From The Straits Times    |

We talk to Skyy Woo of Skyy Woo Photography on her new venture into boudoir photography with @Anteroom_, and how more couples and brides-to-be are choosing to go with a boudoir shoot for their pre-wedding portraits.

Intimate and subtly charged with passionate and alluring sexual energy, Skyy also shares the transformative power these shoots have on her clients, especially her brides, who find a side of themselves they never saw in their boudoir-styled images. 

 

 

Please share more about your views on boudoir photography. Are there misconceptions you want to change about it?

I’d like to convince people that boudoir photography is not commercial eroticism.

It’s not a woman being vain, or about wanting attention. It’s about body positivity, and how every woman has that beauty and allure. I’d like to bring it out, and show them, and let them know they were always beautiful.

It is an intimate session between two lovers, and I wish to capture their chemistry with my camera. There is more to a couple then their public relationship.

Of course, some wish to keep it personal, and some want to flaunt their dynamics, but no matter their decision they get to keep these images for themselves. It’s all about them.

I’d like to show how amazing this intimacy between them can be, because many people don’t realize how passionate they can actually be. 

 

 

What was your main motivation behind starting boudoir photography and what do you like about it? 

It started off with me doing fashion photography. With models I could introduce different elements that broke boundaries. It allowed me to experiment.

I saw how boudoir photography evolved, and thought, why not channel this energy to women and wedding couples? Why limit it to only fashion shoots and models? I like that with this idea, I can show my clients a different side of them that was hidden.

 

 

What’s the effect and impact on the brides during and after the shoot? How is it empowering to them? 

Some were shy at first, but they opened up soon after.  Even those who started off feeling sceptical became comfortable during the shoot and they started channelling their inner models.

When they saw the photos, they were so pleased with seeing such a different side of them. I noticed they walked with a bigger spring in their step after that!

 

 

Is there a certain kind of mentality and mindset a bride should have for the shoot? Is this suitable for everyone?

They need to take the first step and be open with themselves. Once they make that step, posing for the shoot will come naturally.

And since I direct my clients throughout the shoot, they don’t need to worry about whether they can pose, or what they need to do. They just need to trust that things will be taken care of.

Keep an open mind and don’t fear the unknown. It’s easier than it looks.

 

How has the reaction been from their partners? Any memorable stories or moments? 

Some actually blushed! But they were all were so supportive and amazed. I think they already know that their wives are beautiful, but to see this intimate side captured in images takes them aback.

There was a groom who told me he always had to tell his wife she’s beautiful. He managed to convince her to give it a go on the grounds that I was a female as well, and the photos could always be kept private to herself if she didn’t feel comfortable about showing them. 

I took angles that were very subtle, like a peepshow into her own self. It was all tastefully done. When his wife saw photos I took of her, her eyes widened in surprise. She told me she never knew she could look like all those women in the ads.

She decided to share the photos with her husband and he exclaimed, “I told you you’re beautiful!,” and for me, witnessing that was so rewarding. 

 

 

Why do you think more people should consider doing this? 

It’s a very different dynamic. The wife can gift the images to her husband for his precious keepsake. Or the husband can gift it to his wife to show her how beautiful he knows she is.

 

 

What’s the preparation and set-up process like?

I don’t have a one size fits all process or package. Instead, I try to create customised sessions based on the couple’s profiles and personalities.

 

All images taken by Skyy Woo of Anteroom_ & Skyy Woo Photography

Hair and Make-Up by Eeshake Makeup Studio.

For more information about her boudoir shoots, you can contact her here