Dream Boudoir Photography - Toronto Vancouver for Women surrealist portrait

Surrealist Portraiture — Why I do it

Dream Boudoir Photography - Toronto Vancouver for Women surrealist portrait

In art, there’s technique for creating an illusion of three-dimensions (depth and space) on a two-dimensional (flat) surface. This technique is called Perspective Art, for this is what makes a painting seem to have form, distance, and look “real.”

In Western art, the most common form of linear perspective was developed in the early 15th century. Using straight lines to plot the view, this system was used by the Renaissance artist Leon Battista Alberti and architect Filippo Brunelleschi. They are also credited with the “invention” of linear perspective. Alberti’s book “On Painting” published in 1435 has theoretical written in it. In art and architecture, we still use Alberti’s one-vanishing-point system.

When learning how to paint, perspective is possibly the most feared aspect. The mere idea of “perspective” makes many artists tremor. Though it is not the rules of perspective that are hard to learn but the consistent application to every bit of art that’s challenging and requires mastery. An accomplished artist will have the patience to check the perspective as the painting progresses, and to take the time to adjust it.

What we are talking about today is not the architectural linear perspective, but instead, perspective of the soul.

There are many ways to look at a photograph — they’re our mirrors, our inspiration, our nostalgia, our story.

Dream Boudoir Photography - Toronto Vancouver for Women surrealist portrait

When I create these powerful boudoir photos in my Mississauga studio or Vancouver studio, I am elevating women from looking at themselves from a “normal” view point to a “high” view point. Appreciating every curve: be it a smile or the body, celebrating every roll, every stretch mark, every scar, showing off the internal truth of your being is what I do best. Your story of love, life, struggle, and success.

Dream Boudoir Photography - Toronto Vancouver for Women surrealist portrait

But when I am creating these specific surrealist portraits, I’m creating your character and your story from imagination (rather than observation). Observation has its value, as you can see in the bulk of my photography mastery, but this surrealist portraiture gives imagination a next level push to serve one purpose: To suspend the linearity of time i.e. past, present, future — and merge it all together in one classic masterpiece.

The past is who you were, what you learned, what you loved, what you changed.

The future is who you will be, what you want to be, and your dreams.

The present is where you are now: ALL of your emotions, positive or negative, all of your struggles that you did or did not overcome, all of it.

Dream Boudoir Photography - Toronto Vancouver for Women surrealist portrait

The surrealist approach unites all of it in to a TIMELESS piece of handcrafted portraiture, printed on handmade archival Italian wall art to truly convey the rawness and the realness of this unrealistic art piece. We are bending space and time, showing the gamut of a lived woman’s experience, and telling stories of freedom regained, love acclaimed, battles lost and wars that are won, all one digital brush stroke at a time.

 

Dream Boudoir Photography - Toronto Vancouver for Women surrealist portrait

This artwork is not about dualities or body image or genres, it is only about creating a beautiful chaos with rough edges because that is what all women grow up to become. Some just polish it well, while others have learned to fly barefoot.

Dream Boudoir Photography - Toronto Vancouver for Women surrealist portrait

The process is simple and complicated. This art piece or series is usually a part of your Dream Boudoir or Portrait session. This session will require a video meeting after our initial consultation and booking. Together we will create an idea and bring it to life in my studio when you come for your session. We will discuss various ways you want to display these one of a kind custom art pieces to remind you of your essence every single day and for you to tell your story without words.

I invite you into this world of perspective with me where you will see the you in all your essence.


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Boudoir and Prosthetic Glass Eye

🦋When we first started Lora’s boudoir shoot in Toronto studio, this beautiful mother and business owner was concerned how her prosthetic glass eye would impact the images.

Prosthetics or not, I think her beauty is completely wholesome and absolutely illuminating! When I asked her if I could share her images, she stopped for a second and shrugged and said: “Why not?! They’re beautiful and elegant!” And I agree 💯!

Her wardrobe selection included lace teddies, camo undies, plaid sets, and corsets along with our Dream Boudoir Photography signature angel wings!

