Author Archives: Rayleigh

Exist in Photos

It’s impossible to remember everything

It’s nearly impossible for almost all of us to remember everything we’ve ever looked at or read (unless you’re really cool and have that neat memory trick, which, I totally don’t), or every family member you have…or had. Every Holiday dinner, every birthday morning, every family vacation, every time you cut a class in high school and went to the beach or behind the Taco Bell with your friends. Unless those memories exist in photos.

Have you ever stopped to think about just how long you’ve been on this earth? About how many days you’ve lived….how many sentences you’ve spoken….how many things you’ve really seen??

If only we’d stopped to take a few pictures

Exist in photos. A Heritage photo of me from the 90's. For more info about beauty photography, visit byrayleigh.com
This is me in 1991 with my New Kids On The Block birthday cake. A great memory I might have forgotten without this photo.

There’s so much that we’ve lived through that we’ll never remember, because we don’t have images of them. The memories that we DO have, we have because they left an imprint on us, whether it was good or bad, it was a strong enough moment visually, emotionally, physically…that it left a mark in our minds that is easy for us to access either whenever we’d like, or, when something sparks up a related memory of that time, like a certain smell or a song.  But can you imagine how much we would remember if we just stopped to take a few pictures along the way?

Albums full of photos but almost none of my Mom

I feel so blessed that my Mom was very much in to pictures of my sister and me when we were growing up so I have albums full of photos to look back on. But do you know how many of the photos include her? Hardly any of them. Mostly because she was the one always taking the photos. So she doesn’t really exist in photos from my childhood.

I would love to look at a bunch of photos of what my Mom and Dad both looked like in the early 80’s as I was growing up or in the 70’s before I was born. Maybe some photos of them together when they were dating.  

Exist in photos. A Heritage photo of my Mom from the 1970's. For more info about beauty photography, visit byrayleigh.com
This is one of very few photos I have of my Mom from her younger days.

I totally get it, though. I find it difficult to allow myself to be in photos because I never like the way I look in snapshot photos and I’d rather just have photos of all my friends. Plus, I just feel so comfortable being the one to take the photos.

Exist in photos

One day when my children want to look at all my old albums, they won’t care about seeing photos of my friends. They want to see me. They won’t care if I was having a bad hair day or if I needed to lose weight. So I do my best to just exist in photos and to quiet the voices in my head that tell me that I’m not pretty enough to be seen. To be remembered. I want to leave an imprint on this world and a memory for my family members to look back on with love.

So take some time to have your photos taken. WITH your family. WITH your friends. Take some selfies! We have the ability to catch these memories now. To preserve them. There’s no reason not to. Nobody who loves you will care if you are too skinny or too big or balding or not tan enough. The only thing that will matter to them when you are gone, is that they can look back and laugh and cry and ultimately remember you and how wonderful your time together was.

A selfie of me with my two little girls. I had to go back over a year to find a candid picture of me with them. So even I need to hear this advice.

How about some gorgeous professional photos of yourself to pass down to your children?

This article is mostly talking about candid photos of daily memories. But I also can’t say enough good things about gorgeous beauty photos of you and your family. These are the photos that will be hung on the walls for decades. And even hung on your children’s walls after that!

Please click here to see my beauty portrait gallery and click here to see my family portrait gallery.

Exist in photos. Family photography by Rayleigh. This image is of a mother, father, and young daughter, embracing and laughing in front of a white background. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com

If you’d like to talk about how to create some beautiful photos for you to pass down to your children so that you can exist in photos, just shoot me an email! I can’t wait to work with you.

Thank you, Angela Yodice of Whirlie Girl Photography, for inspiring this post.

Victorian Inspired Boudoir Session

It’s good for a photographer to do something a little different every now and then to stretch our creative muscles and to avoid burn out. I’m so excited to share the photos from my stylized Victorian inspired boudoir session. I teamed up with one of my fabulous hair and makeup artists,  Kim King, for this unique vintage session. It’s so much fun to be able to create a look that is completely different than what we normally do. Some of the photos were on the more dainty, Victorian side and some of them were more along the lines of an Old West, Saloon Girl theme.

