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Photography is an art form that best encompass 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. While almost all objects today can be regarded as subjects for photography, women remain as one of the most interesting subjects for any photographer. In fact, photographing women is what made it possible for females to be released from the concept of domesticity.

Under the semblance of photography, women were able to emerge from their private worlds into a quite different public space. This is especially true in the case of Boudoir photography, which has been gaining popularity in the field of portraiture. Boudoir is a genre in photography wherein the subjects are usually women, but can also be done by men, in provocative or sexually suggestive poses or setting that may contain little or no nudity at all. 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. Throughout history though, boudoir often refers to private rooms like the sitting room, dressing room as well as the bedroom. Such uses of the term resulted for the concept of photographing women in their bedrooms to emerge, which is why boudoir could also be referred to as "bedroom photography," although it can also be carried out in different private settings. 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 ordinary women who wish to show a different side of their characters in the camera. The main idea behind this concept is to arrive at a portrait that would feature them at their most sensual poses without necessarily taking off all their clothes, rather they just show a bit of their skin in sexually provoking poses to exemplify their emotions. Unlike erotic photography that are almost digitally perfect, boudoir leaves a room for the subject's bodily flaws to be exemplified with little or no image manipulation.

Boudoir photography is becoming a hot trend in portraiture. Oftentimes, the photo shoot is commissioned by the subject but its purposes differ from one client 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. Whatever their reasons might be, boudoir is one good way to feel comfortable about yourself in front of the camera regardless of your flaws.

In Southern California, modern boudoir was introduced six years ago and has since been gaining a wide following especially from women. 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. Generally, boudoir is a genre of photography that celebrates women individually, capturing them in a different light that could reignite self-esteem and the way she perceives herself.