We recently had the chance to connect with Jo Duran and have shared our conversation below.
Jo, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
Honestly? People hear “boudoir” and think it’s just lingerie and sexy photos. But what I do goes way deeper than that. Boudoir is therapy with better lighting.
Most people walk into my studio carrying years of “not enough.” Not thin enough, young enough, wild enough, calm enough, whatever-the-hell-story they’ve been handed. And somewhere along the way, they stop seeing themselves as desirable… as powerful… as downright sexy.
When they step into my studio in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, the Velvet Noir Studio, it’s the first time in a long time they get permission to drop the armor and just be. That alone is healing.
Boudoir isn’t about perfection — it’s about reflection. It’s about seeing the person you actually are instead of the one the world has conditioned you to believe you should be. I’ve photographed people in their 20s, 40s, 60s, postpartum, post-divorce, mid-career, mid-chaos… and every single one has walked out looking lighter, louder, and more in love with themselves.
The biggest misunderstanding?
That boudoir is for “a certain type of person.”
It’s not.
It’s for every person who has ever forgotten they are allowed to feel sexy at any age, at any stage, in any season of their lives.
My job isn’t to make you look sexy — it’s to show you that you already are!
And once a person sees that for, everything shifts.
That’s the magic people miss when they only see the photos. It’s not just a photoshoot…it’s a homecoming!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jo, the owner and lead photographer behind Be Present Studios and owner of the Velvet Noir Studio in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. I’ve been photographing boudoir since 2018, and from day one my mission has been simple: create a space where people feel unapologetic, powerful, and safe in their own bodies.
What makes my work unique is the experience — not just the images. Velvet Noir Studio is moody, sensual, and intentionally designed to feel like a place where you can finally exhale. Every detail has a job: the lighting, the textures, the music, the energy. When you walk in, you feel it.
People tell me all the time, “I didn’t expect this to feel like therapy… but it did.”
I work with everyday people — parents, professionals, newly single folks, couples, people celebrating milestones, people healing from hard seasons, people rediscovering themselves. Boudoir is for anybody ready to see themselves differently.
Right now I’m expanding the Velvet Noir Studio into a destination experience. Think: transformative photoshoots, gorgeous sets, couples’ sessions, community events, and a space that celebrates the human experience through art. I want people to travel to Fort Worth specifically to feel what this studio holds.
At the heart of it all, my work is about presence. Helping people reconnect with their bodies, their confidence, and their identity — without fluff, without apology, and with a whole lot of excitement.
If there’s one thing to know about me:
I don’t just take photos.
I show people who they are.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Growing up, I genuinely believed I had to be perfect to be worthy — perfect grades, perfect hair, perfect behavior, perfect performance. I was a competitive gymnast, so the message was loud: point your toes, straighten your legs, stick the landing… and do it all without showing strain. Perfection wasn’t encouraged — it was required.
That mindset followed me for years. I carried it into adulthood, into my career as an educator, into motherhood, and into every space where I felt eyes on me. I thought the world needed a polished, controlled, “put-together” version of Jo.
But here’s the truth I finally learned:
Perfection disconnects you. Vulnerability connects you.
The moment I stopped trying to perform and started letting myself be real — messy, honest, emotional, human — everything in my life opened up. I became more accessible to my students, and ironically, that made me a better teacher. I became closer to my peers because we weren’t pretending anymore. I became a more grounded mother to my three daughters, who now get to see a woman who is strong because she’s authentic, not because she’s flawless.
And in my photography work, dropping perfectionism has been the biggest gift. When I’m real, my clients feel safe being real. They don’t need to come in as the “perfect” version of themselves — they just get to show up. And we create magic from there.
What I no longer believe is that perfection makes you worthy.
What I believe now is that presence, honesty, and vulnerability make you powerful.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell her this:
You don’t have to earn your worth. You already have it!
I’d tell her she doesn’t have to twist herself into the “perfect” version of anything — not the perfect daughter, student, athlete, friend, or later, woman. I’d remind her that the things she thinks make her “too much” or “not enough” are actually the exact things that will make her magnetic one day.
I’d tell her she’s allowed to breathe.
She’s allowed to rest.
She’s allowed to say no.
She’s allowed to take up space without apologizing.
And I’d tell her that the softness she keeps trying to hide — the emotions she shoves down, the pain she masks, the vulnerability she avoids — that’s her actual superpower. That’s what will help her have a strong marriage and raise three incredible daughters with intention. That’s what will help her hold space for people in a way that feels safe and grounding. That’s what will turn her into the kind of photographer who doesn’t just take pictures, but helps people see themselves clearly for the first time.
I’d tell her:
Everything you think makes you “too much” or “not enough” will become your power. Stay with it. You’re becoming someone you’re going to absolutely love.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes — but it’s a curated slice of me. Not fake, not filtered, not a performance… just the part of me that knows how to show up with intention.
What people see publicly — the confidence, the humor, the “let’s go, you’ve got this” energy — that’s absolutely real. That’s who I am with my clients, my friends, my family, and honestly even by myself in the car with the music way too loud.
But I also have a quieter side. A reflective side. A side that’s still healing old perfectionism and learning how to soften. A side that cries when she needs to, sets boundaries when she has to, and protects her peace fiercely. That version doesn’t always show up online, and that’s okay — privacy isn’t the same as pretending.
What I’ve learned is this:
Authenticity doesn’t require full disclosure — it just requires honesty.
My public self is honest. She’s grounded. She’s present. She’s the same woman who walks into the studio every morning and raises three daughters and loves her husband and runs a business with heart.
I don’t shape-shift. I don’t put on a mask.
I just choose which parts of my full self the world gets access to — and that choice makes me healthier, stronger, and able to show up for my clients in the way they deserve.
So yes — the public version of me is the real me.
Just not the entire me. And that balance is what keeps me human.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What will you regret not doing?
Honestly? I don’t plan on regretting much. I’ve lived enough life to know that the only real regret comes from holding back, playing small, or waiting for the “perfect” timing that never actually shows up. I don’t want to get to the end of my life and say, “Damn… I should’ve done that.”
I’m on a journey — messy, beautiful, unpredictable — and every part of it has brought me right here. The good seasons, the hard ones, the ones I wouldn’t want to repeat… they all shaped me into who I am and how I show up for my three daughters, my clients, and myself.
So what will I regret?
Not doing the thing that scares me a little. Not taking the risk. Not saying yes to something that could open a door. Not trusting my own voice.
I don’t ever want to let fear make my decisions for me. I’ve already spent too many years trying to be perfect. Now I want to live with intention — try the things, build the things, create the things, love the people, take the chances.
If anything, the only regret I’d have is not honoring the path I’m on. And right now? I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what lights me up… and I’m not mad about any of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bepresentstudios.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bepresentstudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bepresentstudios
- Other: https://linktr.ee/bepresentstudios
Image Credits
@bepresentstudios
