Boudoir, But Make It Fearless

From roller derby skates to motor homes, these portraits prove bravery is the boldest kind of beautiful.

Let me be honest right out of the gate: I’m not a writer. At least, that’s the story I’ve been telling myself for years. I’m a photographer — I tell stories with light, with shadows, with the way someone throws their head back when they laugh and forget a camera is even in the room. So when I was asked to write for MORE, my first reaction was: “Wait, me? With words? Surely you’ve got the wrong gal.”

But then I thought about the women I’ve photographed these past six years. They are the story. They’re the reason I pick up my camera again and again. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that when you’ve got women this fearless, you don’t need to be a “real” writer to tell it. You just need to share their fire.

Here’s the truth: boudoir photography isn’t just about lace and lipstick, or snapping sultry photos to send to a partner. (Although hey, that’s fun too.) It’s an act of rebellion. It’s a woman stepping into the spotlight on her own terms, flipping the script on what society tells her she “should” be — thinner, younger, perkier, quieter.

When these women step into my studio, they’re not just creating images. They’re rewriting their own stories. They’re planting a flag on the timeline of their lives and saying: This is who I am, right now, and she deserves to be seen.

And when they see those photos for the first time? Let me tell you, it’s like watching someone crack open a door and letting all the light in.

More than once, I’ve heard: “I can’t believe that’s me.”

And my favorite reply? “Of course it’s you. You’ve been here all along.”

By the time they leave with their custom album or wall art, it’s more than just pretty pictures. It’s an anthem. A visual love letter to their own resilience. Something they see every morning by the bathroom mirror or on the way out the door and think: Yeah, I’m a badass. Let’s go.

Let me introduce you to a few of these women.

Dawn: The Roller Derby Badass

Dawn was my very first Fearless subject for round two of this project. She was referred by an old roller derby teammate (so already, you know she’s got grit), and at 48, she decided it was time to see herself not just as a mom or an employee, but as herself.

During sessions, I like to put the camera down now and then and just chat. It’s a chance to breathe, connect, and sometimes, share the kind of stories that stick with you forever. Dawn opened up about surviving an abusive partner and how she worked her way toward healing.

To call her brave would be an understatement. She’ll be sharing that story at our next Fearless gala — and I know it will light the way for other women walking a similar road.

Oh, and because she’s Dawn, we had to get a few shots of her in her roller skates. Because sometimes, the most fearless thing you can do is roll forward anyway.

Working with Dawn reminded me that courage doesn’t always look loud. Sometimes it looks like simply showing up, strapping on your skates, and saying, I’m still here.

Krista: Fire in Human Form

If Dawn is grit, Krista is fire. The kind of fire that dances, demands to be seen, and makes you sit up straighter in your chair. She’s one of those people you can’t say “no” to — like when she texts you to meet at George’s for lunch, you just go.

What I’ve learned from Krista is this: boundaries are sacred. Even when your voice shakes, even when people don’t like it, even when it costs you something. She knows that firsthand. She’s walked through the darkest valleys, even to the point of almost not wanting to live. But her radical self-acceptance pulled her through.

Now she’s a licensed therapist and the powerhouse behind Emozen, where she helps others match their nervous systems with their ecosystems (how amazing is that?). Krista is living proof that setting yourself on fire to keep others warm is not the answer — but letting your fire guide you toward healing? That’s where the magic is.

Every time I look at her portraits, I think: This is what it looks like when someone decides they are enough.

Lessa: The One Who Kept Driving

Lessa rolled into my studio — literally — from Wisconsin. A traveling nurse with the kind of energy that fills a room, she was nervous at first. Totally normal. So my hair and makeup artist, Abby, and I did what we always do: José González on the speakers, softer voices, calm energy. Our goal is simple — we create a safe space.

In the chair, Lessa shared how she divorced, bought a motorhome, and decided to figure life out on her own terms. Cue the girl-power soundtrack. But it wasn’t all smooth highways — there was one epic battle with a tow rig that tested her patience. She told us how she crashed her car while reversing and thought: The old me would’ve given up right here.

But she didn’t. She patched it up, tinkered until she figured it out, and got back on the road. That’s Lessa in a nutshell: fearlessness isn’t the absence of fear — it’s doing the scary thing anyway, even when the road gets bumpy.

Her daughters now have a front-row seat to her courage, and her photos are a visual reminder: you can do anything. It may not be easy, but it will be worth it.

Working with Lessa reminded me that sometimes bravery looks like a tow rig, duct tape, and sheer stubbornness.

Why Age Matters

There’s another thread I’ve noticed in these women that come to me for their session: age.

I turned 40 recently, and I find myself craving the company of women with deep, juicy life experiences. Women who’ve lived through storms and come out the other side with silver hair and unapologetic laughter. Women who wear their age like a crown instead of trying to cover it up.

So many of my clients are in that midlife-to-beyond stage, and let me tell you — they are magnetic. Their portraits radiate wisdom, sensuality, and confidence that you just don’t fake at 22. Fearless isn’t about erasing lines or pretending to be younger. It’s about stepping into who you are, right now, and letting it shine.

When I photograph women in their 40s, 50s, or 60s, there’s a different kind of spark. They’re not doing this to please anyone else. They’re not waiting for permission. They’re here to honor themselves, exactly as they are. That energy? It’s contagious.

And as a woman stepping into that same life stage myself, I want more of that. I want more women who laugh loudly, love fiercely, and wear their silver streaks as proof of every chapter they’ve lived.

The Bigger Picture

Every time I hold a camera, I’m reminded: this work isn’t really about me. It’s about women like Dawn, Krista, and Lessa who show up willing to be vulnerable, brave, and a little rebellious.

It’s about helping women create art from their own skin, to look at their own reflection and finally — maybe for the first time in years — see what the rest of us see: someone stunning, strong, and deeply alive. It’s about redefining beauty in a world that keeps trying to shrink us. It’s about saying: we’re not too old, too wrinkled, too curvy, too loud, or too much. We are exactly enough.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s about proving myself wrong. Because maybe I am a writer, after all. Not because I have the perfect words, but because these women gave me the kind of stories that beg to be told.

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Written & Photographed by Bethany Quinn