Featured in CanvasRebel: Meet Liz Hansen of Chicago Boudoir Photography
CanvasRebel Feature: The Story Behind Chicago Boudoir Photography
I’m incredibly honored to be featured by and to have the chance to share more about my journey as the owner of Chicago Boudoir Photography, here in Winnetka, Illinois.
A huge thank you to the CanvasRebel team for featuring my story and giving me the opportunity to talk about the heart behind this business, the challenges of entrepreneurship, and the mission that continues to drive me every single day. 💕
In the interview, I opened up about:
✨ The emotional side of owning a business
✨ Why I left teaching to pursue photography full time
✨ How boudoir photography completely changed my life
✨ Rebuilding my studio after a devastating flood destroyed everything
✨ The powerful lessons I’ve had to unlearn as a woman and entrepreneur
✨ Why helping women feel confident and empowered means more to me than anything else
One of the things I shared in the interview is that Chicago Boudoir Photography was never just about taking beautiful photos. From the very beginning, this studio has been about helping women see themselves differently. It’s about confidence, healing, self-worth, empowerment, and creating an experience where women feel celebrated exactly as they are.
I also talked about the reality of entrepreneurship behind the scenes — the burnout, overwhelm, emotional weight, and moments where I questioned whether I could keep going. But through every challenge, I kept coming back to the same thing: the incredible women who trust me with their stories and their vulnerability every single day.
The interview also shares one of the hardest moments in my business journey — when a pipe burst during a brutal Chicago winter and completely flooded my studio. Walking into the destruction of something I had spent years building was heartbreaking, but rebuilding it reminded me that the true heart of this business has never been the physical space. It’s always been the women I serve and the transformations I get to witness every day in the studio.
Another part of the interview that means a lot to me was talking about the messages women receive growing up about staying small, being “perfect,” and not taking up too much space. Building this business forced me to unlearn so many of those beliefs, and now so much of my work is about helping other women do the same.