by Irvine Boudoir Photographer Jason Sebastian
"The church as a whole doesn't teach on sex very openly. I hope to use my time, talent, and treasure to encourage open conversations, increase self-love in those I work with, and help increase intimacy and joy in marriages."
Announcement 2023-08-22
Over the past several months, I have been receiving business counsel to help align our photography business with our faith and values. Moving forward, I have grown in my faith to understand that in order to preserve the sanctity, holiness, and privacy of the marriage bed, I will no longer be offering boudoir photography services for everyday women, wives, and mothers. Instead, the best way to continue with our mission to reignite the fire of love in marriages is to empower husbands to capture their wives themselves!
Learn more about it here
Every day I do my best to show Christ-likeness and His love to everyone I interact with. The Bible says that we as Christ followers will be known by how we love one another (John 13:35) and at times when I an open about my life journey and testimony, I have sometimes received strange responses when I share that I've pursued a career in boudoir photography.
They are usually responses of what I'd call mild encouragement, such as "that's cool", or uneasiness about what it is I actually do. Sometimes I see a desire to ask more, but am met with hesitation on what type of questions to even ask me about my work. And that's totally fine! And that's why I've written this post to explain my WHY, as Simon Sinek would say.
Why I've chosen to spend my time photographing women, sometimes in lingerie, editing their images, and studying poses and following other prominent boudoir photographers whose accounts show women in what otherwise would be considered suggestive poses.
I've actually joined several boudoir photography communities, 2 of which are Christian Boudoir Photographer Communities whose members also hold my deep conviction and passion for boudoir photography and its transformative power. Over the past 5 years since writing this article, I sought Godly counsel on if my passion and vision is Biblically sound. The responses were overwhelmingly positive wherein, sex, in the proper context of God's covenant of marriage, is a beautiful gift that can and should be celebrated. Moreover, go to the Word about what is said about sexuality. In one Christian boudoir community, I came across an article another boudoir photographer posted who encountered similar questions and conversations that I had pertaining to why she entered the boudoir photography space. The advice she received was this:
"Go to the Scriptures and find the purpose in your pursuit."
This boudoir photographer believes in our work and had done her own processing through the Scriptures, but I was encouraged and challenged to do it for myself and to listen to how God spoke to me through His word, not just what He said to her.
Here are a list of verses I discovered:
Proverbs 5: 15-19 "Drink water from your own cistern and running water from your own well (don't cheat/commit adultery). Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer — may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love."
Genesis 1:27-28 "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
1 Corinthians 7:1-8 "...each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband."
Song of Solomon 2:16-17 "My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies. Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag on cleft mountains."
Song of Solomon 7:6-10 "How beautiful and pleasant you are, O loved one, with all your delights! Your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters. I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its fruit. Oh may your breasts be like clusters of the vine, and the scent of your breath like apples, and your mouth like the best wine. It goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding over lips and teeth. I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me.
These are just a handful of verses that I found in the Bible not only talking about sexuality, but CELEBRATING sex within marriage (and quite graphic, if I can be honest!). After lots of prayer and seeking Godly counsel, I was convinced without a doubt that I truly believed what I sought to create for women as well as for marriages was not only good.. but boudoir photography could also be holy and sacred.
Take a look at this verse:
"May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer — may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love."
Keeping this verse in mind, I envisioned the wonderful possibilities that a boudoir photography experience can unfold for a married couple. Imagine rekindling that fiery passion, fostering a deeper connection, and reigniting the flames of love – just to name a few. This is precisely the kind of extraordinary gift that I am thrilled to offer to couples, whether they're just starting their journey or have been on this incredible ride for years. I have offered a way for a husband and a wife to not just celebrate your marriage, but to bask in it, and to revel in the intoxicating love you share! To remember the gift of love and intimacy that God has blessed you with, and to hold and keep it sacred. Even during those times when the spark might seem a bit dim, my desire is to infuse your love story with new a new spark and gas to the flame, turning a dim ember into a smoldering breathtaking fire of love and passion! Your love story is unique, and I'm here to help you capture and enhance every incredible moment of it.
