Boudoir : Leann

All I knew about Leann was drawn from her stylish Instagram feed. She's a beauty blogger, has stunning eyes and lives in Italy. Little did I know that our boudoir experience in Tel Aviv would be so vulnerable and deep from the very moment Lia, the makeup artist, and I walked through the door.

What I loved about Leann was that she put it all on the table. A woman who was willing to be raw and open in a way that brought me into her world...

Makeup by Lia Elisheva

Kodak Film // Processed and scanned by Panda Labs

Bridal Boudoir : Dreamy Collaborative Session

The story we know is that a little girl grows up dreaming of her wedding day, almost as if it is the peak of her journey. In the sake of re-writing our narrative, we're dreaming of so much more. When Sara Winter and I came together to create our artistic vision for this session, I envisioned our story to be about a woman of confidence with a foundation of self-love and acceptance. I saw beauty. simplicity with a touch of bohemian romance, but I also saw this woman as someone who could really look at herself and embrace the journey she is on, in the moment. As a bride embarks on a new chapter of her life with another human being, it is meaningful to recognize and document the power of a special uniqueness that lies within and her own sensual, intimate expression.

At a stunning home in Israel in the city of Beit Zayit, we began preparations for what we hoped would be a platform for our art and our collaborative creative energy. My husband, Yehoshua, and I are a wedding photography team, and we were excited to work on this project together since it is in the realm of everything we love about photography. While these images are through my personal lens, you will soon be able to see his perspective and beautiful photographs as well.

Throughout the boudoir session, the remarkably talented Sheldon Bruck, makeup artist, and Katy Taurel-Ciabotaru, hair stylist, cultivated a couple different gorgeous looks for us to photograph. The florals by Sara Winter and wardrobe by designer, Marina Valery, had me in a complete dream world...

Floral design by Sara Winter
Makeup by Sheldon Bruck
Hair by Katy Taurel-Ciabotaru
Lingerie and veil by Marina Valery
Model - Noa Elharar

Kodak Film // Processed and scanned by Panda Labs

Boudoir : Vivi

Vivi is the kind of woman and this is the kind of boudoir session that reminds me how much I love what I do and the space that I offer. Her inner goddess radiated from the moment she put her first piece of lingerie on, and almost immediately, we both got lost in the world of boudoir.

Her gorgeous apartment in the heart of Jerusalem was just renovated, so there was no question that Vivi's home was the perfect backdrop for self-expression, empowerment and a whole lot of sexiness...

Hair and Makeup by Sarah Appel

Boudoir : Melissa

"This boudoir session was a long time coming. Really, I originally emailed Rebecca back in November. Though, life got in the way, and my dream of a Fall shoot (with blankets and sweaters) ended up happening in July, with lots of tissues to blot away excess sweat.

I had always been intrigued by the idea of boudoir photography. It was different, and exciting, and sensual. It showcased women embracing their femininity, strength, resilience, and power. Yet it also seemed weird, and foreign; ideas that are a byproduct of my religious upbringing, I guess, and so I never did anything about it. Every so often I would come across another article, another image from a shoot, and the curiosity and “what if?” would come back, but life got in the way. 

A few years ago, I made a conscious decision to do more for myself, to allow myself to do the things that I wanted to do, without feeling guilty or waiting for a more opportune opportunity. I quit a job that had started to go sour before it completely sucked the life out of me. I started my MA degree, and recently switched tracks because my initial plan wasn’t working.

I am very much the type of person to stick things out and see them through - sometimes until the bitter end. I also hate backtracking and redoing something, or starting over.

These two parts of my personality don’t always go well together, so I typically don’t do anything that I want to do without crazy research first. Followed by hours, if not days or weeks of overthinking and contingency planning.

Hence the break between November and the actual photo shoot.

I remembered my promise to myself, and reminded myself of something that a friend of mine told me, “nothing is going to happen unless you get out and do it yourself”.

These pictures will be mostly for me, to remind me that I deserve to do things for myself, and be selfish in that regard and that it’s okay. They will push me to take time (more than 10 minutes) to do fun things that I enjoy (that require me to get out of the house and spend money) without justification, or guilt, or waiting for a better time.

This session is only a beginning..."

Hair and Makeup by Sarah Zohar