Min Xu Boudoir Photography in Melbourne
Sometimes, things are in front of you for a reason. You may not expect to be a part of them, but for some reason, you find yourself identifying things you come across with in life.
Miss A came across my Min Xu Photography on TikTok. Knowing that I was going to Melbourne, she booked a boudoir shoot with me to embark on her journey for finding self love and confidence. She believed that this shoot would be something that would help her feel comfortable and sexy in her own skin. She’s never done boudoir photography in Melbourne before nor anything like this, and thought it would be a great way to start. Becoming a part of someone’s journey that is towards loving ones’ self is a tremendous privilege that I get to experience. Travelling as a boudoir photographer in Melbourne allowed me to experience this yet again.
Growing up she had always felt really insecure about herself, mainly being so conscious of her body and the way she looked. She would constantly worry what others thought of her but these past few lockdowns she had really been able to reflect and assess where she was in life.
She was brought up by a very reserved and conservative family. Her mum and some family members had strong values about what’s appropriate to post on social media therefore it had some influence on her being wary of how people would see her.
As she’s growing into a young woman and is experiencing new life adventures and experiences, she has a whole new perspective. She sees that there is nothing wrong with showing confidence through photos. It’s not what other people think that matters, rather, what holds more bearing in life is what you think of yourself and how you see yourself, even if that means showing a little skin. She is coming to terms that if she feels sexy, she wants to be able to show others that too.
Miss A told me that she felt very anxious about doing a boudoir shoot and that she tended to be shy at first. Like all first-time boudoir photography clients, she had a lot of things that she was worried about. We sat down and talked to ease and calm her nerves.
The first ten minutes of the boudoir photoshoot in Melbourne went well. However, she started getting very anxious. Miss A began to feel very conscious about what she was wearing and was worried about how it looked on her. Like this boudoir photo shoot in Melbourne, the feeling of being unsure, shy and feeling awkward can often come and go. With the right coach and mentor, you’ll be amazed how you start to feel more comfortable, just like Miss A and every other boudoir client that I’ve had.
In a boudoir photoshoot, Inner saboteurs may start to play some mind tricks and derail your own boudoir photoshoot. This was very present in Miss A’s case, at first she wasn’t sure if the outfit looked good so we changed the outfit. Then she didn’t think her hair looked good in the photos so I made some small changes and asked her if preferred these changes. Her response was that she preferred it before. So I changed her hair back. Next, she still didn’t like it and got really nervous. I asked her what she would like to do. She kept saying she didn’t know and nearly cried. She asked what my other clients would do with their hair. At that point I realized she wasn’t being picky – her anxiety kicked in and she was indecisive – she needed some validation.
I asked her why she worried about what my other clients did with their hair. She said because she saw those other beautiful girls on social media but didn’t think that she could match up to half as good as how they looked in their boudoir photos. I reassured her that she’s a beautiful young woman (she indeed is) and that she shouldn’t compare herself with other people because girls on Instagram only show the best of themselves – they don’t show their meltdowns.
Oftentimes, we compare ourselves to people on social media when we least feel confident, when in fact, our point of reference is a photo of a person having one of her best days. Comparing this is unfair and is really just being hard on yourself.
As a boudoir photographer in Melbourne, I really need to have the ability to handle all kinds of situations. Sometimes, I just need to be a listener, sometimes I need to be an advisor, sometimes I need to be their cheerleader. Whatever it takes to keep clients’ spirits up and to see from their point of view.
After a while of talking and working though her anxiety, we continued with the boudoir photoshoot. By the 3rd outfit change she was completely relaxed. She even tried something that she never tried before and was able to explore her sensuality as a young woman. This is the power of boudoir – you can be whoever you want to be, explore yourself, discover yourself without judgement in a safe environment.
In trying to know and love ourselves, we mustn’t leave it up to what other people say or think. We are born in families that may or may not try to change who we are, we live in a society that is full of opinions. We can choose to listen to them and be affected by what they say, or we can choose to follow our own hearts and live the way we deserve to-authentic and happy.
Give yourself the opportunity to feel confident and your most authentic self. Book a boudoir shoot with Min Xu Photography.