Featured Photographer: Karice Coleman
Featured Photographer
Karice Coleman
Instagram:
@theboudiebar
I originally began shooting boudoir at the request of my wedding clients. But I chose to make it my focus once I realized what is was actually doing for my clients. I would literally watch these women transform right before my eyes during their sessions, from self conscious to self loving and confident. I realized that it was my calling to use my photographic talents to heal other women. I knew a lot of women needed this, especially black women.
Making sure my clients are comfortable is something that is very important to me. My private studio is designed to be a safe space for them to be themselves and really open up to accepting their bodies and embracing their natural beauty. From the moment they book me, I take the time to learn what they love about themselves, what makes them self conscious and what they are comfortable with. By the time their session day rolls around, we are almost like old college girlfriends. Once they arrive to my studio, I help them pick out their outfits and accessories.
From there, they move on to my hair and makeup team to get all glammed up. During the session, I am coaching them through the entire experience, from posing to facial expressions, etc. A lot of my posing involves movement and self touch. It’s more than just telling them “put your hand here” or “sit like this”. I allow them to be themselves and vibe to the music while I stand back and capture those beautiful moments. There’s a lot of laughing and goofing around in between. Sometimes there’s crying because they have trusted me enough to open up about their need for healing. And I am cheering them on the entire time because in most cases, I can relate. It’s a very eye-opening experience for both myself and the client.
The world is always telling black women to humble themselves. We’re always being told that we are too much or not enough and that indulging in luxury or doing nice things for ourselves is “boujee” or “uppity”. We are constantly taught to hold everything in because we MUST be stronger than everyone else. We’re taught that our bodies are inappropriate and that we should be ashamed of our features. I use my boudoir photography to reverse all of what we as black women have been taught. It’s almost like a therapy session. My boudoir photography encourages black women to embrace their bodies. It shows them that it’s okay to be confident, feminine and sensual and that taking care of themselves first is not a bad thing.
I want black women to know that a boudoir session is a luxury that they deserve to experience too. And it’s so much more than just a photoshoot. It’s literally a self-love experience.
