"Hello, beautiful!"

My honey says that to me every time he answers the phone when I call him, every time I pick up the phone when he calls me, and every time he greets me when I come back home; and I have to admit, it makes me feel like a million bucks every time. Every single time.

Now, I'm a smart, independent woman. I'm Stanford-educated and brainy enough to know that that's not the only reason he loves me.

He loves me because I'm awesome for all of the other reasons; but I'm also girly enough to let it make me giddy all the same, whenever he says that to me. And I bet you are, too, ladies.

Men joke all the time that they don't know what women want. Even Sigmund Freud couldn't figure it out, despite all his explorations into the human psyche and the subconscious facets of the ego. Granted, he focused more of his life's work on the male psyche; but he was a dude himself, so we'll forgive him for that.

Well, I can tell you what women want, and I'm not as credentialed or as quoted as Freud, but nevertheless it's very true. So, listen up guys:

Women want to feel beautiful.

This is why we will drop loads of hard-earned cash on make-up, stylish clothes, sexy shoes, getting our hair done, waxing, facials, mani /pedi, and loads of other spa treatments, including laser hair removal (OUCH!).

We feel pretty awesome when we walk out of the salon. That's all fine and dandy, and it's fabulous to pamper ourselves; but that only gets us halfway there.

The other half of this experience is having you (yes, YOU, guys) notice our efforts and tell us that we look pretty.

Better yet, let us ​see​ that you find us beautiful by way of your expression and your actions. Do a double-take. Give us a little smile and let us see that twinkle in your eyes as you look us up and down; that communicates your inner monologue of, ​Damn! My woman is GORGEOUS!​

Extra brownie points to you if you actually tell your woman out loud exactly how beautiful you think she is. 

I'm a woman, too, and so I understand this about other women.

But I can also think like a guy, so I know how to shoot in a way that will push his buttons and get my client the response she wants to see in her man.

This is part of the reason I love to shoot boudoir sessions, and why I've devoted the bulk of my business to them. I can pick up the slack if he's been a little lax with his attention, because my client alway feels gorgeous when I'm done shooting her. She feels even more beautiful when she gets to see her images. 

And best of all, when she takes her photos home to share with her beloved, those photos get exactly the response she was hoping for. Her man has seen her more times than she can count, but he has never seen her quite like this.

What's different now?

She has now seen herself the way he sees her, but now they're both on the same page, as they look at her, and her photos.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, guess what? That means you, handsome!

So... Behold HER.

She's the woman you love, so show her, tell her - every day - and watch her shine.