Best of West Virginia Boudoir- Top 10 of 2024
As a traveling boudoir photographer based out of WV, I loveee exploring new areas and meeting people from all over the world. Nonetheless, it’s always so nice to shoot close to home, and this year’s West Virginia sessions were by far the best yet! Waterfalls, forest trails, creeks, and trees- 2024 was my year of focusing on outdoor boudoir shoots with the She is Nature Session Series, bringing that beautiful momma earth energy into an experience that’s already centered around connecting with our own uniquely beautiful and powerful nature. When I say I have never felt more connected to a session series, I mean it so deeply! I could gush on the series itself for literal pages, but I think these images will speak for themselves!
Another thing to note is that these are my favorite images based solely on the feelings they give me and the experiences around them. I’m willing to admit there are actually better photos I’ve taken this year, but this, along with most of my life, honestly, is all about what gets me in the feels. If you want to see more and arguably better photos from each session, I’ll link them below the photo for you to explore! So go ahead, give this page a scroll to see my favorite images from West Virginia Boudoir 2024!
When I first got the idea for my She is Nature Session Series, I was inspired by the reawakening of the earth in the spring. Seeing everything come back to life brought me so much joy and peace in a way I could never put into words, and not just because the seasonal depression was loosening its grip on my mental health. 🤪 I was sitting in the Starbucks parking lot after dropping my kids off at school, thinking about how absolutely desperate I was to create in this season of rebirth that I was experiencing both internally and in the world around me, so I made a rather impulsive post in my Self Love Club Facebook Community asking if anyone could be free that afternoon for the most spontaneous shoot of my life. By 12:30, I was exploring a forest trail and wading through a creek with Alex! This was my first time shooting a completely outdoor boudoir session since literally my very first attempt at boudoir in 2020, back when I didn’t know shit about what boudoir was or the impact it could have on how we view our bodies, sensuality, and selves as a whole. Approaching it again with all of the education and wisdom I’d accumulated since beginning this journey, I immediately knew that these sessions would fulfill that craving to take my art to a deeper level- this is what my soul had been searching for. When I saw this image, my world stopped for a moment, and I knew something incredible was happening… which, of course, was only validated when I showed Alex, only to have her say, “OH MY GOD, THOSE ARE AO PRETTY AHHHHH!” To me, this image represents the start of a new era and the rediscovery of myself as an artist, and it means so much to me!
And as I’m sure you know by now, I love to take on more than I’d originally planned in the name of fulfilling my whims and creating something spectacular, so this shoot with Sam was a literal day later 🤣 Something I really wanted to embrace this year was more posing based in movement and leisure. Instead of the usual boudoir approach of, “okay now put this leg here and this hand here to make you look slimmer,” with the She is Nature Session Series, I aimed to reject the assumption that women need to see what society has told them is their “best” self and bring in more “this is just what girlies do in nature when you leave us the fuck aloneee about your beauty standards and expectations.” Which sounds a bit vague, I know, so to put it simply, I wanted less facedown ass up and more snuggling trees and sprawling out on mossy rocks. This was one of the least male-gaze poses I’d done to date, and that brought me sooo much joy! I also wanted what I captured to be centered in individual self-expression with a hint of Renaissance-styled work, which I really appreciated seeing come to life in this session as Sam started suggesting her own poses and getting into that playful, creative energy on our trek back up the creek 🥹 It was after this session that I said, “okay, Michaela, this is where your passion truly lies, and this is what you want you want to offer to the world in this stage of your unfolding.” So here we are, all unfolding together as we enter the beauty and power of nature to recognize that same beauty and power within ourselves ♥️
This particular waterfall session lives rent-free in my mind, and I honestly hope it always will! When I started the She is Nature Session Series, it was all centered around feminine expression. From posing to writing, it was all just so soft and, well, feminine. So when Crista wanted to do a session that explored that and her masculinity after escaping an abusive marriage and coming out as a lesbian to her very religious family, I was both inspired and terrified. This is the exact type of thing I adore- playing on the ebb and flow of femininity and masculinity, allowing the two energies to play their unique role in completing the person as a whole- literal magic! But from an experience perspective, masculine posing and expression were not something I felt super prepared for. But I absolutely couldn’t walk away from this one; her story just hit so close to home for me, so I prepared! We started the session with more feminine expression to get us both eased into the session, and everything she did was just so perfect! But once we got to the masculine side- holyyyy shit, guys. From my perspective, it was like seeing this little piece of her that had been tucked away in darkness for a huge part of her life absolutely shine in all of its brilliance. I remember leaving the session thinking about how, through the images, I could almost feel this younger version of her that I could tell she had overcome a lot to set free, and to me, that’s everything. We do these sessions for that exact reason- to reconnect with the pieces of ourselves that we are taught to repress, reject, and tuck away in the darkest corner of our hearts lest risk being deemed unworthy of love and acceptance from both ourselves and others by a society set-out to keep us caged in their ideas of how we must look, act, and be. When I asked her why she thinks someone should do a boudoir session, she said, “people need to be allowed to devote time to being vulnerable and strong at the same time.” And that’s it. That’s the message. This session made me feel it all so deep, and that’s everything to me.
