We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.

Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

When I was planning my wedding, I was trying to find the perfect gift for my husband to be. He didn’t need a watch or any other ‘traditional’ type of wedding gift so I was completely stumped on what I could surprise him with. At the time, I was utilizing a message board on The Knot to get ideas and connect with other brides. I posted on the message board asking for gift ideas and a friend suggested I do boudoir photos and make a book for him to open before the ceremony. At the time I had never heard of boudoir photography before, but after my friend shared a few of her photos, I knew it was the perfect idea.

Leading up to the shoot, I was so excited to surprise him with the photos because I knew he would love it. However, I had no idea how transformative it would be for my self perception and confidence. The session itself was fun and liberating, and once I saw the photos I was completely blown away by what I saw. I finally could see myself as a beautiful and sexy woman..and had never looked at myself that way before.

After the wedding I needed a hobby, so I bought myself a camera and started playing around with it. I quickly fell in love with creating beautiful photographs, but I wanted more. I kept going back to the feelings I experienced being in front of the camera and wondered what it would be like to give that transformative experience to other women. I finally took the plunge and booked a hotel suite, and managed to coordinate 9 women to ‘model’ for me so I could give it a try. On November 9 2008, I unpacked my Canon Rebel and printouts of pose ideas and got to work. Despite my own nerves that day, I had an absolute blast being creative with some lovely and patient ladies. I learned two things during that experience:

1) Showing women their beauty and empowering them through photography was incredibly fulfilling and I wanted more; and
2) I will never ever try to shoot 9 sessions back to back in one day again haha!

After that day, I was hooked. I absolutely loved connecting with these women and helping them feel excited and confident about themselves, so I immediately started planning my next boudoir marathon. I put the word out on Facebook and it didn’t take long for me to have the (better planned) schedule fully booked.

At the time, I co-owned a swimwear boutique with my mom. Our focus was primarily on empowering women of all ages, shapes and sizes to feel good in a swimsuit for a vacation with their families. Boudoir photography felt like an extension of that, and really deepened my passion for empowering women. After a year and a half, I left the swimwear business to pursue photography full time. I did portraits and weddings for 2 seasons but my heart was in boudoir. After deciding to shoot boudoir exclusively, I haven’t ever looked back.

Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I provide boudoir photography for women of all ages, shapes and sizes, however what I do is so much more than just creating pretty pictures. Each one of my clients leaves their experience with a newfound sense of confidence and appreciation for themselves.

My primary goal is to create boudoir imagery for the female gaze; elegant, sensual and timeless photos anyone would be proud to have of themselves. I focus on each woman’s unique beauty and help her discover or reconnect with her sensuality in a relaxed and uplifting atmosphere. Creating beautiful pieces of editorial-style art my clients will enjoy for years to come is not only an honour for me, it’s my life’s work. I am immensely proud of the work I do and the difference I have made in so many women’s lives.

A lot of people tell me they were drawn to my work because of the diverse range of women and body shapes I showcase on my Instagram and website. That is intentional! The fear of not being ‘xyz enough’ often holds women back from doing a boudoir session. If someone can view my work and see themselves represented, it transforms their fear into the belief that it’s possible have beautiful photos of themselves too.

What I most want women to know is that feeling amazing in your own skin is not reserved for a certain age or body type, and I believe that boudoir photography is an incredible experience every woman should have in her lifetime. What sets me apart from other boudoir photographers is my commitment to providing a safe and encouraging environment where my clients can learn to let go of self judgement and appreciate the person they see in the mirror.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Providing excellent customer service has been pivotal to building my reputation. Over the years I have continually refined and perfected my processes and communication so that my clients feel taken care of every step of the way. Owning the swimwear store prior to becoming a photographer helped me learn how to provide an exceptional experience, as well as how to navigate someone’s feelings of vulnerability with sensitivity and encouragement.

So many artists are incredibly creative but have no experience running a business, and it can be really challenging to do both well. If you’re not confident in the business side of things, hire some help! A virtual assistant or someone to help out part-time will not only take a huge weight off your shoulders, it will enable you to provide a more professional experience for your clients. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses will allow you to find the right help and free up your time to focus on the things you do best.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Sharing client reviews/testimonials and behind the scenes content has been a game changer for growing my clientele.

So many women say ‘I don’t know how to be sexy’ or ‘I’m so awkward in front of the camera’. Seeing clips of me working with a client and hearing all the direction I provide takes the mystery out of it and lets them know that they don’t have to come to the studio already knowing how to model. That’s my job!

I ask every client for a review, and provide prompts in case they aren’t sure what to say beyond ‘it was fun!’. I ask them to describe how they were feeling before the shoot, and what they would tell their best friend about their experience. The responses are always so genuine feeling, which helps build trust with potential future clients. Heartfelt reviews have been just as important in my business as showing diversity in my portfolio. The best way to get meaningful testimonials is to provide an exceptional experience for each and every client, and ask them for the review!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jenniferwilliams.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferwilliamsboudoir/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferwilliamsphotography/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@boudoirvancouver
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenniferwilliamsboudoir