

There are no rules when you go Beyond Boudoir.