What started as an idea to create an album to her husband for their 20th wedding anniversary gift, ended up with side-effects of self-love and boosted confidence.

Thank you, Dreamgirl, for your story and your radiant presence 🙏

SCROLL BELOW TO WATCH LORA’S VIDEO ABOUT HER SESSION EXPERIENCE!

Women Who Travel Make the Best Girlfriends

Traveling is not about collecting stamps in a passport or doing it only for the Instagram fashion fad. At its core, traveling the world is all about gaining insight, unique perspectives, and discovering who you really are. Women who have traveled know this to be true in their hearts, and that’s just one of the many reasons why they make the best partners, spouses, and girlfriends.

Here are some of the reasons why no one can resist dating a well-traveled woman:

She’s always thankful for everything she has:

Travelling makes your humble. When you see that there are people living in extremely difficult conditions, it makes you truly appreciate what you have. From running water to three meals a day, a women who travel are the women who are grateful for all the little things in life.

She will turn everything into an adventure:

Tourist attractions and cliché routes, she’s done it all. But real wanderers know that the most beautiful experiences aren’t the jam-packed tourist traps, but things like the random conversations you strike up with the locals at a market or picking up foreign foods from the hole-in-the-wall mom & pop shops. Those are the lessons that teach a woman that anything can be an adventure with the right attitude.

Her Stories will keep you fascinated:

Something deeper than keeping up with the celebrities or gossip, a well-travelled girl never needs to blabber on about nothing or make meaningless small talk. She’ll always have lots of real wisdom, stories, and insight to share.

She will always appreciate beauty in all its forms:

Traveling lightly is the mark of a good traveller! Knowing exactly how much makeup and clothing options she needs and what to leave behind makes her embrace her and others’ natural beauty.

She’s always in a great mental state:

Traveling is exhausting. To say nothing about dragging suitcases across airports and up stairs to walking around town to trying out surfing and scuba diving, AND warding off any uneasy situations, it takes a tough girl to make it as a traveler. You can be certain she’s sharp both mentally and physically.

She knows what she likes:

Seeing different cultures and exploring different ways of approaching life, from foreign foods to foreign philosophies, an explorer girlfriend has seen it all; she knows what she wants. This confidence helps women forge strong, health relationships.

She gets the most out of life:

Travel is expensive, and that means she’s figured out how to make it happen! A girl who travels is, by necessity, a financially savvy girl who knows how to prioritize her unique experiences and make her life work for her!

She appreciates the simple things in life:

Sunsets. Clear skies. Breeze waves. Mountain hike view. The sand beneath her feet. A woman who prioritizes travel, you can be sure that she’s not stuck-up; she knows how to appreciate the truely finer things in life.

She knows how to be comfortable in unchartered territories:

Whether it’s being in a country where she doesn’t speak the language or trying local delicacies she has never heard of to making friends with strangers, she has the confidence to be sure of herself in the most uncomfortable situations.

She knows that she has a lot to learn:

The more you see, the more you learn, and the more you realize how much is out there that you don’t know. That humility is a great quality to have in a partner.

She understands the meaning of friendship:

It is likely that she has travelled in groups more than once in her life. This shows that she understands how important it is to dedicate time and energy in to creating friendships and interpersonal relationships. This is an important quality in a partner because you want them to be your best friend before anything else.

How about a Girls' Trip to SANTORINI ISLAND?

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR SANTORINI GIRLS TRIP


If you are a woman who loves travelling, we have taken away all the planning off your hands! All you need to do is grab your tickets, pack your bags, hop on the plane, and meet us in SANTORINI!

Yup, you read it right.

This September, all my Dream Boudoir girls are off to Santorini, Greece for a luxury GLAM VACATION like no other! Check out the details here and let’s enjoy the very best of what the Island has to offer us!

Vintage Pinup or Classic Boudoir Photography – What’s Your Flavour?

You have heard your girlfriends talking about doing a boudoir shoot but you don’t really understand what that means?

Or have you read about pinup shoots but didn’t know what that meant either? Well I’ll tell you one thing that they both are: EMPOWERING!!