Can I just say that 1 year ago, Crystal would have DIEDDD when I showed her this photo, but not in the way she almost died while we were taking it 🤣 oh yes, there’s a story to be told! I first met Crystal a year before this She is Nature session when she was bullying herself through her first boudoir shoot with me. I spent the entire session telling her to stop being so mean to herself and refuting every single horrible thing she said when she saw herself in both mirrors and pictures. I don’t think I’ve told her this yet (which is wild considering how much shit we’ve told each other at this point lol), but I left that session feeling like a total failure, and I honestly continued feeling like I’d failed her for an entire year. That is, until I saw her again for this session when my perspective was totally shifted. I swear she was a different person, guys. Like if year-ago-me had heard the way she spoke about herself, I would have sworn it was a whole other human being, but nooo, it was just Crystal with a little more love for herself! The entire time we were shooting I was like who even are you, and why is she so fucking amazing! She said, “The self-love journey my first shoot pushed me on is something I never could’ve expected, but has helped me in more ways than I could ever put into words,” and I can’t even put into words how much that means to me. But this image in particular pushed her comfort zone in every way. From the outfit- so soft and feminine, a side of her that rarely makes it past her gorgeously mysterious and dominant surface- to the visibility- showing every inch of the part of her endlessly worthy body that she’d been taught to hide and reject- this shot screams vulnerability in a way the year-ago-Crystal would have been absolutely repulsed by. So when I showed it to her and she didn’t scream DELETE IT NOW on site, I could have melted into a puddle of joy, pride, and so much love for her growth. To be fair, it’s still not her favorite photo from the gallery, but to me, this one photo speaks volumes to her journey. And to top it off, this was literally 2 seconds before she fell right out of that tree in the most terrifying yet hilarious thing to ever happen at a session. She was okay, just scratched and bruised, but likeee worth it maybe for the shot and the story? 🤪
This session with Jaelyn has brought me so much joy since we shot that it simply must be in the top 10! When we were planning her shoot, she was at this point in her journey where she didn’t want to care anymore what people thought of her, she just wanted to live her life in a way that made her happy. She’d just started wearing shorts again despite feeling for years like she shouldn’t show that much of her body or reveal her stretch marks, and she really wanted to start seeing herself in a different light. She was really nervous for the shoot, specifically about being in little-to-no clothes, so we spent some time talking through it and trying on different outfits from my client closet to see what would feel best for her. I could tell she was uncomfy for the first pose or two, so I asked her if she wanted to see what she looked like from my perspective. When I turned the camera around and she saw herself on the screen, everything changed! “It made me look at myself in a way I never have before,” she said. “This session made me believe that I AM a beautiful person inside and out, no matter how the world views me!” Suddenly, after seeing herself from my perspective, she was hitting poses and absolutely feeling herself, and it was GLORIOUS to watch! We’ve talked a lot after the session about all the ways this new perspective of herself has impacted her life, and it makes my heart so so happy to know it helped her so much! After being so nervous about showing so much of her body going into the session, she said she looks back at her pictures and knows there’s been a shift in the way she sees herself: “My body is mine, and I shouldn’t be scared to show it off!”
