Why I am not a "boudoir" photographer

I have never liked the phrase "boudoir photography" and I don't like the language that goes with it.

I want words to mean what they mean. Whenever someone uses one word to stand in for another, I always ask myself why.  "Boudoir" is a euphemism and an attempt to de-sexualize something that is, in fact, sexual. There is no shame in this and there is no need to talk around it. In this intimate setting, clear, direct communication is essential. It might feel a little awkward, but clarity builds trust and confidence.

I read a boudoir photographer say he became a boudoir photographer because "he wanted to empower women." Being photographed nude or in an intimate setting can indeed feel empowering, but I don't feel a need to take credit for that. This is something you have chosen to do. You have agency and you can empower yourself. And this applies to both men and women.

Another reason I don't like the phrase is because of the aesthetic I associate with it. Think soft focus, air-brushed, over-saturated, contorted into poses no-one ever does in real life. Even more so today when Photoshop can hide all the beautiful details skin acquires in the process of living. When a photographer deforms your body into whatever shape you desire it to be, the photographs don't feel honest anymore. As I've said before, a photograph is both a fact and an ideal. A real person (a fact) in front of the camera exposing their own (ideal) beauty. You don't need to be photoshopped.

You can call it what you want:  "intimate photography", "lingerie photography", "nude photography", "figure photography" or "erotic photography". Just don't call it "boudoir photography".