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Photography is an art form that best capture human emotions. This art form has its own special excitement that has the power to change even the most lifeless entity into the most visually aesthetic subject, which makes it a challenging endeavor to take. Although almost all the things we see today can become the subjects of photography, women are perhaps the most enduring subjects captured in film. As a matter of fact, it is photographing women that made it possible for females to emerge from the physical confines of their homes.

Under the pretense of photography, female members of the society were able to close the gaps between their private worlds and public domains. This is especially true in the case of Boudoir photography, which has been gaining popularity in the field of portraiture. Boudoir is a genre of photography that captures mostly the images of women but can also be done by men in sensual or sexually stimulating poses or setting with little or no nudity at all. It is totally different from erotic photography as it focuses more on the aesthetic qualities of the subjects as well as the artistry of the process rather than the sexually stimulating concept of the portrait.

The term boudoir is rooted from the French term "bouder" which means 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. Because of the subtle uses of the word, the modern concept of photographing women in their bedrooms emerged as an offshoot of boudoir, which is why this genre of photography is also known as "bedroom photography," though it can also be carried out in different private environments. Although the term for such genre of portraiture was coined later, boudoir was already existent during the earliest photographic process and was the precursor of pinup portraits during the 1940s and 1950s.

Usually, women who serve as the subjects of boudoir photography are not actually models. They are ordinary women who wish to show a different side of their characters in the camera. The main idea is to unleash their inner sensuality to show another side of themselves without actually taking their clothes off and instead use sexually provoking poses to express their emotions. Unlike erotic photos that are usually digitally manipulated to achieve perfection, boudoir leaves a room for the bodily flaws of the subject to be visible in order to heighten the realism of the image.

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 instance, a wife might give the photo as a Valentine's gift to her husband, or a young aspiring lad could use the photo as an audition piece 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 would like to have your own boudoir mini photo shoot, you can easily find an Orange County photographer who specializes in boudoir, but be sure to do your research first before you shed some of your clothing in front of the camera to ensure that the photographer you are about to commission will definitely provide you a self-portrait of a lifetime. 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.