Some people become doctors, teachers, or politicians, some throw themselves into the world of finance or sales, and some run full steam into the sciences. These practical jobs have their place on this Earth and I’m grateful to every single person who chooses any of the aforementioned career paths (and all the ones I didn’t name). I’ll be the first to admit that boudoir photography isn’t exactly “practical,” and that it might even be misunderstood by some. But there’s one thing I know from personal experience doing this work: it changes lives.

It’s no secret that women, specifically, face a brutal and judgmental world. One filled with marketing images of airbrushed “perfection,” and marketing ploys to become “better” through diet, supplements, gym memberships, and more. Baring all in front of the camera — literally — may seem like a way to highlight every self-perceived flaw that women are taught to believe about themselves, but I’m here to tell you that a boudoir session has the complete opposite effect for my clients.

Boudoir sessions empower women. They give them space to unleash their curves, to forget about all the marketing noise, to celebrate their bodies in a way they’ve never done before. I may not have a “practical” job that saves literal lives or educates our children, but just like I value those careers I think — no, I know — there’s value in what I do as a boudoir photographer, too. The proof? Every women who steps in front of my camera and walks away feeling more sure of herself and more beautiful than ever before.