Boudoir blog for women in Maryland, Virginia & DC who are interested in booking a boudoir photoshoot near them. Products, clients, tips and tricks are a few of the things you’ll find on the Lavish Boudoir Blog.
Lakeside Boudoir
This summer was meant to be spent at the lake. My family got a small cottage on the shores of Lake Gaston. We wanted to spend our days living like a country song… boating all day then drinking beer on the dock while we watched the sun set. Ahhh… makes my shoulders relax just thinking about it.
But…real life was that my boys had the honor of playing for their Little League All-Star teams. Which is amazing and I couldn’t be more proud of them for putting in the work. But when you sign the form to play…you sign away the boating days.
Our neighborhood is filled with families and one in particular takes baseball even more seriously than we do. They live and breathe the sport. So when their kids and my kids headed to camp… the grownups got to have some fun of our own. We called it Camp Cersovski. Of course, I can’t resist the chance to throw in a photoshoot in a new place and the light at our cottage is just gorgeous. Miss A was totally up for it… and boy did she earn it after the 2025 season.
We often forget to take time to reconnect with the women we are aside from the roles we play. Especially headed into the 35+ years. It’s easy to lose the hours to a career, a kid, or a home. Taking time out to do something special and fun is revitalizing. It makes us better humans, which in turn strengthens our roles.
We ended up taking photos in the primary bedroom, a spectacularly moody bathroom and of course on the lake itself.
I will be offering these limited photoshoots as an option, so keep an eye out. Lake Gaston is about 3.5 hours from Calvert County and DC. It’s an easy drive with plenty of great places to stay.
What we retouch, and what we don't
I get a lot of questions about retouching for boudoir. Especially, "You an make all my cellulite go away, right?”
Yes, but it's not usually with photoshop or other filters. Here are the steps to ensure your photos display flawless skin:
I instruct my clients to prepare their skin at least a week in advance. Drink lots of what, moisturize as much as your skin can handle and exfoliate a day or two before the photoshoot.
I provide my clients with a lotion the day of with a little bit of light reflecting particles.
I light with flat lighting on the potential lumps and bumps. No shadows? No cellulite!
If I get a fabulous pose with less than fabulous flat lighting, then I'll lighten up those unflattering shadows in post production (aka Photoshop)
So what DO I do in photoshop?
I delete bruises, pimples, spider veins, skin tone changes from being hot cold or nervous and stretch marks if I can even see them after the lotion is applied. I look for any wandering makeup that makes the eyes look dark where they shouldn't. I also will smooth out any bulges created by posing.
For example below, I should have had her legs resting together slightly differently to avoid that tiny little curve on her leg. My bad. But I'm not going to punish my client for my oversight. As you can see, I'm not making any changes to her beautiful shape or size, I'm just polishing out the things you would never notice in real life.Because with a booty this fabulous, who would notice that tiny bruise on her top cheek?
The second photo is me! Because I didn’t feel right asking someone else to post a before picture.
Sauna boudoir session
Boudoir in the sauna at Lavish Boudoir Maryland. Custom photoshoot using red and blue lights
I have been photographing women for so many years, that it’s rare to find a brand new way to create. But oh what fun it is to do something completely new!
I love a good self-care routine and my husband and I decided to splurge on a sauna. Bougie, I know. But we are officially 40+ and it takes more than drinking water and a jog on the treadmill to stay healthy.
My husband and I were sitting in the sauna soaking up all that infrared goodness under the red lights. As usual, I can’t really turn off my brain. Inspiration struck when I saw the shadows on his face and I had to make these sexy, sweaty photos for a client. I knew Miss A would be perfect with her dark features and saucy body language.
You would absolutely die laughing if we had filmed behind the scenes, because I’m spraying A down with avocado oil spray and water, trying to get the look of glowing sweaty not swamp donkey sweaty (my usual look). I’m dragging a cheapo ring light and wrapping it in a red filter to mix with the blue overhead light. I’m trying to figure out if I can fit in the sauna with her. I’m trying not to break my camera in tight spaces. Oh my goodness, if you know me… you know how clumsy I am. Lucky for me, A can keep her composure.
Finished product? Better than I hoped for and I cannot thank A enough for letting me experiment.
If you want to book a steamy session, make sure to reach out. I can’t add them on to every regular session because of the extensive prep work… but I may hold a special day for them. Just text me at 667-321-9837 and mention that you saw this post.
