Des loveeees having boudoir photos taken- I think I’ve taken her pics 5 times. She first had pictures taken as a present to her fiance (and to herself of course). Then she had sessions at Lake Mendota, on the Wisconsin River in a cabin, with a group of her friends at Foxy Studio, and finally a couples session with her husband. Each time she nails it. She puts her all into the sessions. I try to keep up with her passion and energy. It’s just so EASY to take her photos and to be around her in general.

Des is also one of my favorite humans. She is hardworking, kind, confident, and funny as heck. After that first boudoir session, we stayed in touch because we got along so well. After a little bit, it became clear that her super organized Virgo energy was just what was needed in my business, so she joined my little team as the office manager. She just started school full-time so she’s not with us anymore (tears for days), but she helped me out at the Wedding Expo a few weekends ago, and I know I’ll see her again soon. I’ll see her both to hang out and relive the good times, and of course, to take some more boudoir photos.

Without further adieu, here’s Des answering some questions about her experiences both with boudoir and with womanhood…and her showing us a bit of that sexy confidence too. (I’ll try to blog her couples session soon- the session was so recent that I’m still editing the photos!)

What motivated you to sign-up for a boudoir shoot? 

I signed up for boudoir because I wanted to try something different. I thought it’d be a great way to have fun and to feel desirable for myself and my (then) future husband.  

How did you feel after your session?

After my session, I actually felt intoxicated and I wanted more! I felt so confident, alluring, and exhilarated! I also felt like a made a new lifetime friend. Boudoir is very intimate and Maureen helped me feel at ease. I enjoyed myself immensely. 

How does your favorite photo from your session make you feel?

My favorite photo makes me appreciate myself and photography in general. It helps me see myself in a more holistic way, a less critical way, and to celebrate who I am. Even more, it helps me recognize all of the hardships I’ve been through to become who I am today. 

What would you say to a woman who doesn't think she is beautiful enough to be photographed?

Everyone is allowed to celebrate themselves! You’ll feel and look great!

What are your reflections on “beauty” in our culture?

Beauty is constantly changing and diversifying and I’m happy to see more shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and backgrounds representing beauty in the public eye.

What are your hopes for the next generation of women? What advice would you give to them?

I hope the next generation of women puts less emphasis on looks and can focus more on who they are and what really makes them happy. There is nothing wrong with caring about appearances, but constantly comparing and nitpicking makes it difficult for women to appreciate ourselves! 

What would you tell your 16-year-old self if you could meet her now?

I would tell her to be strong and stand up for herself. 

What do you love most about being a woman?

I love having boobs! :P  I love that today as a woman, I can be whoever I want to be. 

This past weekend was the first time I had a booth at the Winter Wedding Show for the Wedding Planner and Guide, the largest wedding show in Wisconsin! The organizers have asked me for years to set-up shop there, and I always said nahhh. But this year I’m trying to get out there more, to put more energy into boudoir and Foxy Studio. The wedding show seemed like a good way to meet more people who might want boudoir photos taken, after all, boudoir photos are a wonderful wedding gift for a fiance!! We had some wedding show specials and people took advantage of those- hooray!

The show was super time-intensive, especially since it was my first time doing it. It was money-intensive too (running a small business is expensive!- I should probably blog about that someday also). Kat and I worked for weeks (maybe months?) to create flyers, pamphlets, business cards, and photo galleries. And design the booth. And buy things to make it look extra cute (which I think we nailed, thanks in large part to Nikki Hansen Oboikovitz, my super artsy stylish friend!).

Here are my takeaways:

1. People in Wisconsin are SO nice. I’ve lived here for 13 years and it continues to surprise me. Vendors, staff, and attendees were all so kind and considerate.

2. The Alliant Energy Center, where the show was located, is HUGE and has a great staff. They also have big carts for you to schlep things around on, and it is legit fun. They also appear to allow vendors to drink beer while they’re setting up booths. Or at least they don’t stop you…

3. Wedding shows are overwhelming and exciting at the same time! People are understandably overwhelmed by all the options and really appreciated that we weren’t pushy.

4. I am still an extroverted introvert. I was so happy talking to people, telling them about Foxy Studio and empowerment and boudoir. But at the end of the day I was really tired.

5. Having a friend there to help was invaluable. On Saturday Kat came with me and on Sunday Des (from the other blog post) helped out.

6. People of all ages and genders love seeing photos of naked women. RetroViewers (generic viewfinders) were a big big hit, a good way to get people laughing and to start genuine conversations about bodies and boudoir.

7. U-Haul is really cheap for around town moves and a great way to haul truckloads of stuff (we basically took all the furniture from the studio and set it up in my booth!).

8. Vendors really look out for each other and find ways to collaborate. It never felt competitive. Also, Madison is still really small- I knew a lot of the vendors there, which makes me really happy.

9. People seem to really love my boudoir photography, which feels pretty excellent!

10. Despite the time and money, the show was totally worth it! We connected with a lot of potential clients and it felt really good to get Foxy Studio out there some more.

11. And finally, free pizza is the best.

If you saw us at the wedding show, give me a shout-out, I’d love to hear from you!!!