Victorian inspired boudoir

Victorian inspired boudoir session. This is an image of a stylized vintage themed boudoir headshot. She is wearing a corset, choker necklace, and feather in her hair in front of a light background. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com

I purchased the gloves and the choker necklace on Amazon.com. The feathers for her hair were found at a local craft store. I already had the pink corset in my studio wardrobe. For the dress form placed in the background, I used a lace dress I already had and folded the top part of the dress down so it was just a skirt. Then I added a frilly button-up shirt for the top that I found at Goodwill and completed it with a piece of ribbon for a belt. The idea was to make it look like an old Victorian dress in the background.

Victorian inspired boudoir session. This is an image of a stylized vintage themed boudoir headshot. She is wearing a corset, choker necklace, and feather in her hair in front of a light background. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com
Victorian inspired boudoir session. This is an image of a stylized vintage themed boudoir headshot. She is wearing a corset, choker necklace, and feather in her hair in front of a light background. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com

I made this bustle, too, and I’m quite proud of how it turned out. It worked so great for this shoot.

Victorian inspired boudoir session. This is an image of a stylized vintage themed boudoir standing boudoir pose. She is wearing a corset, choker necklace, bustle, and feather in her hair in front of a light background. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com
Victorian inspired boudoir session. This is an image of a stylized vintage themed boudoir shoot. She is wearing a white nightgown, choker necklace, and hat in front of a light background. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com

The model for this shoot, Kimberly, found these adorable bloomers online.

Victorian inspired boudoir session. This is an image of a stylized vintage themed boudoir shoot. She is wearing a corset, choker necklace, and feather in her hair in front of a light background. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com

Wild West Saloon Girl

I also had this black corset in my studio wardrobe and I always thought it looked a little too “Country Western” for a normal boudoir session. But it worked great for this themed shoot!

Victorian inspired boudoir session with a wild west saloon girl theme.  This is an image of a stylized vintage themed boudoir standing pose. She is wearing a black corset, choker necklace, and feather in her hair in front of a brown background. She's also holding a gun in a holster. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com

I was able to borrow a few props, such as the gun (it’s a toy), the holster, and the vintage hat you’ll see below from a local business who sometimes travels to retirement homes and offers free vintage photos for the residents. They were so kind to allow me to borrow them for my shoot.

Victorian inspired boudoir session with a wild west saloon girl theme. This is an image of a stylized vintage themed boudoir headshot. She is wearing a black corset, choker necklace, and feather in her hair in front of a brown background. She's also holding a gun. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com
Victorian inspired boudoir session with a wild west saloon girl theme.  This is an image of a stylized vintage themed boudoir headshot. She is wearing a black corset, choker necklace, and feather in her hair in front of a brown background.  For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com

I’m not anything close to being a seamstress. But I know just enough about sewing to be dangerous. I made this little skirt and I really love how it turned out for the photos. Just don’t ask me to make another one because I probably couldn’t repeat it. Haha!

Victorian inspired boudoir session with a wild west saloon girl theme. This is an image of a stylized vintage themed boudoir standing pose. She is wearing a black corset, choker necklace, and feather in her hair in front of a brown background. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com

Do you have an idea?

Did you enjoy the images from this Victorian inspired boudoir session? If you are interested in doing a stylized shoot like this one or something else that is totally unique, just contact me with your idea and we can make it come true!

Mother-Daughter Session

Ms. R contacted me about doing a Mother-Daughter session with her Mom, Ms. A. Having hair and makeup done in my studio and then spending an hour, or so, snuggling up for photos is a bonding experience. The photos are an amazing souvenir of the great day they had and I know they will cherish these photos and the memory of the time they spent together, for years.

A before and after collage from a beauty shoot. This image is of a young woman sitting in front of a black background wearing jeans and a black top. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com
A before and after collage from a beauty shoot. This image is of an older woman sitting in front of a black background wearing a black top. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com

These sessions are a great idea for a fun Mother’s Day activity. I also offer gift certificates that you can gift your Mom on the holiday. Then you can schedule the shoot for a future date.

Mother-Daughter session. This image is of an older woman and her grown daughter, standing in front of a black background wearing black tops. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com
Mother-Daughter session. This image is of an older woman and her grown daughter, standing in front of a white background. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com

Aren’t they adorable? I’m tempted to ask them if they will adopt me in to their family. They are the sweetest and those smiles are contagious.

