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Photography is an art form that best capture human emotions. This form of art is a challenging endeavor that induces an excitement of its own, transforming dull moments into the most visually aesthetic subject. While almost all objects today can be regarded as subjects for photography, women remain as one of the most interesting subjects for any photographer. As a matter of fact, photographing women is what made it possible to somehow liberate women from the confines of their domestic roles.

Under the guise of photography, women within the society were able to emanate from their private worlds towards the eyes of the public sphere. This is especially true in Boudoir photography, a process of portraiture that is gaining a wide following among women. Boudoir is a genre of photography that often has women as subjects but can also be done for men, capturing them in sensual or suggestive poses or setting that may contain little or no nudity. It is different from erotic photography as it is more inclined to present the subject's aesthetic qualities instead of the underlying sexually provoking concept of the portrait.

The term boudoir is derived from the French word "bouder" which literally means to pout. However, throughout history boudoir has been used to refer to private rooms such as sitting room, dressing room but more importantly the bedroom. Such uses of the term resulted for the concept of photographing women in their bedrooms to emerge, which is why boudoir could also be referred to as "bedroom photography," although it can also be carried out in different private settings. Although it was already during the later parts of photography that the term boudoir was used, this genre is in fact already existent since the earliest process of photography and was the precursor of pinup photo shoots of the 1940s and 1950s.

Usually, the women who become the subjects of boudoir photography are not professional models. They are everyday women who artistically poses for the camera in order to show a different dimension of themselves. The main idea behind this concept is to arrive at a portrait that would feature them at their most sensual poses without necessarily taking off all their clothes, rather they just show a bit of their skin in sexually provoking poses to exemplify their emotions. Unlike erotic photography, subjects of boudoir photos can show some of their bodily flaws, resulting to a more heightened reality of the image produced, which is why they are less manipulated and retouched.

Boudoir photography is becoming a popular trend in self-portraiture. Oftentimes, the photo shoot is commissioned by the subject but its purposes differ from one client to another. For example, a wife might give the finish product as an anniversary gift to her husband who's working in a different country, or perhaps a young man would use the portrait to audition for a magazine's centerfold. No matter their reasons for commissioning such photo shoot, boudoir is certainly a good means to develop self confidence in front of the camera without worrying about individual flaws.

In Southern California, modern boudoir started six years ago and is rapidly gaining its momentum ever since. If you are living in Orange County and you'd like to have your own mini-fashion shoot to immortalize your sensuality, you can easily find an Orange County photographer that specializes in boudoir, but before you touch that dial make sure to do your own background check in order to ensure that the photographer of your choice would give you your expected results. Overall, boudoir is a genre of photography that not only commemorates a woman's individuality, but more importantly it gives emphasis on the importance of confidence and positive self perception.