Gregory James Photography

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LGBTQ and Boudoir

So for pride month, I had this big idea that I wanted to execute. I wanted to meet different members of the LGBTQ+ community and do a very personal portrait that would represent who they are and their experiences.

I wanted to get at least four people for this project but ended up only being able to sit with one person and learn their story.

So I got together with a model who I have been working with for just about five years now and learned that she identifies as bi-sexual. She wanted a portrait that would show her pride with her sexuality as well as display her desire for true acceptance. Most people who learn this about her try to push it off as just a phase she is going through, and she wants everyone to be accepting without dismissing her as just being in a phase.

The concept that we decided on for her portrait is one that stands on its own as awe-inspiring, and even a little retro looking but also ended up containing several points of symbolism for those knowing what they are looking at.

For starters, I knew that I wanted the model to be posing with her hands up to be reaching out for the "acceptance" that she is looking for.

The colors of the image also represent her bi-sexuality. The blue triangle is expressing affection towards men, and the pink triangle representing an affection towards women. The purple coloring of the model is the combination of the pink and blue, showcasing her attraction towards both men and women.

Now after doing some research on the symbolism behind the colors blue, pink and purple for bi-sexuality, I discovered that there was a flag created to represent bi-sexuality, and it was a pink and a blue triangle that intersected and formed a purple triangle, and after seeing that I knew that I wanted to incorporate those triangles into this portrait.

And as a bonus, I know that the model loves videogames just like me, so I added a tiny little video game reference into this portrait as well.

The first person who can correctly name the videogame that this portrait calls out will get a free photo session.

If you a member of the LGBTQ community and want to have your story told through a creative portrait like this one, let us know so we can talk about your story and set up your unique photo experience.