Mother-Daughter session. This image is of an older woman and her grown daughter. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com
Mother-Daughter session. This image is of an older woman and her grown daughter. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com
Mother-Daughter session. This image is of an older woman and her grown daughter, standing in front of a black background wearing pink and black tops. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com

This image, below, is just a goofy shot where they wore some vintage hats that I have in my studio. It kind of gives a photo booth sort of feel.

Mother-Daughter session. This image is of an older woman and her grown daughter wearing vintage hats in front of a black background. Photo booth style. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com

Are you interested in a Mother-Daughter session?

Mother-Daughter sessions are probably my most favorite kinds of sessions to do. The bond between Mother and Daughter is so special. To see more Mother-daughter images, I invite you to check out my Family Gallery. Please contact me to book your own beauty or boudoir photo session!

Business Headshots and Boudoir Session

A before and after collage. This image is a professional business headshot. The woman is standing and leaning against a black background, wearing jeans and a sweater. Photography by Rayleigh. Byrayleigh.com

The lovely Ms. C came in for a shoot that was both professional business headshots and boudoir. I love when my clients bring a variety of outfits to wear so their photos are more versatile.

What Ms. C had to say about her business headshot and boudoir session

“A friend had used Rayleigh and I loved how her photos turned out. So I contacted her via email to inquire about pricing and she offered several different options. Budget was a concern, but she offers a mini-session that was just what I was looking for (a mix of boudoir and professional looking photos). This was a gift for my husband (and to myself for losing almost 100lbs) and I was nervous about doing boudoir shots.”

This image is a professional business headshot. The woman is in a sitting pose in front of a black background, wearing jeans and a sweater. Photography by Rayleigh. Byrayleigh.com

“Her studio is in her home and she had a make up artist come in to do my hair and makeup. The make up artist asked me questions about what look I wanted (more natural or more glamour, etc.) and really seemed to listen to what I wanted. I felt like I still looked like myself after wards but just better. Rayleigh was very pleasant (and so was the make up artist). The session was very relaxed and comfortable.”

This image is a professional business headshot. The woman is standing in front of a black background, wearing a blue button up office blouse. Photography by Rayleigh. Byrayleigh.com

“I was very nervous and anxious about how the photos would turn out. I was blown away…I still can’t believe that it’s me in the photos. The poses are tasteful and I love how she made me look beautiful (and thin!) and brought out my best features. I turn the Big 50 next month and my husband wants me to book another session!”  –Ms. C

This is a collage of modest boudoir poses on the bed. Photography by Rayleigh. ByRayleigh.com

Want to see more?

Click here If you’d like to see more Business Headshots. If you’d like to see more boudoir photos, please contact me and I can send you a private gallery.

Pinterest & Your Session

boudoir photography portland oregon

So, you have a beauty or boudoir session coming up and you’re not quite sure what look you like best. Aside from trusting your photographer to know that she knows exactly what to do and how to make you look your absolute best, you still might want to do a little research to see what kind of look you want for your photos.

Here’s a few tips on how to use your Pinterest boards to collaborate with me (your photographer) and to inspire yourself to step out of your comfort zone!

Pinterest and your session

1. If you’re not on Pinterest, get on there now! Seriously, it’s pretty awesome and there’s almost nothing you can’t find on there for inspiration and ideas….for more than just photography!

2. If you’re a Pinterest veteran. you probably know all about secret boards and how to use them, but, in case you’re not, this is a great tool from Pinterest that will help you create an inspirational board that nobody else can see unless you give them permission. When you sign on to Pinterest, you have the option to create a new board and you can make that board secret by clicking the little button (by the arrow!). You can also add me to your list once you are following me on Pinterest so that I have the ability to see what you are putting on your board.

boudoir photography portland oregon

Here is my Pinterest Page. Sharing your board with me will come in extremely handy, especially if you have difficulty explaining the style that you have in mind. I can just look at your board and see exactly what you like!


3. I would also have the ability to pin images to your board with suggestive ideas for clothing or accessories if you’d like. You can find a lot of great ideas on what type of accessories you may want to have for your session and the images link to the original post of the image, so you can most likely find out how to buy that item online!

