Today we’d like to introduce you to Arianna Brantley.
Hi Arianna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a registered nurse turned boudoir photographer! I have been a nurse for six years (which is truly mind-blowing) and have been shooting photography for five years on the side. I have always had an interest in photography ever since I was little. I always had a disposable camera with me even as young as five years old! I remember making my sister model as I blew a fan in her face and shot her pictures. In my mind these were editorial images, but now they’re just comical. I have always had a passion for photography. I am not someone you think of typically as a “creative”, but internally I have a desire for creativity. One day I was talking with someone I consider a mentor and she told me that she could foresee me doing boudoir photography! I didn’t really think much of it as I carried on in my nursing job. Fast forward a year after that conversation and my nursing job was sucking out my soul. I didn’t feel like it was feeding into me as a person, but rather taking from all that I have. A little voice in my head reminded me of the words spoken prior by my mentor as I said let’s do it! I started shooting my friends as models for content and the rest is history. People loved my work, which I couldn’t believe, and I found a love for the art of boudoir. Boudoir photography has been one of the most amazing things I have ever done professionally. Words cannot describe the gratification of making someone feel good about themselves. It is incredibly rewarding. I literally love what I am doing. My mission is to empower women and self acceptance in every stage of life. Our time here on earth is so short and we need to love ourselves while we can. I believe boudoir is an unmatched experience on the journey to self love. All women should do this!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Photography in itself is a roller coaster. The market is saturated with photographers, and it is very hard not to compare yourself. Before boudoir, I started to lose my passion for photography because I felt disposable when placed up against other photographers. It didn’t feel like I was creating art, but more so just pumping out generic pictures. At one point I told myself I was done with photography as the comparison was just eating away at me and my love for the art. Once I dove into boudoir photography all of that went away. Boudoir is such an art form that I don’t find myself comparing my work to another like I did before.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in boudoir photography for women. My mission is to empower women and help them to embrace their bodies. Women struggle daily with self acceptance and this includes physical self acceptance. Boudoir really and truly helps women to love themselves. In no other scenario can a woman see themselves the way that the camera can capture them. When you look in the mirror, you’re getting such a basic and boring representation of all that you are. The lens allows a woman to see herself in an entirely new way like never before. I don’t believe our physical being is all that we are, however it is a big part of who we are. It affects the well being of so many and how they feel about their bodies. I am so incredibly proud of what I have produced and accomplished thus far. I am proud of my work and I am proud of how I have been able to make women feel about themselves! Women are beautiful, and all different in their own unique ways. I just want everyone to love themselves and that is my mission.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I have learned to be more accepting of myself in this process. I’ve grown so much doing boudoir, in so many ways.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elleboudoirphotography.mypixieset.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elle.boudoirphotography/?hl=en
Image Credits
Stephanie Noel, Hair and Make up artist (holding make up brushes)
