My name is Maria and I am a creative portrait and boudoir photographer based in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

For all my dutchies out there, I operate my business mostly in English but I do also speak Dutch as long as you have the patience and sense of humor to laugh with me and my accent. 

A little about me.

I grew up in western New York and moved to Rotterdam about a decade ago where I am now a mother to an amazing and loving son and have created a community of friends that have become a family away from home. It was after my son was born I felt even more drawn to creating a sense of community here which brought me back to my photography roots. I've always had photography in my life but somewhat in the background as a hobby or a part time job and it simply brought me joy. Now in a foreign country, I saw it as way to connect with other like minded people and release the creative energy I had bottled up for so long. From that everything started changing.

A little about my photography background.

In my twenties I started working at a portrait studio part time and it brought me to my first photography mentor who showed me such a genuine way of working with people. We had far too little time with every appointment but she put her all into really capturing who they were and they always came back. They didn't come back for the company or the specific products they offered but for the experience she gave them and how it made them feel. Next I worked as an assistant for an amazing male boudoir photographer in my area who taught me the high standards and planning that go into offering a luxury experience that is 100% client focused. Being one of the earlier male boudoir photographers in a time when boudoir itself was just gaining popularity, he made it a priority to create a safe space that always respected boundaries and made woman feel completely comfortable. Once I knew I wanted to start doing photography again and sharing it with others then these two examples became my base.

A little about my personal feminine healing journey.

Once we are out of our comfort zone then we realize what we can strengthen within ourselves in order to grow as a person and a feminine being. Starting the traditional route with therapy and creative writing and then moving on to more energy based studies I learned more and more about myself and the paths that led me to where I was and where I wanted to go. I chose to get certified as a divine feminine healing practitioner and a feminine embodiment coach without yet knowing how that would fit into my path. All the while I was expressing these teachings and awakenings subconsciously through my photography in a way that allowed me to visually work out themes and ideas making their way through my mind. It is similar to how our mind works them out in a dream or a daydream. One day when I was creating a mood board for a creative project, I realized this and I saw how I could in turn help others to have their own experiences working with their energy. 



Photography shouldn't be to document how others see us but how we see ourselves and a translation of that. It is to pull out of ourselves what energy we need to call upon at every different stage of our life and allow it to be appreciated and documented in gratitude. This is what began my journey to bringing some pieces of what learned into my photoshoots and that looks different for every client experience. It is for me just a conscious effort to approach my client experience with an open and genuine heart to help translate and express what they need from themselves. Further it is very important to me to create a community that centers around bringing people together that will lift one another up to stand strong and proud in their feminine energy and facilitate a safe space for healing, growth and creative expression. There is nothing I love to see more than woman supporting woman in life and the beautiful things that can be born from that.

Come join my community of queens embodying their true selves while looking great and having fun in the process. Let's create and document this chapter of your story!