4. Don’t forget about your hair and makeup!! I know when I go to the salon with an idea in my head for a color or style, it’s extremely hard for me to explain it to my stylist. When you use your Pinterest board, you can search for just the right style and makeup application that you want for your shoot and then your stylist can work with you to get a look similar to that for your own session.

Never underestimate the power of social media and how it can really be used to communicate with other people aside from family. Step outside your box, find something that speaks to you, that moves you, that inspires you….and go for it!!!

Let’s chat about your shoot! Just shoot me an email and we can go over all the details.

Engagement Photography in Portland, Oregon

I love photographing relationships, and photographing couples in love is so special. Traiz and Jen are a beautiful couple. I loved capturing the loving closeness they feel for each other. This is such a unique time in their life and I’m so happy that they trusted me with their engagement photography in Portland, Oregon. 

Engagement photography in Portland, Oregon

Engagement Photography in Portland, Oregon. Photography by Rayleigh. This couple is embracing and smiling in front of a black background. They are wearing dressy outfits. For more info, please visit byRayleigh.com

You can tell by their smiles that they are just the sweetest couple. Don’t they look so comfortable and at peace together? I love their wardrobe choices, too. They are simple but stylish.

Engagement Photography in Portland, Oregon. Photography by Rayleigh. This couple is embracing and smiling in front of a black background. They are wearing dressy outfits. For more info, please visit byRayleigh.com

I adore smiling couples portraits, but the serious poses can be really striking. They look so regal. Can you picture the following image on top of an enormous mantel in the library of a castle? Although, maybe a true King and Queen wouldn’t sit on the floor for their portraits. Haha!

Engagement Photography in Portland, Oregon. Photography by Rayleigh. This couple is embracing with serious expressions in front of a black background. They are wearing dressy outfits. For more info, please visit byRayleigh.com
Engagement Photography in Portland, Oregon. Photography by Rayleigh. This couple is embracing and smiling in front of a black background. They are wearing dressy outfits. For more info, please visit byRayleigh.com

I really love the moodiness of this image below. It’s almost boudoir in nature, yet modest. It speaks to the tenderness of their relationship. If I were them, I would totally hang this picture up in the master bedroom.

Engagement Photography in Portland, Oregon. This is a black and white modest couples boudoir pose, lying on the ground. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, please visit byRayleigh.com

Anniversary portraits

Since the time of this couple’s engagement shoot, they have become husband and wife. I’m thrilled for them! Maybe I can get them to come back again for some anniversary portraits.

Want to see more?

Want to see more engagement photography in Portland, Oregon? The links below will take you to more of my couples portraits. If you are engaged, you may also be interested in seeing some bridal images, as well.
My couples gallery
More blogs about couples portraits
Bridal portraits

Ready to book a shoot?

If you are ready to book an engagement or couples shoot, I’d love to chat with you more. Just send me an email! I can’t wait to work with you.

Couples Portraits in Portland, OR

Adorable couple

It’s funny how life can bring friends together. I met Jess while she was waitressing at my favorite restaurant, Famous Dave’s, in Tualatin, OR. At the time, my husband and I were just dating. She said that my husband and I were her favorite couple and she called us her “famous couple.” She loved us and she really grew on us, too. So we invited her to our wedding. She actually came! It was awesome! This friendship lead to Jess and her boyfriend coming in to my studio for couples portraits in Portland, OR

Couples Portraits in Portland, OR

Jess thought we were an adorable couple. But I think her and Stephen are incredibly cute together as well. I love that they came in for their sweet couples photo shoot and I really enjoyed photographing them.

Couples portraits in Portland, OR. This is an image of a young couple embracing in front of a black backdrop. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, please visit ByRayleigh.com

The simple wardrobe that this couple chose allows for us to focus on their cute faces and the love between them. Perfect! Also, I always love lace for photo shoot wardrobe because the color is simple, yet there is some texture to provide interest.

Couples portraits in Portland, OR. This is an image of a young couple embracing in front of a white backdrop. They are both wearing white t shirts. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, please visit ByRayleigh.com

I really love the closeness and intimacy you can see in their photographs. Aren’t their smiles infectious?

