Wil Andruschak

I hear you photograph women in lacy underwear.

I do shoot women in lacy underwear.

How did that come about?

I got my photography degree from ACAD back in 2001. I had been doing freelance work since then. Ironically, in school I said I would never shoot naked women, it was this weird thing for me. I’ve actually got this design agency as well, and when the recession hit, commercial photography went downhill. We were brainstorming different ideas about niche markets that we could get into. Boudoir is definitely making a comeback and there’s a hole in the city for it.

Why do you think it’s making a comeback now?

I think it’s not because women are becoming more confident in their sexuality, but it sort of brings out the bad girl in women who typically come across as good girls. It makes them feel sexy. I think the stigma of that 1980s glamour photography has finally dissipated when it comes to getting boudoir shots done, and in turn has become popular because of that.

Who makes up your clientele?

I would say 50 per cent of my clientele are getting shots done for their fiancés, their husbands or their boyfriends. The other 50 per cent are just coming in to feel sexy about themselves or celebrating birthdays.

Why didn’t you want to shoot naked women when you were in college?

To me I still had that depiction of that 1980s glamour and back then I didn’t see it as an artistic outlet. Whereas now for me it’s a great mix of fashion and editorial, and I come at it with a different approach than some of the other companies. So I’ve taken what I love about photography and melded it into a business.

Have you ever been on the other side of the lens?

The very first shoot we did for promo materials for our business was me. My face is cut off so no one would ever know. It’s ironic, and I think that’s why I became a photographer, and I’m sure a lot of other photographers would say this too, is that they all hate getting their photos taken.

How did that first shoot feel?

It was liberating. A lot of women are self-conscious; we all have our hang-ups, flabby thighs or whatever it may be. Like a lot of the women who come in here, you’re sort of nervous at the beginning, but about halfway through you don’t want it to end.

How do you make your clients feel comfortable?

We have a great team; it’s all women here. So when a woman comes in we almost treat them as a friend. The getting-ready process takes about an hour and a half, so we have that time to get to know them and their story. By the time they leave they’re like, “I feel like I just hung out with my girlfriends for three or four hours.” It’s like playing sexy dress-up, but way more fun and cooler.

Is this as naughty as the name of your company, ‘Miss Behave,’ implies?

It can be, for sure. We definitely get all walks of women in here. The youngest we’ve had is 21. So for someone like her, you can tell she’s just discovering her sexuality. We’ve had women up to 55 come in. There was one girl that I wrapped up in chains. Another wanted to be wrapped up in a Nintendo controller.

Was that for a boyfriend who’s big on gaming?

Actually it was for her 30th birthday. When she came in, she’s just like, “I’m a totally self-proclaimed geek and this is amazing.” Sexuality is one of those things where there are all walks of life within it. And I’ve seen a lot of them.

Do you take photos of men?

I don’t. We have been approached numerous times. I think that women’s bodies are just more attractive as well as I’m engaged and there’s sort of that line there.

Do people ever ask you to Photoshop their photos?

We definitely do retouching. We call it “the beautifying process.”

So is it just a bit of airbrushing or are you slimming someone down 10 sizes?

We have had requests. Our typical package includes if you have a blemish on your face we’ll get rid of it as well as smooth out areas that need it. But for the most part, we don’t want someone to pick up their photos and be like, “Wow, it looks amazing, but it doesn’t look like me.”

How do you feel about magazines going overboard with the retouching?

I think that photo-manipulation has its time and place within the fashion industry. It’s really hard for women. Again, with women who come in here, that’s what makes them scared because a lot of the sexy photographs that they see in Victoria’s Secret have all been retouched to the point where the average woman has no idea actually how much retouching does go into those photos.

It has its time and place, but I think women’s bodies are beautiful as they are, and I don’t think women need to strive to be a size zero. I definitely embrace the fact that I have hips and my fiancé loves me for it.

Is Alix Broadway your real name?

It is. I know that everybody thinks that it is a stage name. My grandfather decided that I would spell my name with an “i” to make it more feminine.

It seems rather fitting for what you’re doing now.

It does. Everyone says, “Your name will be in stars one day.” It’s definitely one that you don’t forget, that’s for sure.