Boudoir in the Desert: Planning a Joshua Tree Photoshoot That Feels Like You | San Diego Boudoir Photographer

Some sessions feel less like work and more like ceremony.
This was one of them.

My client Alexis invited me to the desert for her session — a quiet, sun-drenched Airbnb tucked away near Joshua Tree, where the light dances across the floors like it's trying to say something. She had rented the space specifically for this — a space to strip away distraction, noise, and the weight of everyday life. A space to remember her body as a place of power, softness, and self-trust.

And I had the honor of witnessing it all through my lens.

I had just walked away from my studio on South Coast highway a month prior, so this session in Joshua Tree was more impactful than it might have been had I still had my studio. I made the choice to move back into my home studio and make a shift in shooting outdoors and on location more.

Like all sessions, we didn’t need a fancy studio.
Just light, intention, and space to move.

The Airbnb she chose was simple and grounding — concrete floors, big windows, sunlight pooling across the room. It was the perfect place for this kind of work… the kind that doesn’t ask you to pose or perform, but invites you to simply exist as you are.

That’s what boudoir means to me: being seen without needing to be anything but yourself.

We took our time — let the light shift around us, followed shadows across the room, and let her body move however it wanted. I shot film + digital which was also new and exciting for me.

There’s something about being in the desert that softens you and strengthens you at the same time. Joshua Tree holds this strange and sacred energy — wild, ancient, open. It’s as if the land itself gives you permission to take up space. To be quiet. To be bold. To be real.

Every time I photograph someone out here, I can feel them melting into themselves. Letting go.
here’s no one watching. No one expecting. Just you, the wind, the light, and the steady rhythm of your breath.

Truthfully? I love traveling for boudoir. This month I am headed to Lake Tahoe.

I’ve shot in forests and beach cabins and little motels and Airbnb bedrooms that felt like they held secrets. But something about the desert — this desert — always calls me back.

If you’ve ever thought about planning a destination boudoir session, I’m all in. It doesn’t have to look a certain way. You don’t need to be “ready” or “perfect” or “brave.” You just need to want to feel connected — to yourself, to the earth, to your body.

Let’s find somewhere quiet and full of light.
et’s make space for you to be seen.

The images from this session mean a lot to me. They feel soft and grounded and completely human. There’s power here — not the loud kind, but the kind that comes from knowing yourself deeply. From showing up without needing to hide.

That’s what I want all of my sessions to feel like.

Whether it’s in Joshua Tree, in your own home, or anywhere you feel most yourself — I’ll meet you there.