Couples portraits in Portland, OR. This is an image of a young couple embracing in front of a white backdrop. They are both wearing white t shirts. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, please visit ByRayleigh.com

This sweet couple isn’t engaged, yet, but they’ve been together a long time. Let’s all send well wishes their way for a beautiful future together. Jess sure would be a lovely bride.

Want to see more?

Would you like to see more couples photos? The links below will take you to more photos that you might be interested in:
My couples portraits gallery
My blogs about couples photography

Do you have someone you love? Why not capture your relationship in some beautiful couples portraits? Please contact me to schedule your own couples portraits in Portland, OR. I can’t wait to work with you!

Boudoir photo shoot in your 60’s

Am I too old for a boudoir portrait session?

There is no such thing! I find that the more life experience a woman has, the more she learns to celebrate the life she has and the body she has. Can you still do a boudoir photo shoot in your 60’s? Absolutely!

A new definition of beauty

I love when a woman starts to recognize beauty that comes from within. She pays less attention to her perceived flaws. Her wrinkles remind her of all the time she has spent smiling. Her stretch marks remind her of the beautiful children she has birthed and raised. And now it’s time to take some time for herself to feel alive again.

boudoir photo shoot in your 60's. This is a modest boudoir image of woman in her 60's, smiling while lying on her tummy on the bed, in front of a pink floral background. She is wearing a pink silk robe. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, please visit byRayleigh.com

Up for anything!

I LOVED working with the lovely Ms. J. She was so spunky and up for anything. At age 63, and being a breast cancer survivor, Ms. J threw caution to the wind and she absolutely rocked her boudoir shoot!

Ms. J has 5 sisters and she said she’s the tame one of the bunch. I NEED them to come in for a sister’s shoot because that would just be a blast.

boudoir photo shoot in your 60's. This is a modest boudoir image of woman in her 60's, smiling while standing in front of a bed and a white background She is wearing a teal and purple silk floral robe. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, please visit byRayleigh.com

This is what Ms. J said about her experience

“After spending a long time fighting breast cancer, I wanted to feel alive again. I wanted to feel beautiful – inside and out. I was sure I was not photogenic, but hey, I would give it a try. Wow! What a surprise! Rayleigh has been blessed with an amazing ability to find your inside beauty and reflect it on your outside. 

The shoot itself was special. Stephanie did a super awesome job on my makeup and hair; and Rayleigh made me feel as if I was in my own home. She is so focused on what and how to look your best, that there is absolutely no awkwardness to it at all.

boudoir photo shoot in your 60's. This is a modest boudoir image of woman in her 60's, smiling while sitting in front of a pink floral background. She is wearing a pink silk robe. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, please visit byRayleigh.com

Worth a lifetime of vacations

“Rayleigh is not only professional, but quite personable. In a word, the shoot was just fun; and the final product was simply beautiful. She found my smile and my inner beauty, something I had not seen in a very long time. And I didn’t even know I looked that good. 

It’s amazing as women we will spend money on our partners, on our kids, on our pets, on vacations, on anything but ourselves. My experience with Rayleigh was worth a lifetime of vacations; and I have the photos to remember it by.   I would highly recommend that every woman invest in this special gift of Photography by Rayleigh in Portland, Oregon.” 

–Ms. J
boudoir photo shoot in your 60's. This is an image of woman in her 60's, smiling and holding her hat against a brown background. Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, please visit byRayleigh.com

What to wear

Ms. J felt comfortable wearing a more conservative wardrobe for her shoot. The robes she chose looked so feminine and beautiful. They were a great choice.

She also brought a classic little black dress, which was great because we got some wonderful photos that she can share with her grandchildren.

A boudoir photo shoot in your 60’s

No matter your age, a boudoir shoot can be a wonderful, life changing experience. I’m so glad that Ms. J took some time for herself to get pampered and celebrate the beautiful woman that she is.

And just for the fun of it, here are 60 more ideas from Viva Fifty for how to celebrate being in your 60’s.

Want to see more?

I invite you to clink on the links below to see more about the following topics:
My beautiful 40+ladies
Boudoir portraits
Beauty portraits

For the privacy of my clients, I try to only share the more modest boudoir photos online. If you’d like to see my full boudoir gallery, please contact me and I can send you my private boudoir gallery link.

