Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Baylee London. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Baylee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

IN January 2023, I had a client reach out. We will call her Ms. T. She made an anonymous post in a local Facebook group looking for an “Adult Cake Smash Photographer”. I shared my information in the comments, and she reached out immediately. We spoke on the phone briefly about her ideas, her story, and her “why” behind a boudoir session. The mix of excitement and anxiety in her voice as she told me her vision was unforgettable. She wanted something silly, but special that would show off her personality while celebrating her 50th birthday! Once she booked, we started planning.

Ms. T’s 50th birthday session was extremely special to her. After an extremely hard year with her diagnosis and an open heart surgery, she didn’t think she would be here today. She is a total bad*ss and wanted to reflect it in her photos. We wanted to show off that she is HERE and ALIVE and that alone is a reason to celebrate.

When speaking to her about her upcoming session, I often referred to it as a “Boudoir Session”. She laughed and kept telling me, “It isn’t a boudoir session!” Boudoir is one of my favorite things to talk about. Boudoir isn’t just sexy photos, it’s how you FEEL. You do not have to be in lingerie, you just have to be comfortable. I have so many clients who prefer to wear baggy sweatshirts and shorts to their sessions, heck! I have had clients wear overalls and she looked just as radiant as clients in tiny underwear! The planning process was so much fun. We chatted outfits, cake design, locations, colors, etc. Then. a few days before Ms. T’s session she asked if we could honor her late mother and cousin in her photos. I said ABSOLUTELY and we did just that. She brought bracelets to represent them, and champagne glasses for each of them.

May finally rolled around. The day of her session, we met at the salon and got her glammed up! All of my sessions include professional hair and makeup. This was her first time wearing big false eyelashes and she ROCKED them. Her makeup look was full of fun colors, sparkles, and glow. Her best friend met us there with cake and champagne. Once we left the salon, we headed out to a park and set up her cake smash.

We laid out a blanket, the champagne glasses, her cake, balloons, and more. We lost the “0” Balloon, and I believe 5 of her other balloons popped. Even with a few things going “wrong”, the session couldn’t have gone better. We started by pouring champagne in her family’s glasses. I had the opportunity to capture her as she shed a tear while she honored them. We had a moment of silence, then she poured her own. She drank her well-deserved champagne, ate her beautiful cake, and we laughed until we cried, then cried some more.

I will never forget her telling me that this was the most fun she has ever had. She was giggly like a little girl, just enjoying life. People passed us on the trail and she was yelling out to them “I’m F**** Fifty!!”, “It’s my birthday!!” She was glowing with excitement. When the cake was gone, and we couldn’t handle the Texas heat any longer, we decided it was time to pack up and pick up all our trash.

She gave me the biggest hug and thanked me repeatedly for everything and for helping her feel amazing in her skin.

I cried the whole drive home. I remember thinking to myself that *THIS* was why I do what I do.

Two days later, I met back up with Ms. T for her ordering appointment. We looked through all of her photos, laughed and cried again. She planned to only purchase a few images, but after seeing them all she couldn’t decide. She couldn’t picked and decided to go with the full digital collection plus a folio box so she could keep every image. She was so happy with everything and wrote me the sweetest reviews on every platform.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my photography journey when I was just 15 years old. I was the editor-in-chief of my high school’s newspaper and had to take photos to go with my stories. I did hundreds of free sessions because I fell in love with portraits. I primarily shot sports photography (football, basketball, and baseball) for 3 years until a friend asked if I could take her senior portraits. My advisor had given me a starter canon rebel, and something clicked in me.

After 7 years of photography, I now am a full service photographer and specialize in Boudoir and Motherhood. As a mother, I understand how important every moment and milestone is, no matter how small. I am here to help capture them every step of the way- From those first two lines to their little one’s first birthday and beyond. I love to create beautiful maternity sessions to help mamas feel as amazing as they look so they have gorgeous images to look back on for years and years of their pregnancy. It’s always so special to me to have maternity clients return to capture their newborns, milestones, and first birthday cake smashes! The milestones are what makes motherhood so memorable.

Part of entering motherhood can be the feeling of not recognizing yourself and your own body. It’s different after having a baby, leaving some women ashamed of their amazing bodies. This is why I love what I do. I love to change how they see their bodies and leave them feeling confident, radiant, and unstoppable. During my boudoir sessions, we spend the day glamming you up and having fun. It can be hard to find time to treat yourself when you have kids, and many mamas forget to think of themselves. I love boudoir because it gives everyday women and mothers a chance to put themself first and remember how amazing they are. I am so proud of how many amazing women I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with. It’s incredible what can be made when you let go of feeling insecure and embrace every part of you can do! Boudoir is for everybody, no matter what- I specialize in all women’s sizes XS-6XL.

One thing that sets me apart from other photographers is that I provide a full service experience. Your hair and makeup is done in my studio, I hand edit every image, we pick your products together, then I hand deliver your albums, prints, and wall art. You don’t have to go through the hassle of contacting multiple vendors to get the experience you deserve- I do it all for you!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The biggest struggle for me has been moving twice in one year and having to rebuild my clientele. However, rebuilding clientele, making new friendships, and settling has been challenging. Every challenge I have faced has led me to do greater things for the better. I embrace the challenges and make the most of them!

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Yes! I started getting serious about photography to provide some extra income for my family after my son was born. At the time I was working full time managing a gym, and jumped back into photography as a side hustle. I did about a session or two a week for months but the demand grew for my services to the point I was turning clients down and booking months in advance! I knew that was the time to leave my job, raise my prices, and focus on my passion-turned-career.

Contact Info:

• Website: boudoirbybay.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/boudoirbybay
• Facebook: facebook.com/groups/boudoirbybay
• Other: Facebook.com/boudoirbybay