Yuliya Panchenko, M.Photog., is on a mission to celebrate the art of the human body. Often referred to as the “Queen of Boudoir,” she has built a multi-dimensional business that includes a thriving boudoir studio near Orlando, a YouTube channel, educational platform, books, an episodic series, and soon, even a film.

Boudoir wasn’t Panchenko’s initial passion. She began her photography career in 2015 with weddings. One bride asking for a boudoir session changed her life and career. “I was a little skeptical about doing [boudoir] because I had never done it before,” Panchenko says, but she quickly fell in love with the experience and the genre.

With boudoir, Panchenko says, she realized she could control the setting, the lighting, and the posing to create the visual effects that she wanted, and her style evolved. “I was always attracted to the dramatic, moody style of photography. Lots of contrast, lots of shadows, and defined highlights,” she says. “When I mastered studio lighting, I realized I could create beautiful artistic images with a female’s body.”

Panchenko’s signature style features simplicity and negative space. “I don’t want any distractions from those beautiful forms, and the shapes and curves of my subjects,” she says. One of her specialties is bodyscapes, where she uses dramatic lighting and posing to make the body resemble a natural landscape. She notes that by breaking down the image into its simplest forms and lines, the viewer asks, “What body part is that?”

BUILDING A BRAND

For Panchenko, building a strong boudoir brand starts with the work. She quickly built a reputation by earning a master of photography degree from PPA and frequently submitting her work for competitions, where she earned many awards. Along with her images, her brand involves the entire client experience, from the website to the luxurious and welcoming studio to the photographer herself’s personality and wardrobe. All elements are designed to empower women and help them see their own beauty. “When I photograph women, I ask them, ‘What is the occasion?’ even when they say it is a gift for a significant other. I always say, ‘First of all, this is a gift for yourself,’” Panchenko says. “We establish that from the very beginning.” She notes that when she reveals the images, her clients are often brought to tears seeing themselves as art and often purchase large prints to hang in their homes.

The next step to building her boudoir brand came in 2020. With the decline of in-person photo sessions due to the Covid pandemic, Panchenko and her husband Eliar, a filmmaker, created a YouTube channel for her to share her knowledge of the photographic genre. Today, the channel has over 175,000 subscribers. The success of the YouTube channel inspired the pair to create their own educational platform, Believe in Boudoir (BIB). BIB provides a structured educational path for photographers to specialize in technical aspects like lighting or posing, and to explore niche themes like fine art nudes, bodyscapes, or working with males or couples. There are currently 55 courses available, which over 5,000 members can view online or through an app. Panchenko has also done 30 workshops around the world in the last three years.

Despite the rapid growth of the BIB platform, it was not all smooth to create. “Talking about what I loved the most was natural to me,” Panchenko says, “but learning how to deliver that information to a big number of people is challenging. But because I love what I do, it has helped me to overcome that challenge and just be myself.”

ELEVATING THE GENRE

Panchenko says a goal is to change the perception that boudoir is not tasteful. “My goal when I teach other photographers is to elevate the standards within the boudoir photography genre,” she explains. “It’s not just a woman sitting by the window in lingerie; it’s about photographing a woman in a way that she can proudly look at herself and her body and see that she can be a piece of art and be her own inspiration.”

Throughout history, art celebrated the body, yet today there is a perception that boudoir is sexual or even pornographic, she says. “To me, every single human’s body is art,” she says, adding that photographs and other artwork depicting human bodies have been displayed in museums for centuries. “My mission when I teach, when I talk about boudoir photography, or when I create images for my clients, is to make them feel like a piece of art, and to shape that perception of the boudoir genre, to break through the wall of the body being forbidden and not shown.”

This idea inspired a film, called “The Boudoir Photographer.” The film is the fictional tale of a daring boudoir photographer who unexpectedly becomes the leader of a movement against a repressive regime. The project, expected to be completed next year, aims to encourage artists to share their art with the world despite the barriers of oppression, stereotypes, or restrictions. Panchenko herself was born and raised in Baku, Azerbaijan, and immigrated to the more liberated United States in 2010 to pursue her artistic career.

MANAGING MULTIPLE BUSINESSES

Beyond the studio, educational platform, and film, Panchenko is working on several books and a series that blends education, entertainment, and insight into the world of photography. How does she juggle all those projects? She offers this advice.

Manage your time. Panchenko schedules separate days to work with clients, for production, and to work on the educational and film projects.

Employ a strong team. She has a studio manager who helps with bookings and sales, and an in-house retoucher, and plans to grow the studio team to include other photographers who work in her style.

Keep revenue streams separate. Panchenko keeps the photography studio books separate from the Believe in Boudoir educational platform. The studio has its own financial obligations, such as payroll and maintenance. Revenue from the educational platform, however, can be reinvested into growth projects such as online courses, books, and film development. Maintaining two distinct revenue streams also reduces the risk of relying too heavily on one business, Panchenko says, which protects against economic downturns. “The educational platform is designed to generate passive income over time, offering a solid long-term strategy for financial stability and eventual retirement—though that’s still far down the road,” she explains. “This approach ensures that both businesses can thrive independently and sustainably.”

ALWAYS TRY

To build and grow a photography business into a business empire, Panchenko advises people to find mentors. “Avoid the long path. Hire a mentor to skip the process of making mistakes,” she says, adding that many photographers spend money on gear rather than education. A photographer whom you view as successful can offer valuable advice and guidance. And if you want to try something new, Panchenko says, simply map out at least a first step and try it. “It’s better to try than to regret it later and lose that time,” she advises. “Never be afraid to take another step and try.” 

Janet Howard is a photographer, author, and coach based in Atlanta.