Are you ready to book a boudoir photo shoot near Portland, OR and have an amazing experience you’ll never forget? Click here to connect!

Should A Christian Woman Do A Boudoir Shoot? | Boudoir Photography Portland Oregon

I am a Christian, completely devoted to my Savior, Jesus, and I am also a beauty and boudoir photographer. Every once in a while I’m asked about how I can be both. As the boudoir photography industry becomes more popular, a lot of Christians are asking, “Should a Christian woman do a boudoir shoot?” I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts on this.

Should a Christian woman do a boudoir shoot? This modestly sexy black and white boudoir photo shows a woman in a tight, lace, black dress and black heels on the edge of a messy bed. The photo was taken by Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com

What is a boudoir shoot?

Boudoir is pronounced Bu-dwah or Bu-dwar. It is technically defined as, “a woman’s bedroom or private room for dressing or resting.” So in the photography world, that involves a portrait shoot that a woman does privately for her man, usually in lingerie.  Oftentimes, the motivation for a shoot is to create a gift for your husband, however, you’ll find that a portrait shoot with Photography by Rayleigh is a very pampering experience. It creates a space for you to feel feminine, lovely, and even sexy. Women spend far too much time comparing themselves to other women they see in magazines or on TV. Often feeling “blah” about themselves. Especially tired mommies who feel more like a mom than a woman, most times. Do you relate to any of this?

Men are visual.

God created men to be highly visual. They can’t help it, it’s the way they were built. They are bombarded with images of sexy woman all the time and no matter how much they try to look away and avoid lusting after the women in those images, it’s inevitable that some of those images are going to get in, and stay there, and even pop up from time to time. How great would it be if his memory was chalked full of lovely images of his wife and the majority of the images popping up in his mind were images he could cherish and feel good about?

Should a Christian woman do a boudoir shoot? This modestly sexy boudoir photo shows a woman in a tight, lace, black dress and black heels lying on her tummy on a messy bed with her feet up. The photo was taken by Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com

A full marriage.

When your man chose you to be his wife, he, hopefully, chose you based on your Christ-like qualities like patience, kindness, humility, faithfulness, honor, trust, truth, and hope. Those are the basis of the truest love, as we see in 1 Corinthians 13. As a bonus, God wants us to also enjoy our spouse’s body and to enjoy physical intimacy. 1 Corinthians 7:3 In a healthy, Christian marriage, a woman should feel sexy, desired, and appreciated for all aspects of herself, including her body. Even with it’s imperfections. When a woman doesn’t feel good about the way she looks, she doesn’t bring to the marriage that needed energy that can really help fuel physical intimacy. A glamourous photoshoot can give a woman that much needed confidence. It’s really amazing what a little sexy confidence can do for a marriage.

Should a Christian woman do a boudoir shoot?

As you can tell by now, I’m a fan of boudoir shoots. Many of my Christian friends have enjoyed giving sexy photos to their husbands. However, it’s also true that I do have a small number of Christian friends who believe that wearing lingerie in front of someone who isn’t your husband, including a photographer is something to avoid. I love and respect those people and their thoughts on this. So I think this is just something for each woman to pray about and see what God is telling them about how to answer this question.

Maybe a beauty shoot is more up your ally. If you don’t feel comfortable wearing lingerie for photos, I 100% get that. You absolutely don’t have to wear lingerie in your portraits to feel feminine and lovely. A beautiful dress can be just as empowering, while being modest. I invite you to check out my beauty gallery to see more photos like this. In fact, I’m falling more in love with beauty shoots and have recently expanded my focus to include all kinds of beauty sessions instead of focusing solely on boudoir photography in my business.

Should a Christian woman do a boudoir shoot? This modestly sexy boudoir photo shows an Asian woman in a peach coral dress and bare feet up on the head of the bed. The photo was taken by Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, visit byrayleigh.com

The who, what, and when of it all.

Boudoir or beauty photos are an amazing gift to give to a Groom on the wedding night. Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and wedding anniversaries are other occasions when glamorous portraits would be a very special gift.

