Meet Madeline Njos | Boudoir Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madeline Njos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madeline, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I started MM Studio in the middle of the pandemic. My husband and I had been living in Cambodia while I was working for an NGO and we ended up needing to leave on 6 days notice before the country completely shut down. That was April 2020.. So we came home and I tried to work remotely for a bit but it really doesn’t work to do a 15 hour time difference in the middle of a pandemic.

I had been doing photography for the clinic in Cambodia, and for myself for years and I loved it. I figured that if there was ever a time to say “f*ck it” and try to launch my own business this was it. I specifically chose to shoot Boudoir because it was the only genre that really spoke to me. I was able to tie in the things I loved about my work in nonprofits, like working to change the prospective on sexuality and body-shaming, sex positivity, etc. with working one on one with women.

My business allows me to be able to show women what they often can’t see in themselves and change the stigma around bodies and sexuality. They’re just bodies. There’s no shame in them.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My story on how I got into this line of work is long and convoluted. I graduated college with a degree in Sport Management but during my internship there was an incident of sexual harassment and it really changed the way I felt about the industry and what I wanted my role into it to be.

I completely changed lanes and ended up working in nonprofit, first in Seattle, and then in Cambodia because I really felt like I wanted to make a difference and see that the work that I was doing really meant something. But then COVID happened and after a year and a half we had to leave Cambodia suddenly and it really felt like my world was coming apart. I didn’t have a job, no one was hiring, our condo was rented out and we had to live with my dad until we could get back into our condo. I felt really aimless and it was a scary feeling.

We got to a point where I was just determined that I was done working for other people and really wanted to be able to run my own business the way that I saw fit. But I didn’t know what that even remotely looked like. So I sat down and thought about what it was that I loved doing and I came up with photography and wanting to help people. But how the hell did those things go together?

That’s when I found boudoir. The goal around boudoir is empowering women. Allowing them to take control of their body, their physical identity, and seeing it for all that it is. Beautiful. No matter what it looks like your body carries you from day to day and deserves to be celebrated, or at the very least not hated. I’d struggled with body issues and seeing sex positivity for years and wanted to work to help others see themselves in the best way that they can.

MMStudio is built around the idea that the photos are a bonus (a really awesome bonus, but still) and that the day and our time leading up to your shoot is all about your experience. If you leave my studio feeling like a bad ass with a nice ass, then I’ve done my job. I want everyone that I work with to see themselves for who they are and take the shame that we as women have internalized about our bodies since we were little girls and dismantle it. Every body is gorgeous and deserves to be seen for what it is. I believe strongly in body positivity and sex positivity, but more than anything I want the women who work with me to at least become body neutral. You may not love your body every day, but it carries you throughout the world and day to day so why spend all of your time hating it?

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Most of my career I worked on the client side of events, often working with agencies on our larger programs. I found that so many agencies offered more services than we needed, but weren’t able to offer a custom solution that made sense in terms of budget + resources. At the same time as I was thinking about my next career move, the gig economy was heating up and I saw that a lot of people in my network were going freelance. It’s then that I decided to start an agency that was free from the constraints of a one-size-fits-all model. I also knew that event life didn’t have to involve burnout. I wanted to create a company that really put its team first and focused on balance when it comes to travel + workload.

Ladidadi was born!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So when I lived in LA I was in Culver City, and I would take absolutely everyone who came to visit me to a comedy show. Preferably something with comics you hadn’t ever heard of on like a Wednesday night. Beyond that, I loved taking friends to eat in hole in the wall spots. There used to be a Brazilian place at the end of my street on Westwood and Venice that had the most amazing pan de queso.

Now that I’m living in Seattle and a mom, that’s changed quite a lot… When I visit LA I spend most of the time in Brentwood where my friends are living.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have so many people that have helped shape my journey along the way. First, I will always give so much credit to my other photographer friends who are in my community and helped me see the business and believe in myself.

There are loads of books, but specifically “Get Rich Lucky Bitch” by Denise Duffield-Thomas and Profit First by Mike Michalowicz.

And I have to say that my husband has been squarely in my corner since I said “hey.. I think I want to start my own business.” and has supported me in literally everything, even when I make some questionable choices.

Website: www.madelinemichelle.co

Instagram: @madelinemichellestudio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madelinemichellestudio/