My First Boudoir Client, Liz Medley: 10 years later

10 years ago, on a warm early October afternoon, I grabbed my camera and met Liz Medley, my first boudoir client, for an outdoor shoot at a farm in Shelbyville, Indiana.

I’d met Liz while producing a television commercial for her salon, and had mentioned to her that I was thinking about specializing in boudoir after my wife loved her boudoir photoshoot experience a few months prior.

Liz was intrigued, and offered to be my first subject, “Ben was easy to connect with and I felt comfortable around him. He was outgoing, chatty, laid back and I knew it would be fun because he was fun to work with on my television commercial,” she remembers.

I, on the other hand, was equally as nervous as I was excited. I’d put down my 35mm camera (Yes, I am dating myself) to focus on my career in video production. I had never specialized in portrait photography, let alone capturing the beauty and sensuality of women.

I couldn’t have asked for a better first client, Liz was energetic and curious to find out what we could create together. We bounced ideas back and forth, and she took direction while at the same time moved around on her own and let me follow hear lead. It felt comfortable and her reaction to seeing her photos made me more confident that choosing boudoir was the right decision.

Above & Below: Photos from my first boudoir photoshoot & Liz's as well. I think we did pretty good!

“My boudoir photoshoot was absolutely an empowering experience. It left me feeling beautiful in my own skin and for who I am. It was amazing.”

To help celebrate 10 years as a boudoir photographer, I invited Liz to step in front of my camera again. At the shoot we reminisced about the first shoot, and afterwards discussed how it compared…

“Initially, before the latest shoot I was more nervous than my first. Not only am I ten years older, but I’m now a mom. I didn’t feel as sexy, or so I thought. Ben’s confidence, however, quickly made me feel at ease, I relaxed, and got over myself. I started to feel the same emotions I did back at that farm on the first shoot”

Above: A slideshow of photos from our "10 years later" photoshoot with Liz Medley.

A decade had passed, and besides getting married and becoming a mother, Liz had sold her business to help women start their own, “Today I train and coach people to start their own business and create a life of their dreams.” Liz became a Coach, Leader, & Presenter for Younique, “I have over 10,000 women in 9 countries in my professional network organization. We all build almost 100% on social media. So we basically get paid to take selfies and play in makeup.”

Just like For Your Eyes Boudoir Photography, Younique’s mission is to uplift, empower, validate, and ultimately build self-esteem in women and help them “Feel beautiful. Look beautiful. Be beautiful. Inside and out!”

“There is nothing more beautiful than self-confidence and the beauty that comes from within and Ben helps bring that confidence out. Women need to focus on their best features and stop being fixated on their flaws. When you use makeup don't cover what you don't like. Use the makeup to enhance what you love and start loving your own unique beauty. When you choose to work with For Your Eyes Boudoir Photography, Ben, through his lens and great eye, will enhance your natural beauty showcasing the best you.”