She Hates Birthdays. We Celebrated Her Anyway.
Not everyone loves their birthday. This client definitely doesn’t.
But when you’re turning 68, you’re a total badass, you’re covered in tattoos, and you’re willing to sit in front of my camera drinking scotch and smoking a cigar… I’m sorry, we’re celebrating you.
A different kind of birthday boudoir shoot
There was nothing particularly traditional about this photo shoot and that’s exactly why I loved it. We kept some of the looks beautifully simple. Black lingerie. A black dress. Nothing overly styled or trying to make her into somebody she isn’t. Then came the scotch and cigar.
Those photographs have this dark, cinematic quality that feels incredibly strong and sexy without trying too hard. Because at 68, she doesn’t need to prove anything.
She just gets to be fucking cool.
Boudoir doesn’t have an age limit
I photograph women at so many different stages of their lives, and I wish more women knew that boudoir photography isn’t something you age out of.
You don’t need to do it at 25.
You don’t need to have a particular body.
And you definitely don’t need to look like the women you traditionally see in lingerie advertisements.
Some of the most interesting women I photograph have lived a whole lot of life before they ever step in front of my camera. The wrinkles, tattoos, stories, attitude and everything else that comes with that aren’t things we need to hide. They’re part of the photograph.
You don’t have to love birthdays to celebrate yourself
Maybe birthdays aren’t your thing. That’s okay.
But I still believe there’s something pretty special about stopping once in a while and documenting exactly who you are right now.
Not who you were 20 years ago. Not the version of yourself you think you’re supposed to become. You. Today.
At 68, drinking scotch, smoking a cigar, wearing black lingerie and giving absolutely zero fucks.
That seems pretty worthy of celebrating to me.
At COCO HAUS, our Montreal boudoir and portrait sessions aren’t about fitting into someone else’s idea of sexy. They’re about creating photographs that actually feel like the person standing in front of our camera.
And sometimes that person just happens to be a badass who hates birthdays.
