Confidence From the Outside In with Rockland’s Neighborhood Hype Girl

Since high school, Brittany Makinen’s true love has been photography. After ten years spent working as a preschool teacher and doing family portraits after school and on the weekends, Makinen made the leap and committed to full time photography.

Makinen continued doing family portraits, adding in newborn and maternity photography to her rotation. When her sister came to her with the idea of doing a boudoir inspired shoot for her own maternity shoot, Makinen lit up. “She showed me some of these inspo pics she had and I was like, this is really cool. I’m all for it – let’s go.” 

After the session Makinen witnessed a shift take place in the way her sister viewed her changing body. “This was her way of capturing her body and what it was capable of doing, and being so proud of creating this new life,” remembered Makinen. This confidence transformation sealed the deal for Makinen, as she realized that  “Every woman needs to feel this way about their body, no matter what stage they’re in.” It fulfilled a part of her, both artistically and as a woman. 

The literal definition of boudoir is “a woman’s dressing room, bedroom, or private sitting room.” In recent years, the boudoir style of photography has become increasingly popular and is typically exemplified by suggestive posing and clothing selections. “I think a lot of people think boudoir is just sexy pictures and that they have to have a significant other to do them,” explained Makinen, “…but a lot of my clients are just women that want to feel good about themselves again.”. Makinen has worked with breast cancer survivors, women with multiple sclerosis, single mothers, single grandmothers – anyone who wants to feel “like a badass queen!” says Makinen. While many women do gift their photos to their significant others, Makinen sees the photography sessions as gifts to the clients as much as they are gifts for their partners. 

Makinen chooses to show snapshots to her clients during the shoot, a somewhat unusual choice for photographers. For her, showing her clients the raw, unedited footage from filming provides them with a different perspective on themselves in the moment. She calls her client’s reaction the “aha moment”.  “There’s so many women that will leave their session and just say ‘Oh my god, I have not felt like this in the longest time and I never thought I would be able to feel this way again about myself.” Showing the clients the shots also helps to ease any client nerves surrounding this intimate form of photography. 

Part of what makes Makinen’s photo sessions so deluxe is her dedication to managing every detail for her clients.

Makinen’s deluxe experience begins before clients even meet her in person. A detailed questionnaire is sent out to clients ensuring the Makinen has all the information she needs to make the day perfectly tailored to the individual. “The most important thing for me is that my clients feel safe and they feel comfortable. And if I can provide that, then that’s the biggest compliment,” shared Makinen. 

When clients arrive at the New City studio, Makinen has a full glam team that pampers and primps with professional hair and makeup. Her client closet is packed with lingerie, veils, tank tops and her most recent additions; a collection of Christian Louboutin high heels. She emphasizes that clients don’t have to pick what might be considered a “typical” boudoir outfit. Jeans and tank tops are frequent favorites at her studio, and Makinen is a firm believer in clients selecting outfits that make them feel most confident. 

With her expertise in photography Makinen is able to guide her clients throughout the session, fixing every strand of hair and analyzing every shadow to achieve the perfection she strives for in her shots. She self describes her sessions as classy, timeless and beautiful, elements that shine through in the public portfolio listed on her website brittanymakinenboudoir.com

Makinen says that the biggest barrier for women booking a boudoir session is the misconception that they have to be confident before a session. “Totally false,” says Makinen. “You don’t eat a ton before you go out for dinner. You go hungry and you leave full. It’s the same thing with this experience. Come hungry for confidence. Come hungry for wanting to see yourself in a different light. Come hungry for wanting to be proud of your body and celebrating your body, and then you’ll leave full.”