Let's take a look at this verse as well:
Song of Solomon 7:6-10 "How beautiful and pleasant you are, O loved one, with all your delights! Your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters. I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its fruit. Oh may your breasts be like clusters of the vine, and the scent of your breath like apples, and your mouth like the best wine. It goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding over lips and teeth. I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me.
This is taken from the Bible. Seriously. Have you read the Song of Solomon? I think it's an incredible depiction of a husband's desire for his wife! In a marriage, wouldn't a wife want her husband's desires to be for her? To fantasize (of course in healthy ways) about her? What better way to do that with a boudoir photography session?
Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
Through my diligent search through Scripture, this verse is the foundation of what I hope to get each client to understand: that in the Lord's eyes, each woman is an incredible, unique creation. Not for me to believe or know, but for each woman to see and believe in herself. I believe this is so important for everyday women, wives, and mothers to begin believing how incredible they are not just because their husbands say so, but because of who God says they are. Read more testimonials here about the work that we have accomplished with and for our clients.
Despite my reasons and purposes, I have come to understand that 1) as a Christian, 2) a male, and 3) boudoir photographer, getting several questions and misunderstandings are part of the business and territory. I hope this lends insight to my heart behind my pursuit of serving my community this way. Some questions that I've received can be found here in this article I wrote.
To me, a boudoir session allowed me to be more transparent and be confident in who I believe God has called me to be, and to share my testimony with others. I am also constantly in the process of learning to stand in who Christ has called me to be, and to leverage my time, talent, and treasure for growing His Kingdom. After all, aren't we supposed to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, and in that leveraging our resources and talents to bless those around us (Romans 12:1)? I wanted to give my wife Jen this gift of a boudoir photography experience (which is how it all began), but it turned out to be one of the best things she encouraged me to do for others, too.
My last point I wanted to make: at our church last Sunday, we listened to a guest pastor speak on how radical Jesus' teachings were. He wasn't a Jesus that wanted to conform to the world's ways. They were not only radical, but downright courageous and bold. When Jesus heard about how Herod Archelaus had killed 3000 people, or when Jesus heard that Herod Antipas imprisoned John the Baptizer, Jesus did not flee and run from them to be safe. Rather, those were exactly the places that Jesus went. I can't help but think that we are called to do the same: not to ask God to get me out of trouble, to keep my head down and not draw attention to myself.. but rather, to ask Him to send us to place that we are most uncomfortable, if it is aligned with God and His holy word. As Christians, we were not called to conform to the pattern and ways of this world (Romans 12:2). I know I am rattling a lot of cages for what I am doing, but I hope that if you had questions, you would be open to having discussions with me about why Jen and I have chosen to do this as well as a willingness to hear our perspective.
To courageously walk toward and into the difficult conversations about boudoir photography as a Christian male photographer.
To talk about the gift that God made for husband and wife (sex).
To welcome open discussions about Godly sexuality and how we can celebrate and honor it.
To take back what the devil has twisted through porn, shame, and sex addiction.
Having laid all that out, I do want to share that boudoir images can make the perfect gift, not only for newlyweds about to embark on a honeymoon, but also for couples who have been happily married for quite a while. It's incredibly heartwarming to receive messages via text, email, and Facebook from women sharing their newfound confidence after rediscovering their beauty to their partners – a spark of sexuality and joy that adds a whole new level of excitement to their marriage.
I'm always on the lookout for more wisdom, so if you spot something that needs tweaking, I'm all ears! Got questions about scheduling a session for yourself? I'd be absolutely thrilled to chat about that as well.
Please read this next article if you are interested in learning more about my perspective.
If you're ready to book a session, click this link here today and let's get started!
Source:
https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/proverbs-5/