The Real Cost of Cheap Boudoir: Why Your Body Image Deserves Better
Let’s rip the bandaid off:
Boudoir photography isn’t about pretty pictures.
(Okay, yes—the images should be beautiful. But that’s not the heart of it.)
At its core, boudoir is about how you feel when you see yourself.
It’s about reclaiming the story you’ve been told about your body.
It’s about showing up in your skin and saying, “This is me—and I am enough.”
So when someone comes to me crying after a bad session with another photographer, it's not just because the photos weren’t “flattering.”
It’s because their experience felt like a betrayal.
They felt small. Unseen. Maybe even humiliated.
And that is the real cost of a cheap photographer.
Let’s get something straight: You are not practice.
If a photographer is still learning how to pose diverse body types, still experimenting with lighting, still fumbling through editing, still figuring out how to hold emotional space for another human being...
They should be shooting themselves, not you.
Your vulnerability is not a practice ground.
Your story is not a creative test run.
Your body image is not their warm-up round.
I say this with love and fire:
Cheap photographers aren’t just undercharging.
They’re often underdelivering—on safety, education on body image, support, and skill.
“I thought it would be fine. I was wrong.”
I’ve had clients come to me after getting burned.
One told me she went with someone else because it was a great deal—
“$250 for a full session and 15 photos!”
But what she got was rushed, poorly lit, under-posed, and emotionally deflating.
Another client told me, through tears:
“I looked at the pictures and didn’t even recognize myself. Not in a good way.”
She blamed herself—not the photographer.
She thought maybe she wasn’t “photogenic.”
She thought maybe she just wasn’t “meant” to feel beautiful.
(Spoiler: She absolutely is. And so are you.)
Here’s what no one tells you:
It’s not just about the gear or how many years someone’s been shooting.
It’s about whether they’ve done the inner work, too.
👉 Can they hold space for your nervous system when you’re in lingerie for the first time since high school?
👉 Can they pose every body, not just thin bodies?
👉 Do they know the psychology of shame, not just the rule of thirds?
👉 Are they trauma-aware, size-inclusive, and clear in communication?
Because if not? You’re not just getting cheap photos.
You’re getting an experience that may leave you questioning yourself instead of celebrating yourself.
And listen—I’m not here to shame new photographers. I used to be one. I am saying if you have no confidence, maybe skip the sale. If you are full of self-love, book a TFP and help that photographer learn and gain experience!
But I practiced on me before I ever asked someone else to strip down emotionally or physically in front of my lens I even have the photos to prove it still, 9.5 years old in all their glory.
To this day I still do photos of myself for new ideas or concepts; no client tries something I haven’t done myself.
This isn’t about price. It’s about value.
If your idea of boudoir is a one-size-fits-all “sexy shoot” in bad lighting with stiff posing and heavy-handed orange filters…
Then sure, someone offering that for $300 is giving you what you paid for.
But if what you’re looking for is a space to:
✨ Feel powerful, not posed
✨ Be held, not hustled
✨ Walk away with images that actually feel like you—at your most radiant, raw, real self
Then you’re not shopping for a sale.
You’re investing in an experience.
What I offer is not just photos.
It’s empowerment in every direction:
✔ Professional hair + makeup to help you feel pampered and powerful
✔ A styling consult so you’re not guessing what to wear or how it’ll look on camera
✔ Expert posing for every body type, every curve, every angle
✔ Trauma-informed, body-neutral encouragement throughout your session
✔ Real edits—not “fixing” your body, but enhancing the light you already hold
✔ Fast turnaround so you’re not left in post-shoot limbo
✔ A reveal session where you get to see yourself the way the world should have been showing you all along
About Ash & Thistle + Behind the scenes
Also my aftercare program will help you keep the momentum going!
You deserve better than “good enough.”
You deserve an experience that lifts you up, not leaves you second-guessing.
You deserve more than just digital files—you deserve to feel changed by the experience.
So if you’re feeling sticker shock, I get it.
But ask yourself: What’s the cost of leaving a session feeling worse than when you walked in?
That, my friend, is the most expensive experience of all.
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Silly Behind the scenes with Hannah because it truly is alot of laughter
