Why I am a Boudoir Photographer

My name is Shannon Conner, and I am the owner of LaFleur Boudoir. It is my mission to help each woman I meet to realize in the deepest places of her heart how precious, valuable, and beautiful she is both on the inside and outside. If you are anything like me, you might have a hard time feeling beautiful from day to day. Between work and family and stress and expectations and obligations, I often find myself simply going in circles day after day without being able to find peace and feel like my true self. I know so many women who live in that same cycle, and when you are, it's easy to feel stuck...to lose sight of who you are once the work is done or the kids are asleep. It's hard to remember how to feel like a woman.

I know the negative self-image that haunts most of us. We will never be good enough. We will never be pretty enough. We will never live up to the expectations that society places on us. But, when we take a step back and look at ourselves the way that others in our lives see us, we can begin to recognize that we are exactly the person that we are meant to be. That we are perfect in our imperfections.

My goal is to show you the beauty that you might be missing. I want you to walk again seeing what others see in you. I want to pull out those amazing parts of your heart that you are afraid to show. There is a daring, sensual, captivating woman in you, and I want to help that woman live boldly.

About Me

You know that line in Notting Hill (one of our favorite movies) where Julia Robert's character says to Hugh Grant, “I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” That kills me! She is being utterly vulnerable and confessing, what I know I certainly feel, that even though I wear many titles – mom, wife, business owner, friend, daughter, sister – I am just a girl inside. And this girl loves her family, cups of hot tea, fresh flowers, Kate Spade, designer jeans, pretty dresses, Cinnabon, ballet, makeup, Target, Harry Potter, and a dozen other things! I'm a romantic, emotional, girly girl, and that's me.

I started photographing boudoir, along with my amazing husband Joel, after I had a boudoir session of my own. This was before we had our kids; we have two awesome children, Edmund and Elanor. I loved it SO much that I wanted all our brides (we also do wedding photography) and friends to have that same life-changing experience. I still like to get in front of the camera not just behind it, so I've had Joel photograph me several times since that first session – even once while I was pregnant with our daughter. So I understand what it's like to be a bit nervous and feel that self-conscious “my body is all out there” feeling! We want to put you at ease and let you know that's perfectly normal, and you're going to love the end result. I'd love to talk with you more, allay your fears and find out who you are, so we can create beautiful photographs of you too!

Do you want to see the rest of our photography work? Check out our long-time St Louis wedding photography business Conner Photography and our amazing new wedding photography business Shadow & Light Photo and Cinema.