Photography is perhaps one of the art forms that best encapsulate human emotions. This art is able to generate its very own special excitement that has the capability to transform the visual aesthetic of its subject, making it a challenging endeavor. 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, which is becoming a very popular form of portraiture. 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. Boudoir is distinct from erotic photography as it gives emphasis on the subject's aesthetic qualities rather than the sexually provoking nature of the portrait.

The word boudoir came from the French word "bouder," meaning to pout. Back in the old days however, boudoir is used to refer to different private rooms commonly utilized by women which includes the sitting room, dressing room and 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, women who serve as the subjects of boudoir photography are not actually models. They are everyday women who are artistically captured by the lens of the camera to show another side of themselves that they rarely see. The idea is to let loose of their inhibitions for a while in order to commemorate female sensuality without the need to shed all their clothes, rather they artistically use their bodies to angle themselves in suggestive poses to express 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 hot trend in portraiture. More often than not, a boudoir shoot is commissioned by the subject, though its purposes differ from one subject 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. Whatever their reasons might be, boudoir is definitely a good means to build one's self esteem in front of the camera despite your bodily flaws.

In Southern California, modern boudoir is gaining a wide following among women since it started six years ago and is rapidly spreading to other parts of the country. 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. Succinctly, boudoir is a genre of photography that celebrates the sensuality of women, giving them the opportunity to exhibit a different side of themselves that gives them more confidence and self-esteem.

Boudoir photography is a process of photographing women in sexually suggestive poses in an idealized environment with little or no nudity at all. This genre of photography is gaining popularity in Southern California especially in Orange County. If you are within this area and would like to have a self-portrait inspired from the vintage pinup girls of 1940s and 1950s, an Orange County photographer specializing in boudoir can do a mini-fashion shoot with you to finish your portrait.