Today we’d like to introduce you to JoAnna Moore.
Hi JoAnna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I actually got into boudoir photography through weddings. At the time, I was focused on growing my wedding photography business, JoAnna Marie Photography, and I was photographing a wedding where the bride and groom did a gift exchange before the ceremony. He gave her a handwritten letter and a plaque, and when it was her turn, she gave him this black album with one of her bridal boudoir photos on the cover. I remember watching his reaction and immediately thinking, “I would love to offer this to my brides!”
At first, I honestly thought bridal boudoir would just be something I could offer alongside my wedding photography. I asked two of my Bible Study friends if they would let me photograph them so I could try it out, and that was really where everything changed for me.
I loved the photos, obviously, but what I loved even more was seeing how they felt afterward. There was something really special about watching a woman see herself differently through the photographs we had just created.
As I started photographing more women, I realized there were so many reasons people booked boudoir that had nothing to do with being a bride. I had women coming in for birthdays, anniversaries, major life changes, or just because they wanted to do something for themselves. Some were incredibly confident walking in, and others were doing something completely outside of their comfort zone.
Somewhere along the way, boudoir stopped feeling like an addition to JoAnna Marie Photography and became something I genuinely loved on its own. That eventually grew into JoAnna Moore Boudoir in Dallas.
Today, I’m really grateful that I get to photograph women through both sides of my work. JoAnna Marie Photography allows me to document some of the biggest moments in a couple’s life, while JoAnna Moore Boudoir gives me the opportunity to create something much more personal and individual. One of my favorite parts of boudoir is getting to know the women who walk through my door. Of course I want them to leave with photographs they love, but I also want them to leave feeling a little differently about themselves than they did when they came in. That part has become just as important to me as the photography itself.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. I think from the outside, photography can look like you pick up a camera, take beautiful photos, post them online, and somehow a business appears. In reality, taking the photos is only one small part of it. I’ve had to learn everything from pricing, contracts, taxes, marketing, SEO, client experience, and systems, while also figuring out what kind of photographer and business owner I actually wanted to be.
Boudoir also comes with its own challenges because there is such a huge amount of trust involved. A lot of women come to me nervous, worried about how they are going to look, or convinced they need to lose weight or become more confident before they can do something like this. Part of building JoAnna Moore Boudoir has been learning how to create an experience where women feel genuinely safe, respected, and taken care of from the very beginning. That has influenced everything from the consultation process and privacy policies to the all-female team, wardrobe options, and the way I guide clients through posing.
Another challenge has been growing two photography businesses at the same time. JoAnna Marie Photography and JoAnna Moore Boudoir serve very different clients and require completely different kinds of marketing, branding, and client experiences. Learning how to give both businesses the attention they deserve while continuing to grow has definitely stretched me.
There have also been seasons where I have changed things that were working because I realized they were no longer the direction I wanted to go. I think one of the hardest parts of owning a business is realizing that growth does not always mean doing more. Sometimes it means saying no, changing your pricing, rebuilding your website, refining your process, or letting go of something that no longer fits.
I definitely would not call it a smooth road, but I am grateful for that. A lot of the things that felt frustrating in the moment forced me to become much more intentional about the kind of business I wanted to build and, more importantly, the way I wanted my clients to feel when they worked with me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in boudoir photography through JoAnna Moore Boudoir, with Dallas being my primary market. My work is very editorial and polished, but the experience itself is intentionally warm, private, and fully guided. Most of the women I photograph are not models and have never done anything like this before, so a huge part of my job is making sure they never feel like they have to know what they are doing before they walk through the door.
Every session includes professional hair and makeup, personalized wardrobe styling, access to a client closet with more than 500 pieces ranging from XS to 5XL, complete posing guidance, and a same-day image viewing. I also work with an all-female team, which was really important to me when I was building the experience. Privacy is another huge priority. My clients always have control over whether their photographs are shared publicly or kept completely private.
Bridal boudoir is one of the areas I am especially known for, which makes sense because my background is in weddings through JoAnna Marie Photography. I love being able to bring that wedding perspective into a bridal boudoir session and help brides create something that feels personal to them, whether it becomes a wedding-day gift or simply something they wanted to do for themselves during that season of life.
What I am most proud of, though, is the way women talk about how they felt during and after their sessions. Of course I want someone to look at her photographs and think they are beautiful, but I care just as much about whether she felt comfortable, respected, and cared for while we were creating them. I have had clients tell me they walked in nervous and left feeling more confident than they had in years, and that means more to me than any single photograph.
I think what sets JoAnna Moore Boudoir apart is how involved I am in the entire experience. I do not just hand someone a wardrobe guide, put them in front of the camera, and hope they know what to do. I talk with every client before they book, help them plan, guide every pose and expression, and sit with them afterward while they choose their photographs. I want the experience to feel personal from beginning to end.
My philosophy has really become, “You are fine art. Let me show you.” That is what I want every woman who works with me to walk away feeling.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I honestly do not think about my life or business in terms of luck very often. My faith is a huge part of who I am, and I believe much more in God’s providence than I do in things simply happening by chance.
There have definitely been moments in my career that, from the outside, could look like really good luck. Meeting the right person at the right time, stumbling into an opportunity I never planned for, or even the wedding gift exchange that first introduced me to bridal boudoir. But when I look back at those moments, I see God’s hand in them much more than I see luck.
That does not mean everything has worked out exactly the way I wanted it to. There have been closed doors, slow seasons, mistakes, and plans that completely changed. Some of those things felt disappointing at the time, but a lot of them ended up redirecting me toward something better or teaching me something I needed to learn.
I also believe there is a responsibility on my end. I pray about my business and the decisions I make, but I still have to do the work. I have had to learn, take risks, be willing to change direction, and keep showing up when something was difficult.
So I probably would not call myself lucky. I would call myself incredibly grateful. I believe God has been very kind to me, and I can see His faithfulness throughout the story of both JoAnna Marie Photography and JoAnna Moore Boudoir, including in plenty of moments that I did not understand while I was living through them.
Pricing:
- Collections begin at $2700
- Payment plan options are available
- Wedding & Boudoir bundle prices are available
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joannamooreboudoir.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannamooreboudoir
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joannamooreboudoir/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joannamoore
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoAnnaMooreStudios
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/joanna-moore-boudoir-dallas?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@joannamooreboudoir
