Planning you Perfect Boudoir Photo Shoot

So decided that you want to book a boudoir session. Congratulations! I’m sure it will be a wonderful experience and you’ll have some truly one-of-a-kind art to take home with you.

What do you want?

• Like almost everything it’s probably best if you have an idea of what you where you want to end up before you get started. Do you want to give the photos as a gift? Are you looking for a statement piece for your wall? Maybe you really want an experience that well help you see yourself in a new way? There are hundreds of amazing reasons to book a session. We need to know what your reason is.
• To figure this out, I like to create mood boards for the sessions that I plan and I love it when my clients come with their own. If you’re not familiar, a mood board is just a collection of images that show the elements you want in your session. Your board can and should include anything you think you’d like.
• There are some basics that you need to have in there but beyond that you can do anything.

Mood Board Basics – what to include

1. The style – Its not perfect but I find it’s easy to split things into 3 categories Classic, Casual, Artsy. It’s fine to mix and match but changing locations or setups can eat into your picture taking time.
2. Location – Do you want the studio look on a solid color background? Do you want to shoot in a comfortable home or abandoned building? You may be the type that really enjoys nature and being outside.
3. Wardrobe – Fancy lingerie, Casual lounge wear, a little bit of both or nothing at all. Think about what works with the style and location you picked. You may want to also consider going against expectations.

Pinterest is an easy place to start your mood board. I also curate two feature accounts on Instagram that can serve as inspiration. Best in Boudoir has traditional lingerie and Everyday Boudoir is a collection of casual looks.

All About Wardrobe

It’s critically important that you feel good in what you have on. How you feel will come through in the photos and if we want you feeling amazing so you’ll be looking your best. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Try it on first. You want to make sure things it fits correctly and everything stays where you want it to. Did you know that 4 out of 5 women are wearing the wrong bra size? It’s a good idea to go in and get fitted so that you know what will be the most flattering for you.

Bring more than you think you will need. You can never have too many options. Not everything goes to plan and sometime you just feel like something different on the day of.

Bring sets. sometimes miss matched underwear is exactly the look you want but mostly it’s best to have sets or at least the same color tops and bottom.

Mix and Match. If you have a bottom that will work with several tops or vice versa, you will be spend less time changing and more time in front of the camera.

Cut the tags off. Those little white tags can be very distracting in your photos. It’s possible to clean them up in editing but it’s much easier to prevent to problem before the photos are taken.

Think casual. shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, sweaters, gym socks and more can all look great in your session.

Look in your closet. I don’t want to stand in the way of a good shopping trip but you probably have a lot of good options already.

What about props/jewelry? I like to keep things simple but an interesting adornment or meaningful object can also be incorporated into your shoot.

No clothes. You don’t have to make a final decision before the shoot but you should think if your session will include nudity. I have another post that goes over everything you need to take into consideration.

If you want advice or need help to decide what you want to wear on the shoot, I’d be happy to help. You can send me pictures of what your thinking about (put them on, lay them out, or send photos you find online) and we can discuss how it works with your session.

Hair? Makeup?

• There will be a hair and makeup artist on hand at your shoot to help you get ready and stay looking your best.
• Come with DRY clean hair and a clean bare face.

Day of the Session.

• Get a good night of sleep before the shoot.
• Drink plenty of water so that your skin is well hydrated.
• Try not to wear tight clothing or undergarments that will leave marks on your skin.
• So bring some music, make a playlist or bring a comedy album. I’ll have a speaker you can use to play whatever will help keep you in the right head space.
• Meeting a stranger from the internet can be scary enough without agreeing to hang out in your underwear while they take pictures for an hour or two. If you’d like to bring someone along that’s perfectly fine. You’ll want to make sure your guest(s) won’t negatively affect your attention or mood during the shoot..
• I try to produce natural looking poses. You won’t need to master dramatic and uncomfortable poses to look good in your shoot. I’ll provide example poses for you to try to direct you in adjustments so you look your best in the photos.

After your session.

Ok, we’re almost there. Unfortunately, this may be the most difficult step. It’s time to choose your photos. I will put your images in a private gallery so that you may review and make your selections.

Once your selections are made I will do a final round of editing to make sure everything is perfect for printing and then you will receive your images.