PS: She filmed her husband’s reaction and it was everything. He was just sitting on the couch watching baseball, minding his own business. She texted him and he looked at his phone like, “Why is she texting me from the kitchen?” When he opened the message, his eyes went wide, he looked around and then hustled over to swoop her upstairs.
I’m Leslie, owner and photographer at Lavish Boudoir!
I offer transformational boudoir photoshoots, complete with makeover, to help you feel confident, sexy & comfortable in your own skin.
I’d be honored to have you in my Maryland studio.
It's not once-in-a-lifetime after all!
Meet Jessica (I’ll use her real name because she’s proud of these photos).
She became a client years ago and has continued to work with me over the years (twice flying across the country just to be photographed).
Let me tell you about Jess over the years I’ve known her.
2011
She had just graduated from college. She wanted photos while she was young and cute. Her shoot was over-the-top and a little wild. The kind of wild that comes with being 22.
2012
Jess was coming into her sensuality. She was learning what it meant to be a woman rather than a girl. She exuded confidence in a way that said, “I don’t need to impress you.”
2013
This was J’s first shoot where we got her completely nude. Honestly, I think it was the first time I was brave enough to shoot nudes. I have those in the studio. She is so lucky to have captured her figure at this stage.
2014
Bridal boudoir! Recently engaged, she wanted a gift for herself (and her amazing husband-to-be). We did get a more traditional shot, but I think this one shows off the woman she was going into a marriage. Strong, fierce and sexy.
2015
Inspired by the ANGELS book by Russel James.
2016
We actually brought out the lucky groom for a vintage-inspired engagement shoot. Yes, it escalated into a little bit of boudoir… as my shoots always do.
2018
We missed our annual shoot because I was living in Albuquerque and she was in Georgia. But when she had an opportunity to fly out here, we grabbed it.
How amazing is she in this?!
2019
It could not bring more joy to my heart than to do Jessica’s last photoshoot in her 20s. Oh and I got to photograph her just before her baby will make its debut.
I plan to visit her in Georgia next year to capture her and her little one.
Jess, you are going to have the most loved child. You are one for great adventures and this will be your biggest yet.
2022
We had a little gap because of the pandemic and moving states, but here she is in my new Maryland studio. In fact, I insisted she be the first woman I photographed here.
Jess brought her husband and little boy along for the trip. We stayed up late drinking wine and reconnecting while my “big boys” entertained her little guy. The following morning, it was all glamour. Her darling husband even made a Starbucks run for us.
Loving on a single mom.
Miss T had been on the fence about a boudoir photoshoot for ages and just hadn’t pulled the trigger. When I asked for women who would be wiling to sign a model release and full artistic control in exchange for a session discount, T was one of the first to apply.
I think it was the makeup-free photo in a Hogwarts sweatshirt that sealed the deal for me. She had these huge glasses covering these sparkling eyes. Her insanely beautiful red hair and porcelain skin just added to her beauty.
She honestly didn’t say much in her application. Some women spill their guts, but something in her photos spoke to me.
When I met T, there’s this warmth to her that makes you feel like you’ve always been friends. She mentioned her son and her eyes lit up. She told me about moving here from Houston. She told me about the new job she was hoping to take. She told me about her best friend whose name is tattooed on her wrist.
Being a single mom is not easy. But she never once had a single negative thing to say about it. Her strength and quiet confidence made her so easy to photograph.
When I photograph a woman, I want to see the emotions in her. I learned from a mentor a long time ago how powerful it is to put women in touch with these emotions. We are so often going through the motions of life, that we don’t stop to recognize what we feel. When we are allowed to do that, and then it’s captured on camera, it is so freeing.
An emotion that I’m not particularly comfortable with is vulnerability. So I rarely photograph it it. I prefer confidence, joy, desire, laughter, flirtation… anything but vulnerable.
But that day, it spoke to me. Because I’m pretty sure that T doesn’t let herself get vulnerable too often. I’m sure she’s built up her confidence and to let some vulnerability show is uncomfortable. I didn’t realize how often I captured her throughout the photoshoot in this way until I went through the images to share here. But she makes it look beautiful, right?
T, you are just an amazing young woman and I am so glad you sent me that 2-sentence e-mail to model and the photo in the Harry Potter sweatshirt because girrrrl, you rocked this shoot and I loved being your photographer.
