"My partner initial thought that we'd come out with a handful of photos that we really liked but he quickly realized with as much fun as we had in our session that that was not going to be the case. "
I’m a 33 years old. My main income is from being a secondary teacher, but my passion job when I am able to do it is being an aerial instructor (pole, silks, lyra). My partner (new hubby as of 5 days after our session), is 32 years old. He’s a former corpsman with the marines who is working on his masters degree.
This session has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I did my first boudoir session back in 2009 with a fantastic boudoir photography team in Seattle that doesn’t exist anymore. The person I was dating at the time found out I was doing them and assumed they were for him. They weren’t, but I was 22 and didn’t have the confidence to say “Fuck off. I’m doing these for me,” so when that relationship ended poorly, I lost my awesome photos. Ever since then I’ve wanted to do another boudoir session but other things took priority. Fast forward to summer 2020, my partner (then fiancé) and I were talking experience gifts that we’d each enjoy and boudoir photography was still high on my list. He set to work finding studios whose style I might like and I chose Ayla and team. I liked the photos I saw as well as the general vibe of the team from the website and facebook group. Initially I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do a session just for me or one with my partner. He wasn’t super enthused with the idea of participating since he’s not a huge fan of being in photos and wasn’t sure about posing or anything like that, but he was willing to do it if I decided that’s what I wanted. I debated for quite a bit and decided, fairly last minute, that I did want to do the photos with him.
Our session was fantastic! We got there in the morning and I got to be pampered with hair and make-up by Amanda while Savy and Rob came and chatted with us so we could all get to know each other a bit. I dislike small talk because it always feels stilted and awkward but chatting with everyone felt fairly easy. Once I was glammed up, it was photo time. Because we were doing couple’s photos, my partner got to get some initial photos with Rob while I got dressed in the first outfit. I hasn’t been sure what I wanted to wear beyond the one outfit I chose from the wardrobe so I brought a few things with me and Savy helped me create them into outfits which I am incredibly grateful for (fashion/costuming is not my forte). I also chose to have some shibari as one of my outfits and Rob did a great job creating a great design. Throughout the whole experience, Savy and Rob posed and coached us through the different poses as well as breathing and where to look. Having two people with cameras meant you got slightly different angles and perspectives for the photos which was great. Some of the poses might feel a bit awkward, but trust that the photos are going to look great. My partner initial thought that we’d come out with a handful of photos that we really liked but he quickly realized with as much fun as we had in our session that that was not going to be the case. There were so many amazing images to choose from! Jessica was incredibly patient and helpful with us narrowing down our options to choose our prints. Overall, it was great for me to have a new amazing boudoir experience to remember and, my partner even mentioned he’d be willing to do one again in the future because he, much to his surprise, really enjoyed the experience and the end results as well.
I initially thought I would order some new outfits for the session but I choose to use some of the nice things I already owned that were in excellent condition since I can be most confident when I am comfortable and I often am disappointed with things I order. Instead, I took advantage of the wonderful offerings in the client wardrobe for any special items and it worked out great. Feel free to ask Ayla and her team questions. Everyone I worked with was knowledgeable, helpful and kind. You can trust that Ayla’s built a great team of pros who want your session to be a success for you.
If you think you want a session, book it! You will not regret it. The experience and memories are a wonderful gift to your current and future self. Ayla and her team are pros and will take care of you every step of the way.
