Boudoir Photography to Heal the Soul

Aug. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- "It seems like half the people I meet say they don’t take good pictures" states photographer Colleen D. Gjefle, owner of GJFOTO Photography.  "Unfortunately, most people are used to seeing snapshots of themselves taken by Uncle Joe who's using a little point-and-shoot camera with the built-in flash. Nobody looks good under those circumstances. Hell, not even models actually look like the over-photoshopped caricatures that we see in magazines."

We tend to forget that.

So Colleen wants to tell the ladies out there that you are ALL gorgeous!  She loves making women look - and feel - fabulous. "It really bothers me just how many women have surprisingly low self esteem. Even some really beautiful women are ridiculously critical of themselves and/or their bodies! I’ve seen so many stunning women who ignore their overall beauty and focus on one tiny imperfection that only they seem to notice."

She hopes to change that in her own little way. A genre of photography that she really loves is boudoir or beauty photography, which ideally brings out that inner beauty in the process of photographing the outside. Boudoir photography is definitely popular, but there still seems to be some apprehension about the entire subject. Colleen defiantly says “It's empowering and liberating! The women I’ve photographed leave feeling sexier and more confident. One of my ladies said it spiced up her marriage that very night!”

She also feels that a lot of women might WANT to have some sexy and sultry photos taken but are terrified at the thought. “The women I've photographed normally come in nervous, but after we got started, they not only relaxed, but started having fun - even flirted with the camera! Of course it helps that I'm a female photographer – it's natural to feel vulnerable when asked to pose in varying degrees of undress, so there’s that added degree of safety in working with another woman.”

What advice does Colleen offer to anyone thinking about getting some boudoir photos? “Be sure to find the right photographer. Sure, I'd like it if everyone would call me up and book a session, but my style isn’t for everyone, so look around and select the photographer who has a style that you really love.  For example, if you like really soft, sweet and sugary, I could do that but it isn't my strong suite - you'd be better off finding another photographer who specializes in that look. I'm good at very bold black and white with a bit of an edge to it.”

Colleen does have a bold style that was influenced by the dramatic cinematography of 1940’s film noir and the grainy, often fuzzy black-and-white fashion photos from the 1950s and ‘60s. “I remember, as a kid, coming across an old, outdated fashion magazine collecting dust in my aunt's closet. I paged through it and fell in love with a black and white photo of a gorgeous woman curled up on a chair in a tiny, narrow hallway. I didn't recognize her at my young age, but now I know it was an old photo of Sophia Loren.”

If you've ever considered getting some boudoir shots, go for it! If it's never crossed your mind before, it's something else you might want to add to your "bucket list".  Colleen says that every lady she’s photographed has gotten a healthy ego boost from the experience and had a ton of fun in the process.

If you want to see some of Colleen’s photos, her website is http://gjfoto.com and her blog is http://gjfoto.blogspot.com.