Having a photography career suits Tammy fine. Over the years she's been able to work full or part-time depending on the other obligations in her life, like raising four children. She has been full time for the last two years, doing several hundred boudoir sessions a year in Southern California.
Over the years Tammy, who is also plus size, has developed a personal arsenal for capturing different body types in the best lighting. While personality and mannerisms play a role in a beautiful photograph, she gets her best inspiration from watching the client move, talk and of course laugh. Tammy believes every woman is sexy and she works on bringing that through to the customer's final product.If you are not familiar with boudoir photographs they are artistically sensual images that highlight the model's positive traits. They usually involve showing a bit of skin but each image is dependent on the model's comfort level. When I asked Tammy why she decided to enter into the world of boudoir photography she had both a professional and a personal reply:
"The simple answer... because every woman should have the opportunity to see how beautiful she is. The long answer... I photographed my first session when I was twenty-one years old with two other photographers. It was fun but the real treat was the feeling of empowerment we had with the gorgeous photos from our session. I continued doing a few boudoir sessions a year along with weddings and portraits but it was a boudoir session of my own with a great photographer in my early thirties that really flipped a switch in me to specialize in boudoir photography. As I like to say I'm not a petite flower myself but when I saw the photos from that session I just cried and couldn't stop. For the first time in my life I felt beautiful and empowered. My goal is to help other women to experience that feeling too and I think having been on both sides of the camera has helped me to be sensitive and observant when photographing my clients. I still have photos from both of my sessions and look at them frequently to remind me exactly why I do boudoir photography. Boudoir sessions are great gifts for your significant other but I think it's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself."Tammy has had a number of photographers that inspire her but one that stands out the most in her mind is her friend and colleague from New York, Ulysses Ashton and his wife Jenni. Tammy feels he's one of the few photographers out there that "believes every woman is beautiful and should have images to showcase their beauty" and his work proves it. This is a philosophy Tammy also carries.
For photographers interested in a career in boudoir photography she urges them not to be clouded by the lure of money but to keep their focus on the subject, the woman, and taking the best image. "Good images will go a long way to empowering your client and showing her how beautiful she is but bad images can have a devastating effect on a woman's self esteem."
Looking through Tammy's gallery images it's obvious she gives each model special attention (check out her blog for the latest images). They looked so relaxed in her presence. Every image is captivating and it has nothing to do with society's fluctuating standard of beauty. Their radiance is definitely coming through. I only wish Tammy lived closer!
Visit True Blue Intimates to see Tammy Warnock's gallery of images and her blog for project updates.
