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. 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, photographing women is what made it possible to somehow liberate women from the confines of their domestic roles.

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 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 term boudoir is derived from the French word "bouder" which literally 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 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.

Commonly, female subjects of boudoir photography aren't models. They are everyday women who artistically poses for the camera in order to show a different dimension of themselves. 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. 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 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.