I am, at heart, a storyteller. I grew up reading and watching TV and movies, and have always loved stories.

One of the things I love to do with my photography is tell stories, too. Whether they are encapsulated in single images or in a series of images, having a story to tie the shot(s) together is one of the things that sets my photography apart.

We relate to stories and to storytelling. Stories create intimacy, create connection.

Rather than “here’s me in a bunch of sexy outfits,” I like finding a through line to tell the story around.

For instance, the image at the top is a spread from an album I shot this summer. The storyline—such as it is—shows a women who heads out on a picnic, reads a book, drinks some wine, eats an apple, and discovers that she’s too hot (take that any way you like) for her clothes and begins to get undressed.

There are hundreds and thousands of little stories that you could peg a boudoir shoot around. Coming home from work and getting ready for the evening. Going skinny dipping at your favourite lake. Baking a cake. Wrapping yourself up to put under the Christmas Tree. Setting up a hammock. Trying on your new outfits from your favourite lingerie store (if you don’t have one, may we suggest Victoria’s Attic?) Losing a game of strip poker… the list goes on and on.

I have stacks of ideas, but what I love to do is create a story that speaks to who you are. No sense in, say, telling the story of your trip to the farm and rolling around in the hay if you break out in hives when you roll around in hay. Let’s come up with stories that speak to you.

The great thing about having a story, having a plot, is it gives you something to do. A lot of times, when there’s a camera pointed at us, we freeze up. We get nervous. What do I do? If we have a story, you know what you’re supposed to do next: take a bite of the apple; try on the purple outfit, hop in the shower…

If this has sparked your creative juices and you want to tell your story through a creative beyond boudoir shoot, I encourage you to get in contact with me.