 

Both boudoir and pinup photography focus on YOU and provide an incredible opportunity to release your inner goddess which is unique, gorgeous, sexy, and confident. This allows you to cherish these images as unique works of art, showing you the powerful femininity that’s jam-packed inside you.

When you think boudoir, imagine larger-than-life angel wings, Victoria’s Secret inspired hair, radiant skin with highlights on fleek, smoky and sexy eyes — and you. Lying on a chaise lounge, adorned in pearls and black lace. There’s a Christian Grey’s playlist playing in the background and you’re wearing your plumpest lipstick.

This session is for you if you are all about exploring and embracing the sexual power and ready to reclaim all your battle scars and turn them in to memorabilia of your achievements. If you are ready to show your good-girl-gone-bad side in contemporary MAGAZINE STYLE ARTWORK, Classic Boudoir is your calling.

Now imagine yourself with hair rolled up, nude garters peeking through, and a polka dot dress hugging your killer curves. You have a sexy pair of pumps on, wearing the biggest smile on your face or maybe even a grin – this session is for you if you like to flaunt your flirty and fun side, with a touch of innocence. If you are all about playing the FANTASY ART of the era gone by, pinup is your calling.

 

Little History of Women in Pinup Poster Art

Pinup photography originated in the 40’s and has since become a movement of positivity and freedom for women since Marilyn Monroe days. The pinup era is typically considered to be between the 1940-1960’s. These pictures were gorgeous and brimming with a retro energy filled with facial expressions that told a story, or hid a secret, or were just downright playful. Always dramatic and theatrical. Think a look of surprise or a come-hither smile.

The point of pinup photography at our Dream Boudoir Toronto Studio is to have a flirty, playful feel with the hint of teasing and focus on striking features of a woman. Pinup goes above and beyond with the extravagant makeup. Think Dita Von Tease: sexy, flawless skin with a defined red lip. We love sculpted cheekbones with layers of mascara and maybe even feathered, dark black lashes!

Vintage hairdos are an essential part of this the glam look: Volume and rolls, luscious curls and bouncy hair – maybe even a head scarf tied in a bow.

Typically, when clients ask for a pinup shoot, they are looking for fun, retro vibe. These shoots are definitely era specific – many choose to go with outfits that exhibit stories over the eras like a vintage low-cut frilly dress or a red corset with black panties and sexy high heels. Wardrobe can further include: swing dresses, one-piece bathing suits, wiggle dresses or rolled up jeans and a tank and plaids with a bandana.

Pin up encourages you to light-heartedly explore your femininity and follow in the footsteps of icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Betty Page.

What is a Boudoir photoshoot?

Both boudoir and pin up allow you to fall in love with yourself and your inherent beauty.
They may seem similar but there are comparable differences between the two, especially when it comes to the photography aspect. While pin up is more playful and flirtier, boudoir is bold, serious, relatable, and powerful. Boudoir is smoky, intimate and focuses on sensuality with more of a physical reveal. Boudoir photoshoots invite you into the bedroom, it’s great for a more sensual and intimate display of your beauty and definitely comes across as sexy.

Boudoir makeup is also very different than our Toronto pinup photography sessions, in that its more contemporary glam. Think dramatic, wispy lashes covering smoky bronze eyelids, along with a glossy nude pout and voluminous curls. Many clients love a pop of color on the lips and either go with a deep magenta or a bright, red lip.

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We like to keep the eyes and skin fresh, sexy and radiant as to not take away any attention from your physical beauty that we want to showcase in our Toronto and Vancouver Dream Boudoir Photography Sessions. The focus of boudoir shoots is your sex-bomb self at the centre and not so much colorful elements as you can see in pinup photoshoots.

 

While Pinup Is…

A sharp winged liner, sculpted cheekbones, and a pouty red lip, and curled up hair. A fun and flirty pinup image could cover your living room or bathrooms as pop artwork whereas your boudoir pictures are magazine-style art creations fit for your bedroom, above your bed, or in the walk in closet.