This here is Lainie, a boudoir client who takes boudoir-ing to the next level. She’s gorgeous and strong (emotionally and she’s also BUFF!). I’ve taken her boudoir photos 3 times, and each time she has amazed me with her generous spirit, willingness to try new things, and general comfort in her body. I just like her as a human, and I think you would too.

This is the first time I’ve asked a boudoir babe to answer questions for a blog post (!!!). Lainie has some real insight and wisdom. In the last question, she answers what she loves about womanhood and her answer truly floored me.

I’m so happy that people like Lainie let me take sexy and empowering photos of them!! I hope you enjoy the pics and Lainie’s answers!

What motivated you to sign-up for a boudoir shoot? 

I was strongly motivated by my age and the desire to capture a moment in time. At first, I just wanted to do the photos before I turned 50. Once I turned 50 I wanted that documented too!

How do your favorite photos from your sessions make you feel?

I feel like it's my little secret I keep in my drawer. I love being able to bring them out when the time is right.

What would you say to a woman who doesn't think she is beautiful enough to be photographed?

I have felt that way countless times in my life but fear is a motivator. I would say find a kick-ass makeup artist, get your hair done and drink a couple of shots of whiskey. The photographs may be as close as you ever get to magic.

What are your reflections on “beauty” in our culture?

I grew up in Los Angeles and have struggled with the rigid, uniform idea of beauty and trying to conform to it my whole life. My mother told me many times that nobody sees our flaws or the nuances of our beauty like we do, they just see the big picture. This is a hard concept for me to grasp, but as I get older I'm embracing it more. I’m constantly learning.

What are your hopes for the next generation of women? What advice would you give to them?

I have a 12-year-old daughter and I actually learn more from her than she does from me. She takes on life in a way I only wish I had the strength to do when I was her age. I was painfully shy growing up, had very few friends and no confidence. I would tell the next generation to try new things, be ok with failing or looking dumb, and just put yourself out there.

What would you tell your 16-year-old self if you could meet her now?

I would say stop giving a shit about what people think and just find something that brings you joy!

What do you love most about being a woman?

Women can constantly reinvent themselves, keep people guessing about what's next. We are versatile and can be so many things to so many people. We have the freedom to be both emotional and smart, pretty and strong. Being a woman means the possibilities are endless.

I’m ushering in 2020 by giving away THREE photography sessions with the best goofy, weird, unique photoshoot ideas! Do you have a funny idea that needs to be captured in pictures? Do you want to get goofy professional photos taken by yourself, with a friend, with a partner? Are you looking for a way to express your silliness? Do you want to give yourself (and others!) lots of laughs?

I truly LOVE doing quirky photo sessions. I love being in them, planning them, photographing them. It all just brings me true joy and I want to share the experience. Send me your photo session ideas and if you are one of the three winners I’ll take FREE pics to make your photo dream come true (a value of $600 for each session!).

Photo Session Ideas need to be:

• Sent to mcassidyphotography@gmail.com with the subject line “Quirky Photo Idea”.

• Submitted between Tuesday December 3 and Tuesday December 17.

• Outlined in 4 sentences or less and include your concept and preferred location for the shoot. Shooting location must be within 15 miles of Madison…or if you want to fly me to Colorado or Hawaii that’s cool too.

• Can be shot in 2020.

• Something that is actually possible!

• 2 ideas can be submitted per person.

• Winners will be responsible for extra costs associated with the shoot (costumes, cost of location entrance if there is one, etc).

• Photos will be published on my blog / website / social media.

I’ll choose my three favorite ideas and announce them on December 20th– just in time for Christmas! If you win you can gift the session to whoever you want to be in your photos with you, or just give yourself a sweet ass present!
Below are some examples of me in my very own weird photo sessions with Neil, my husband/zany sidekick and Buffy, my hilarious/funky friend. I’ll post more ridiculous photos on instagram for inspiration throughout the week!

Thank you to SV Photography, Laura Zastrow Photography, and Images by Chantal for taking some of these photos below! Holler at me if you have any Qs, I can’t wait to hear your ideas!!

This session was SO fun- I loved photographing this here gorgeous woman. She was a natural model- soulful, passionate, AND she brought amazing outfits. She was a fabulous combination of wild and understated, she was sexy in a totally down-to-earth way. The thing that sticks with me most from this session (besides the sexy boudoir photos) is how quickly she admitted her love for blasting music and dancing in the car- I can totally relate to that. I think we should be friends for years to come :).

I REALLY want to share some pics my husband and I have taken recently. It’s been months since I wrote a blog post, and I feel a bit silly that this is the topic for my first one in ages, buttttt that’s what’s going down.

It’s no surprise to people who know us well, but my husband and I are goofy weirdos who love taking over-the-top pictures. We particularly enjoy doing photo sessions in unexpected places, most recently as mall walkers and in tighty-whities. We live for this shit. My husband, Neil, is much shyer than I am but he gets super into these pictures. It’s a really fun thing for us to bond over. We laugh about the experience and then the photos for weeks after we take them. Scratch that- we’re going to laugh about them for years.

We really are passionately in love and it’s awesome. I don’t want to share these to be narcissistic, but to show how ridiculous we are. Having a blog is kinda like “shouting it from the rooftops,” right?

I’ve called on other photographer friends to make these shoots possible. Huge shout out to Sharon Varony, Laura Zastrow, and Amie Heeter for all of your genius and talent!