What You NEED To Know About Boudoir Photo Retouching

You are a Masterpiece. Right now, right here! Even with your everyday struggles & discomforts – you are worthy.  That worth extends to your body. 

I’ve been exploring this for as long as I’ve been photographing humans.

EVERY body is beautiful & everybody deserves peace with their body. This is why I have such a big problem with the way boudoir photo retouching is handled in the photography world…

Standard Boudoir Photo Retouching Is NOT Empowering!

There are a lot of boudoir photographers out there who photoshop the hell out of every image before their clients even see them. And hey—some people love that. Seeing themselves with skin as smooth as glass, arms airbrushed into oblivion, and a jawline so sharp it could cut glass? It gives them that magazine-cover fantasy.

But here’s the thing: Boudoir photography is always talking about empowerment.

So I have to ask: Is it really empowering to hand someone a heavily modified version of themselves and say, “Look how beautiful you are!” Is it empowering to take away a client’s choice? To assume they must dislike their un-retouched images, so you “fix” them before they even get a say?

I’ve been sitting with this for months, and I’ve realized something: I haven’t been fully living my values.

So, I need to come clean.

I’ve been showing clients their images for the first time with a light skin-smoothing edit.

It’s something we talk about before their session, so it’s never a surprise. And while my clients have loved seeing their images fully edited, I’ve realized I’ve been doing a disservice by not sharing the unedited versions first.

Because it’s not my place to judge your body. I’m not here to “fix” you.

I’m here to capture you—in all your raw, expressive, messy, radiant, perfectly-imperfect glory.

And that’s what I’m committing to from here on out.

Now, let me be very clear—I am not saying that retouching is wrong. What I do have a problem with is the photographer making that choice for the client.

You deserve to see yourself first—exactly as you are. And then you get to decide what happens next.

Unedited Photos First. Then Choose Your Edit!

From here on out, when you see your photos for the first time at your Viewing & Ordering Session, they will be un-retouched. At most, they’ll have a basic light/color filter.

No part of your skin or body will be changed.  You’ll see you – beautiful & worthy – without any Photoshop. 

Together, we’ll discuss the 3 levels of editing to choose from:

1. No editing or skin smoothing
2. Skin smoothing & removal of temporary blemishes (pimples, bruises, scratches, etc)
3. Skin smoothing, removal of temporary blemishes, and specific retouching requests like scar, stretch marks, or tattoo retouching. There is an extra charge for special retouching requests because I hire an expert retoucher for these.

Again, I’m not here to judge your choices or tell you what kind of editing you should get. Your relationship with your body is yours. Not mine. I’m here to facilitate a deeper connection between you, your body, your breath, and your heart. 

If you’re curious about what editing option I prefer, it’s Option 2. That’s what I prefer for MY photos. I don’t want to look through my album and see every pore on my face or that pimple in the middle of my forehead! 😂 

But it might not be the right options for YOU, which is why I’m offering options moving forward.

The choice is yours and will depend on where you are in your self-love & self-acceptance journey. You decide, I support!

What Photo Editing WON’T happen at Embodied Art Boudoir? 

I will not use Photoshop to change the shape of your body. No shrinking waists, slimming arms, enlarging butts, or chiseling jawlines.

First off—posing is my superpower. I know how to highlight your natural curves, angles, and expressions to bring out your most radiant, badass self in the camera. We’re already celebrating your beauty before we even touch an edit.

Second? I don’t want to spend hours erasing so-called “imperfections.” That’s not my thing. My eye is trained to seek out beauty, not “flaws.” And trust me—your beauty doesn’t need fixing.

If you’re looking for a magazine-style airbrushed edit, I’m simply not the photographer for you. That’s not what Embodied Art Boudoir is about.

This experience is about real confidence—the kind that comes from seeing and accepting yourself, not pretending to be someone else.

It’s about connecting—to your body, your breath, your heart.

It’s about stepping forward—on your self-love journey, one bold, transformative moment at a time.

And I’ll keep reminding you: You are a Masterpiece. It’s just a matter of seeing it. Get started today! Book Your Session!