A New Lens on Life: The Boudoir Effect

You never know how things might change when you stay open to life. That’s what happened to Jessica Bailon of JBailon Photography.

Juggling school with a 90-hour workweek during the height of COVID left Jessica, a medical assistant at the time, feeling burned out and disconnected from the passion she once felt for helping people. Then, one day, a coworker showed her photos from a recent boudoir photoshoot. At the time, Jessica wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking at. She had never heard of boudoir photography, but she loved what she saw.

It helped that picking up a camera was already second nature to her. Jessica had been playing with a camera since she was nine years old. But using it to empower women to embrace their femininity through sensual posing and emotive intention would open the door to an entirely new chapter.

Fast-forward to Jessica’s first boudoir photoshoot, and she was hooked.

“The confidence and light radiating from the girl’s eyes totally transformed me. It brought me out of my negative mental state and changed my mindset,” Jessica recalls.

More than that, the experience gave Jessica enough evidence to take a leap of faith: she quit her job in the medical field and embarked on a new endeavor that felt both empowering and altruistic.

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Jessica dove deep. She learned everything she could about boudoir photography, eventually focusing specifically on emotive photography. Her approach teaches clients how to connect with their emotions and draw them to the surface so they can be captured through the lens.

Her decision to take a leap of faith into photography, however, did not come without vulnerability, fear, and an extra dose of trust—especially since Jessica had always believed she was going to become a doctor.

“It was nerve-wracking,” she recalls.

Today, Jessica has built a successful photography business specializing in boudoir, couples, and fantasy photography. And as her business has evolved, so have her challenges.

“I’m a bit of a workaholic, so I struggle with balance,” she admits.

To combat burnout, she suggests doing something completely unrelated to work.

“I went out and played volleyball for two hours.”

She also recognizes how the things we encounter outside our usual routines can influence our creative work in unexpected ways.

“I draw so much inspiration just from watching dancers at The Storyteller’s Collective. It’s the way they move, their confidence... I’d like to send all my clients to those [heels] classes if I could.”

When preparing for a photoshoot, Jessica wants her clients to arrive relaxed and grounded. A good book, walks in nature, and lavender baths can all do wonders in the days leading up to a shoot.

“Basically, I try to get my clients to relax as much as possible, and I do the same.”

She also warns them not to try anything new right before their session.

“For example, don’t go on a four-mile hike before the shoot if you’ve never hiked before.”

Once the actual session begins, Jessica hopes her clients will trust her vision. At the same time, she acknowledges the importance of letting go.

“Making art is like air—you’ve got to let it flow. We can set an intention and have a vision, but we need to also be flexible and move in the direction it wants to flow.”

As someone who has studied emotive photography, Jessica understands the power of evoking emotion—and, especially, the movement of emotion. Our feelings can change not only from day to day, but from moment to moment. What we think we want before a shoot may look completely different once we arrive, as the session unfolds, or even by the time it ends.

“It’s important to listen to how we’re feeling and go with the emotion,” she says.

We cannot put a straitjacket on ourselves—or our creativity.

So, what’s influencing Jessica now?

She wants to reclaim her power, embrace her femininity, and not be afraid of being herself.

“In 2020, I felt like I lost my power. That’s what brought me to boudoir in the first place. I want to help bring other women there, too.”

For Jessica, taking a leap of faith, establishing her studio, and getting involved with other creative spaces like The Storyteller’s Collective has become part of that journey—a place where she can be inspired, connect with others, and remember the power of making art together.

“We need this. Especially in our current climate. We need to be creating art, uplifting one another, and not competing.”