2022 was a big year for me filled with a lot of firsts, self discovery, and moments of necessary reflection. It was a year that made me push myself out of my comfort zone and give all sorts of new things a try, even if they made me nervous or uncomfortable. For my birthday, I wanted to do something that would be an amalgamation of all the experiences I had in my 22nd year on this earth and, like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds, I got the brilliant idea to do one last thing that I always wanted to do but have been too shy to: have a boudoir shoot.
While I was very excited about this prospect from the minute it came to my head, I went down a research rabbit hole trying to figure out what would be best for me, which photographers were within my price range, what about the experience was causing me to hesitate, and what could be done to make this idea my reality by my birthday.
I hatched a plan in late June/early July: I wanted a goddess approach to my photos, I wanted flowers to be featured, and (most importantly) I wanted to be comfortable. Now, I know the business of boudoir shoots is very particular: comfortability is at the forefront of the industry. BUT, if you’re anything like me, the idea of posing for a stranger just feels weird. Luckily for me, I have a few photographers in my network that I know I can turn to when I only have a concept and a desire but no actual idea of how to make it works.
Cristal Veras at House of Cove Photography is an absolute gem! She has an incredible portfolio and a natural knack for capturing people in their best moments—I knew that she would be someone I could trust with such a vulnerable moment.
From start to finish, Cristal held my hand and made the entire process as seamless as possible—all I really had to do was pay her! She presented a couple studio options to me, collaborated with me on the visual concepts I really wanted to have during this shoot, and really just made it all SO seamless that I wasn’t even nervous when the day came around.
On the day of, I was ready to go and as fearless as I could be. We shot in a studio in Williamsburg on a really random street filled with warehouses—I probably would have been more nervous if we hadn’t traveled together. Our mutual friend Brianna—otherwise known as The Nail Psyche—came along and kindly did my makeup for me.
This wasn’t Bri’s first time doing my makeup for photos (shout out to her for making me look gorgeous for the graduation photos that my mom now has all over my living room) and she’s one of the few people I trust with this task.
Once my makeup and hair was ready to go, it was time to start taking our photos. I will admit that, in the beginning, I was still very awkward and had a hard time following Cristal’s direction for posing. This shoot came on the heels of a few very rough weeks of my life where a lot of transitions were happening, it was hard to put myself in a sexy mindset despite wearing the lingerie and having my face beat to high heaven.
Once again, though, I’m very grateful for Cristal’s patience: she worked with me and let me be as awkward and shy as I needed until I was finally able to loosen up and get more comfortable with the poses. While Cristal may disagree from the photographer’s perspective, this was the first shot from the shoot that really made me go “wow….let’s do this.”
We were well into the shoot at this point, and had already gotten a bunch of great shots, but there was just something about this one that really brought me into the moment and allowed me to enjoy the experience more.
From this point on (I think) it was smooth sailing: we had a good vibe going with the music, we already had some good shots with my goddess headpiece, and now we could start getting a little more creative and using Cristal’s vision in more of our photos. I knew I wanted something with this floral arch but this photo was fully all Cristal’s direction. It’s perhaps one of my favorite photos from the shoot solely because it just looks so romantic and delicate.
I will admit that it was a little hard for me the surrender control here and just trust the Cristal was capturing me the way I wanted her to—the only photoshoot I had ever be a part of before occurred with another person in my network and involved way more clothes and nature to interact with so this was a major difference from that experience.
I was extremely grateful for both Cristal and Brianna during this entire experience. Cristal squeezed this shoot in on my actual birthday, despite her having classes in New Rochelle that day and Brianna having to attend her own classes in the city.
Would I do this again? Of course! It definitely will not hold the same weight and have the same level of significance (I do not want to relive the kinds of changes/transitions that made this shoot meaningful ANYTIME soon) as this shoot but the first time is always the hardest—I’m sure round two would be even better. If you’re looking for a photographer that will take her time to understand you and make you feel comfortable, I could not recommend Cristal enough. She was an absolute delight and I cannot wait to have another shoot with her.
Aliyah and Words 