This one is a bit of a nerd out for me, but I can’t resist telling you all about it so stick with me here. 😅 One thing I wanted to be sure didn’t get lost in the switch from the studio to the She is Nature Session Series is the emotive expression and body language, since directing indoor vs outdoor requires such a different approach, and this session with Alexa allowed me to really focus in on perfecting that piece of the puzzle! This neck shot, for example, really shows the “ah ha” moment of what finally clicked in my brain around why I love images like this so much when I was completing my training on the art of emotion through the neuroscience of body language. Exposing areas like the neck, wrists, and other parts of the body that someone could essentially slice you open and unalive you is an expression of vulnerability. Think about it: if we were vikings sailing the seas with our blades on our hips, knowing we could enter battle at essentially any moment, it would be absolutely essential to our survival to protect our necks, wrists, chests, etc. When we’re feeling anxious or unsafe, we naturally cover those areas, similarly to how when our nervous system has been stressed to the max for too long, we actually protect our vital organs in our sleep by curling up and keeping our arms over our chest. It’s a survival mechanism. To put your neck on display is to say, “hey, I know if you wanted to you could hurt me right now, but I trust you to keep me safe.” And is there anything more beautiful than feeling safe enough to express that vulnerability? One of my favorite things about my unique approach to boudoir is that I center shooting, breathwork, and movements around somatic skills that help us regulate the nervous system so we feel safe to come back into our bodies and really express that emotional energy that gets trapped in our bodies. I’ve found that simply being outside really helps with that, too! Soles of feet in the grass, water dancing along fingertips, and birds chirping in the distance; it all screams safety and allows us to drop our guard and actually feel. Alexa said walking around in the woods was such a good time, but by the end when we were playing in the water she was the most relaxed, feeling comfortable, sexy, and confident! That’s always the goal- to help the person in front of my camera feel comfy enough to authentically express themselves, and I feel like we really hit that in this session!
I hear it every time I see this photo: “You help me to see the beauty of just loving yourself, even the parts that aren’t my favorite.” I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING 🥲💕 Courtney had her first session with me in 2021, and has since had 4 more sessions with me. I love her so deeply and have had the most incredible opportunity to witness her evolution as she learned to love herself in all stages, own her confidence, and stand up for what is right in every area of her life. She’s the one who I credit with teaching me that self-love, acceptance, and confidence grow when nurtured, and this photo of her is one of my favorites from all the sessions we’ve done together, if only because of what it represents to me. Honestly, it’s not even the best in the gallery of images from the day, but it’s just so meaningful. We did this session to help her reconnect with her body after going through a truly devastating time in her life that caused these really heavy feelings of disconnection and distrust of her body. As much as I love her, I just wanted to do something to help her feel less shitty in an undeniably shitty situation, but what do you even do for someone going through the worst time of their life? I still don’t really know the answer to that, so I gave her what I do know! We drove an hour away to play in a waterfall and recenter, and I truly think it was the time away from real life that we both needed. While we were swimming, her hitting poses and me trying not to lose my camera to the water, this dragonfly started circling her. Dragonflies represent infinite possibilities, wisdom, and adaptability. Like a catalyst for change, they remind us of our own inner light and ability to overcome, and I couldn't imagine a better addition to the session! We love when nature just natures. 🌱 This session taught me that helping you see your own power is my love language, and the best thing we can do in the darkness is nurture and be nurtured until the light returns.
If you’re a booktok girlie, this one’s for you! One of my favorite things to talk to Jessie about, aside from her plant babies and pole dancing group, is our mutual love for spicy romantasy novels- don’t tell me you’re surprised I read smut, I won’t believe you. 😜 So when she pulled out a long, red lingerie gown and black jeweled crown, I immediately knew the vibe- this was her Amarantha outfit! We bonded over ACOTAR at her first session when we used her Renaissance Faire costume to create images that gave me that first little hint of inspiration towards what became my She is Nature Session Series, so to bring that element into this shoot was so fun for me! Her goal for the session was to feel like more of herself. “I want to feel like the me I have deep inside but don’t let many others see. I want to feel empowered to show her to the world, no filters, no people pleasing, just me.” Which I absolutely ADORE! One of my favorite things about boudoir is that it gives us permission to explore the pieces of ourselves that get hidden away from the world, and often even from ourselves. We get so caught up in day-to-day stressors, people pleasing, and being the person we’ve been told we have to be, that we often forget there are so many deeper levels of our authentic self to explore. Boudoir offers us an opportunity to both meet and express those versions of ourselves, whatever that may mean on an individual basis. There were so many pieces of this session that did that for Jessie, from the Amarantha fit to the popping out of the waterfall mermaid-style like Ariel, and bringing that much of what she loves into the shoot brings even more expression!