These pinup sessions are highly stylized, meaning they are meant to project digital artistic interpretations with suspension of belief required to enjoy the final products. Our Toronto Pinup photography images are standalone works of art presented in collections of no smaller than 8×12 ready-to-frame matted & mounted wall prints while with boudoir, you have a choice of our luxury albums as well because these images tell a story.

Our luxury boudoir images are intimate and sensual while our vintage pinup photography sessions scream “check me out!”

 

Our pinup photography sessions in Toronto are also different when it comes to posing and styling. The poses are exaggerated, theatrical, and almost unrealistic — this is intentional to create the world of fantasy where women can celebrate their whole beings on their own terms.

Both boudoir and pin up are great ways to celebrate your body and sexiness while also having an incredibly fun, unique and exciting photoshoot experience in our all-female Toronto pinup photography & boudoir studio. With up to 20 boudoir and 6 pinup shoots every month, we’ve seen women embrace both their pinup girl and edgy boudoir side with us. For regardless of the medium of expression the focus really is on YOU taking control of your narrative and how you want to preserve the best of yourself.

 

Why?

Because everyone woman deserves photos of herself that empower her and remind her that she’s got it all! You deserve the time to be pampered and to have the camera focused on you and nothing but you. Regardless of how you choose to capture your sexy and fun goddess who lives within you – these images are memories preserved in museum quality artwork and they will be yours to cherish for a long, long time.

Confessions of a Boudoir Photographer: What Women Really Want

As Toronto’s #1 boudoir photographer, my studio is always packed and I am booked back to back weeks to months in advance. This means, I interact with a huge number of women every single day. From phone conversations to photographing them, there is so much insight I have gained in to the psychology of different women that I think now is the time to pen down some of them. One day, maybe, I will write a book about it, too! But until then, read on to see my take on what women really want.

(Disclaimer: Names/location/demographics may have been changed to protect the identity of individuals. Portfolio images in this article were all taken at Dream Boudoir Photography but do not necessarily represent the subject of the following stories and observations.)

 

 

APPRECIATION

A mom of four walked in to my studio and we were in the middle of her shoot when she stopped me to give me a big hug to tell me how appreciated she was feeling. In her 25 years of on-going loveless marriage, she was beginning to feel that nothing she did was enough. That she was expected to work, expected to raise kids, expected to be a good wife, daughter, mother — but she wasn’t told playing all these roles how monumental of a task she had undertaken and was fulfilling at least since she was a young 21 year old East Asian bride. She stopped dressing up and trying to look good because she felt no one noticed because she had “lost it.”

It was only after her kids were grown and she started taking out more time for herself and doing the things she loved that she felt that it wasn’t her but the situation and the people she was constantly surrounded by. She decided to leave her long-term job and started a new career where she instantly became successful because she was no longer in the company of people who had little to no passion outside of work. She convinced her husband to downsize and moved to a more hip and busy location so she could keep herself occupied. Although the marriage still stayed in place because she wasn’t looking for a new romantic adventure, when she received appreciation from her larger circle and from myself and my crew in the studio, she knew she was ready to accept the goodness and the greatness others were seeing in her and started to believe in the power of who she was as a direct result of being appreciated for being her best and doing her best.

 

ACCEPTANCE

Among reassuring women of all sizes — from smallest to fullest, there is so much more women feel they can’t share because they will be judged. Because of my line of work, I am often contracted by women in adult industry to photograph them for their online presence. My style of work is classy, sensual, and timelessly beautiful so this fits in perfectly with the kind of clientele they want to attract. My boudoir studios in Toronto and Vancouver are judgement-free zones so they always feel warm, welcome, and comfortable during their shoots.

There was also this time when this woman came to celebrate her new corporate job and being back to work after having her first baby at 36. She was very forthcoming telling me how she is in an open relationship in her marriage and has an adventurous sex life which keeps her fulfilled so she can devote her essence to her family and those who matter the most. We proceeded to take a collection of several different images that were catered to the taste of different partners in her life so she can share it with them. Needless to say, it was a great collection of images we created that day!

