Chicago Boudoir Photography featured in the Chicago Reader

I am so honored to be featured in an article in the Chicago Reader!

The article is titled “Making social distancing sexy: Boudoir photographers get creative during COVID.”

Here’s a screenshot of the Chicago Reader’s homepage on February 12, 2021 - the purple circle shows the article where I am featured:

When reporter Tim Frisbee contacted me, he explained that he wanted to write an article about how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected boudoir photographers in the Chicago area. I was happy to share my story of closing my business during the Illinois shelter-in-place ordinance and other subsequent mitigation phases. I also told him about the safety precautions that we have in place to make the Chicago Boudoir Photography studio as safe as possible during the pandemic.

The Chicago Reader article opens with a tongue-in-cheek photo that I took in my boudoir studio with Lysol and a mask (you can see more of my Covid-themed boudoir photoshoot HERE).

Here is the opening photo from the article:

The article shares the details of my experience in March 2020 when the state of Illinois first issued the shelter-in-place order. Tim Frisbee writes:

Liz Hansen of Chicago Boudoir Photography, who operates a commercial studio in Winnetka, was forced to shut down last March when the state of Illinois issued its shelter-in-place order.

“I had to call people who had shoots scheduled two days, three days out . . . it was devastating for me,” Hansen says. “I get involved in these people’s stories.” She was forced to cancel on bridal and anniversary clients as well as forgo shoots with a cancer patient who was having a double mastectomy and a woman who wanted to celebrate five years sober.

The article then goes on to explain how I was able to safely reopen the studio:

While Hansen was ultimately able to secure a Paycheck Protection Program loan and has since reopened, she says she’s still only shooting one person per day to allow time for sanitizing and disinfecting.

It’s not enough to accommodate demand, which hasn’t been dampened by the pandemic and, if anything, seems only to have grown.

“Demand has been through the roof,” Hansen says. “I feel like a lot of people want to do something. They've been cooped up at home, they've been bored, they're not traveling anywhere.”

Tim mentions the variety of clients that I have at the Chicago Boudoir Photography studio:

“I have so many types of women come in to do photoshoots,” Hansen says. She says her clients have included a rabbi, accountants, a psychic, emergency room nurses, a 69-year-old celebrating her 40th wedding anniversary, and more. “Last week I had an epidemiologist come into the studio,” she says. “Now that she’s fully vaccinated she’s like, ‘I can do whatever I want.’”

The article ends with a quote that I feel really sums up what I do as a boudoir photographer:

“I feel like what I do really empowers women,” Hansen says. “If this is something that's going to help you celebrate after an awful year . . . I’m happy to provide that little piece of joy.”

A big thank you to Tim Frisbee and the Chicago Reader for interviewing me and reporting on my experience as a boudoir photographer during this pandemic!

The article also features two other talented Chicago area boudoir photographers Samantha Eppels and EZ Powers.

Check out the whole Chicago Reader article HERE.