That lightinggggg 😩💕 One thing about me, is I loveee the sun. And the moon. And the stars. Really all of the things that light up the darkness have a way of lighting up the darkness within me, and I’m so drawn to that. And Nicole- she is light. But not like the soft light that comes through sheer curtains. She is bright and harsh and I imagine the kind of light that not everyone can handle without squinting, turning away, or leaving with a bit of a sunburn. I found that to be part of my own nature over the past few years, and I immediately recognized it within her when we began shooting… but like, in a dimmed down kind of way, like something had taken that light and shamed it into subtlety. Oh how I hate to see the sun eclipsed by the darkness of heavy rain clouds. And that’s why I love this image. We were back in the cove of the waterfall, streams flowing down rocks and plants and skin, and the sun peeked out through this little opening straight onto her as though it showed up just to illuminate her radiant beauty. And she fucking basked in it, as she should! This wasn’t a directed pose, but her soaking in the light and feeling herself as I gave little tips on what movements may feel good next. This session was all about helping Nicole rebuild her confidence and fall back in love with her body after a toxic relationship left her self-esteem severely damaged. “This session reminded me that my body is the only one I get, and I should show it as much love as possible. It helped me shift my own narrative about my body from something negative to very positive.” She described exactly what I could feel as I watched that shift little by little throughout the session, then even more after when we looked through the images together! To me, this one picture represents the entire session centered around Nicole reconnecting with her own light, and being the witness and facilitator to such a beautifully human experience was such an honor!
This one is actuallyyy me 🙈 but if I’m basing this list on the feeling the image represents (which I totally am lol) it has to be included! I am in loveee with this photo, along with others from this quick 5-minutes of shooting on a whim! There’s this really interesting but not-so-surprising phenomenon where I spend my life empowering the people around me and showing them how incredible, beautiful, and worthy of their own love they truly are, but I rarely get to step in front of the camera myself for the same experience. Don’t get me wrong, every client I’ve ever worked with has taught me something about this little self-love journey we’re all on, and I’m so incredibly thankful for you all. I also have a pretty solid base level of self-worth these days, something I’m really quite proud of, considering I’ve heard every mean word that went through my head over the years I spent trying to starve and bully my body into meeting the standards society laid in front of me for what it means to be worthy of acceptance in a world that misguidedly relies so heavily on appearances. I know how far I’ve come and recognize the wonder of my own self-love journey every day! But to be on the other side of the camera is such a magical experience, seeing the physical expression of my emotional self in gorgeous images that represent my own growth, power, and sensuality. When I do this for others, it’s deeply impactful for me and gives me those warm and fuzzy feelings that go hand-in-hand with sharing the secrets of self-love with a collective of people who so desperately need and deserve them, and seeing myself from that same perspective is a real reminder to me of the impact these sessions have on someone’s self-perception, confidence, and growth.
I am a huge believer that everyone should connect with themselves in this way at least once in their life to get connected with a side of themselves that would otherwise go unrecognized forever. It’s so powerful to see yourself from this new perspective and get acquainted with your own beauty, power, and confidence! If this has you thinking it’s your time to reconnect with your body, sensuality, and self so you can leave your session feeling more connected, confident, and empowered, with a greater appreciation for your beautiful body and authentic self, you can learn more about having your own session here! I’d really love to chat with you and see what way a session would impact you at this stage of your self-love journey!
And that’s my top 10 for 2024 based the feels! Here are a few honorable mentions that I wanted to include SO BADLY but had to narrow it down or it would take you like all day to read this 🤣 look at me with the surprising level of self-control today! Take a look through a few more of my favorites from West Virginia sessions this year!
That is all from me for now! Feel free to leave any questions or reflections below to connect more deeply, and remember to be kind to yourself and prioritize your pleasure today. You are endlessly worthy of your own love and acceptance. ♥️