There are a lot of amazing photographers to choose from for your shoot and you should find the one that is the best fit for you. As a Christian, I encourage you to hire a female photographer if you are wanting sexy portraits.

My boudoir style is very conservative, as far as this genre of photography goes, so if you are more on the shy side or you just want to keep things tame, I’m the photographer for you! My boudoir images are sensual but beautiful and tasteful and not over-the-top sexual.

Will my photos end up on your website?

Although, I used to share boudoir photos on my website, with permission from my clients who felt comfortable with that, I’ve recently felt more inclined to keep my client’s more intimate photos private. So now, when talking about boudoir photos, I try to share photos that have a sexiness to them but are still modest. Like what you see in this post. I have a private link to more photos, for those who are interested in doing a boudoir shoot. Of course, I only share photos with permission from my clients who feel comfortable with it.

Should a Christian woman do a boudoir shoot? This tightly cropped black and white modest boudoir photo of an Asian girl accentuates the lips. This photo was created by Photography by Rayleigh. For more info, please visit byrayleigh.com.

Conclusion

So, should a Christian woman do a boudoir shoot? Please pray about this and determine what kind of shoot might be right for you. Whether you feel that a boudoir shoot would enrich your marriage or if a beauty shoot is what would give you the confidence boost you need, I’m here to help. If you’d like to learn more about what a shoot experience is like and what to expect in my studio, please check out my video about that.

If you are ready to schedule your beauty or boudoir shoot, or if you have any questions, please contact me! I’d love to talk about it more with you.

Groom’s Gift Idea | Boudoir Photography Portland Oregon

This handsome guy is my brother-in-law, Rod. I had the pleasure of photographing his beautiful Bride-to-be, Alison. She had the album of bridal boudoir portraits delivered to him on their wedding day. I can’t imagine a better Groom’s gift idea for the wedding day!

Groom's gift idea. This is a wedding image of a man receiving a boudoir photo album as his wedding gift. For more info about boudoir photography, visit byRayleigh.com
(Wedding photos used with permission by Kirsten Hammericksen)

I love what Rod had to say about the photos.

“A few months before our wedding, my fiancée went to visit Rayleigh to have some sexy photos taken. On our wedding day she completely surprised me with a boudoir photo collection book and had her maid of honor deliver it to me just before I saw her in her wedding dress for the first time. What a great groom’s gift idea! Thoughtful, memorable, and a clever way to help with any pre-wedding jitters. The photos were tasteful and classy and sexy. As you can imagine, it was a topic of much interest and discussion among the groomsmen.”

Groom's gift idea. This is a wedding image of a man receiving a boudoir photo album as his wedding gift. For more info about boudoir photography, visit byRayleigh.com
(Wedding photos used with permission by Kirsten Hammericksen)

“She was a little nervous about getting it done, but said that Rayleigh did an excellent job of helping her feel comfortable. Really allowed her to let her own personality show up in the photos, and I can tell. Good times and great memories every time I see that little book of fun! We undoubtedly recommend Rayleigh to anyone considering doing it. And if you haven’t considered it, you should. Take it from a recently married man, it was a great groom’s gift idea.”

–Rod L.

The Bride’s boudoir photos

Wearing white for boudoir photos always adds to the bridal feel and I love the lace robe that this bride wore. Lace adds interesting texture and looks so feminine.

You might also consider bringing some wedding day accessories, such as your veil, wedding shoes, and any special jewelry.

Groom's gift idea. Boudoir photography by Rayleigh. This is a backlit modest boudoir image of a woman in a lace robe on a chase. For more info, visit byRayleigh.com

Groom’s gift idea

Having the album delivered to your groom in his dressing room while he is getting ready for the wedding is a fun idea because it adds to the anticipation of seeing his beautiful bride walking down the isle and for the fun honeymoon you have planned together.

Another option, though, is to gift the album to your groom the night of the wedding, when you are alone and winding down from an amazing day. I really like that idea, too, because it’s fun to look at the photos together. You get to see his expressions as he looks at the beautiful images of the woman he cherishes.

Want to see more?

Click on the links below to see more photos on the following topics:

Bridal Portraits
Boudoir Portraits
Session Tips

Please contact me if you’d like to chat about your bridal boudoir shoot for a great Groom’s gift idea!