 

SECURITY

This one time I was speaking to a courageous woman on the phone about the reason she wanted to book a session with me — she broke down telling me how she was in love with a man overseas and when she visited him, she was subjected to serious sexual assault. At the time she was in shock and pain but upon her return to Canada, she started writing about her experience and uplifting other women.

We have seen all about the #MeToo movement where women are now feeling empowered enough to speak against the culture of violence we have been subjected to. Women want to feel free and secure from emotional, physical, sexual, and passive forms of violence. This need to feel secure and safe is one of the biggest reasons why I have a female-only staff because this encourages the women who come to me to feel empowered as opposed to keep anticipating the worst and constantly looking over our shoulders.

 

CHANGE

Doctors and nurses in scrubs, police officers and flight attendants i uniforms, mothers stuck in a rut, corporate leaders constantly in and out of high stake meetings with pristine appearances, women in their late 50s looking to do something more than RRSP management — you name it. I have seen it all. The one thing all of these women have in common is that they are looking for a change: The ones who get no time or reason to glam up want me to turn them from natural beauties to knockout bombshells. The ones who need to present themselves in high heels and tailored suits want to throw on a sexy-T and booty shorts and have me take beautiful photos of them being the causally slaying queens that they are. Moms who are consumed by the plethora of responsibilities just want to take a day out for themselves to recharge and remind themselves that they are more than just mothers. Police officers putting their lives on the line and dealing with tough nuts want to put on those high heels and show that they know more than one way to kill ;).

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A nice change is good and healthy. When they see their beautiful boudoir and portrait images in my Toronto studio or Vancouver location, they sometimes cannot believe that they’re looking at the same woman they stare at every morning.

 

FRIENDSHIP & ADVENTURE

When I first opened registration for Dream Boudoir’s glamour photoshoot and vacation trip to Santorini, Greece, the fact that half the slots were sold out within the first half hour confirmed for me how important it is to have female kinship and friendships. Some of these women are my past clients who trusted me with their vision and have become my good friends since! I can see similar patterns when someone posts about their life experiences in my VIP facebook group for women — these women come together to see how they resonate with each other and start up conversations, sometimes as intimate as sexual habits(!) as if they have known each other forever.
While I other can’t stand the hippie connotation of the word “tribe,” these women definitely are looking for one and have found something simple as the love for beautiful portraits bringing them together. Be it going to our glam trip to Santorini or commissioning a boudoir glam party with all their girlfriends — so many ways to feel the power of a feminine collective!

FREEDOM

Freedom to change our minds. Freedom to live our lives as we please. Freedom to wear what we want and be who we want to be. Freedom to think for ourselves. Freedom to live for ourselves. Freedom to explore our dreams. Freedom to catch a break.
Freedom to be true to ourselves.
This may sound cliché, but in my career, I have at least twice photographed women who were married off as child brides, at the age of 15 and 16, respectively. At 46, one of them had a 25 year old daughter. She never got the chance to explore who she was when she became a mother and had a tough life. Only now she is beginning to take life in her own hands and become the woman she always dreamed of being.

Toronto Boudoir Photography by Dream Boudoir Vancouver | Female Photographer Alishba | Mature, sexy, glamour, beautiful, elegant, Boudoir, escort, women,

This feeling of liberation is something women fiercely want in my personal experience and I know this is true for all women.

 

TRUST

I recently did a shoot where the entire theme was leather and latex wardrobe. No laces, no frills, no two-piece sets — strictly rocker chic session. I did another shoot where the theme was vintage retro pinup: Pin curls, coke bottles, polka dot dresses, the works. And then there are those who leave it all up to me to guide them through the motions and show them everything I can do and then they choose what calls out their name. This entire group wants their word and their wishes to be trusted. Not someone telling them what they should want but LISTEN to them and help bring THEIR vision to life.

Again, only recently we have started creating a culture in the world where a woman’s voice matters. But at my boudoir photography studio, this has always been the case and this is what I became convinced of as the right thing to do throughout the years.

Recent from the studio

All images are used with the permission of our beautiful clients. We are committed to protecting your privacy.

 

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