When Lindsay Schlick started shooting boudoir in Santa Clarita, she decided she wanted to offer more than just sexy photographs.

The unexpected moments in life are often where the good stuff hides.

You think your day is off to a terrible start, and suddenly you get a call that opens doors. A relationship ends, and once you’ve finally given up on finding love again, you walk into the right coffee shop at just the right time. You only find the good dresses when you’re “window shopping.”

Life likes to keep us on our toes because it forces us to see things through a new lens. It triggers an immediate change in perspective.

Well, ladies, did you ever expect to take off your clothes for a camera lens? Mhmm. That’s precisely why you should do it. Let me explain …

You have to be brave to choose boudoir. You have to be confident — even if you’re not actually confident at all. It’s that “fake it til you make it” thing. If, right now, you don’t expect yourself to be confident, brave or sexy enough to actually go through with it, then confident, brave and sexy is precisely what you will be — because life surprises you. YOU surprise you.

So put those big, dreaming, fearless lenses on, and take a fresh look at the five unexpected side effects of experiencing the best boudoir in Santa Clarita.

1. You’ll feel like a woman.

What does it mean to feel like a woman? I’ve spent my entire life trying to answer this question. Really. The answer is different for everyone, and it can even change from minute to minute, as we take on our various roles and wear different hats. But I still haven’t written my own answer to that question. (Sound familiar? Read #8 in this blog.) Well, boudoir helped me get closer to that answer, and now the photos help me return to it when I feel lost.

Maybe this sounds like an odd concept to you. Of course you feel like a woman — you are a woman. Right on, sister. Then you know what I mean when I talk about  feeling like a woman. You know, when emotion swells up from within you and makes you stand taller, firmer, as it fills your whole body. It’s powerful, capable, successful, sexy — all at once — as you realize you can be anything you want because you’re a woman.

When you bare your insecurities and trust that you’re beautiful, you’re shedding the layers of doubt that push that feeling away. So, yeah, boudoir makes me feel like a woman.

2. Seeing yourself isn’t nearly as scary as you think it is.

Let’s get something straight. Your mirror and iPhone are way less flattering than Lindsay’s camera, and they’re also full of lies: bad lighting, amateur posing and that insecure look on your face as you shudder and say: “Is THAT what I look like?” NO! That’s not what you actually look like. But why would believe anything me? That’s what you see, and you don’t have anything better to compare it to.

When Lindsay Schlick started shooting boudoir in Santa Clarita, her whole approach came from a single realization. Real people come to a photo shoot with different experiences, skill sets and feelings than models do; therefore, they need to be treated differently to get the same stunning results. (Yes, you are stunning.) That’s why Lindsay helps you pick your outfits, acts as an on-set stylist, teaches you how to pose, and brings in artists who understand hair and makeup for the camera. It makes a difference! Looking at pictures of yourself in lingerie and being genuinely blown away by how good you look is a weird feeling, simply because you don’t have the tools at home to do it yourself. But Lindsay’s covered all the bases to make sure she’s capturing the real you.

Don’t you want to know what she looks like?

3. You’ll get to know your sexy side — again.

Whether you’ve never met your sexy side or you can’t even turn it off for the gas station attendant, you know how much the desire to feel sexy shows up in our daily lives —  from picking your outfit to ordering the healthy option at lunch.

But that sexy feeling is fickle. As we change, it changes, too. Our bodies, complexions and even our hair changes as we age. Our relationships change, which affects how we see ourselves. And our definition of sexy changes as we begin to associate it with bigger ideas, like success or finding yourself or being a good mom.

What’s great about boudoir is it not only asks you to define what’s sexy, but it shows you ways that you’re already sexy, especially the ones you’ve been missing. Maybe all your friends are loudly jealous of your butt, for example, but you just don’t get it. You might even think they’re just being nice. But when you see yourself in SchlickArt boudoir photos, you won’t be able to deny it: Your friends are right. And just like that, you’ve found your new sexy.

4. You’ll decide what beauty is, and what it isn’t.

Once you decide to go for it, there are a whole bunch of fun, exciting things to think about. Do you want to go for the white panties, innocent look? Maybe your shoot is going to show a different side of you, with the skimpiest lingerie, smokiest eyes and craziest hair. You could also wear your man’s shirt, sweater or sports gear. Or maybe you want to wear your own sports gear because that’s when you feel the strongest. Suddenly, you have too many ideas.

How awesome is that? By the end of the brainstorming process alone, you’ve come up with all these different sides of yourself that are sexy enough to put in front of a camera. You’ve thought about beauty in a new way — the way that only you can be it. With no one else in the picture — like that Insta model or your friend who always looks like Beyonce — you only have to think what makes you sexy. Have you ever been asked to consider that before? Well. Now you did. And you have a new definition of beauty to replace the one that magazines and the Kardashians teach us on a daily basis.

5. You’ll realize you were doing it for yourself all along.

Did you notice that none of these unexpected side effects have to do with men? That’s because those are the easy ones. If you do something unexpected, your husband will be pleasantly surprised. If you take sexy pictures, the boys are going to appreciate them.

The most shocking thing of all is when you realize that you did this for you — not for him! It triggers a tidal wave of positive change within you that manifests in big waves and small ripples throughout your life — as much or as little as you’ll invite. It encourages you to do more things that make you happy. It alleviates the guilt of doing things for yourself. It shows you and others that you’re willing to take a chance on yourself and your own happiness. And most importantly, it gives you new ways to love yourself, which we could all use a little more of in our lives. It’s an experience that can represent positive lessons and changes that are way bigger than the photos you hold in your hand — as long as you let it. (Need more? Hear it in Lindsay’s words.)

Boudoir In Santa Clarita: The Bottom Line

In my experience, the most meaningful part was when I just decided to do it. It was the act of choosing it for myself that made it so much bigger than a photoshoot.

So what are you waiting for?

Keep Reading About Boudoir in Santa Clarita

5 Reasons Not To Shoot Boudoir — And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves

10 Signs You Need Boudoir In Your Life

Boudoir: Do It For The Right Reasons

About Lindsay’s Boudoir Photography 

With the mind of a businesswoman and the heart of an adventurer, Lindsay began to conceive of a different kind of Santa Clarita photography business. In her vision, stepping in front of the camera could be an empowering experience that gave her clients more than just a photograph — it would give people a new way of seeing themselves. With an eye for seeing the beauty in life and in others, Lindsay could use the camera to spread that beauty. And with that belief at her core, she began shooting boudoir in Santa Clarita in 2012.

About SchlickArt, Your Studio For Boudoir In Santa Clarita

SchlickArt, a boutique photo and video studio in Santa Clarita, started in March 2012 with the simple idea that empowerment creates a kind of beauty and authenticity that shines through every camera lens. Built on a philosophy — rather than a product, service or person — SchlickArt has rapidly evolved, shooting professional portraiture, business photo, business video and boudoir in Santa Clarita. It’s the desire to take care of you, the client, that drives us at SchlickArt.