Just a warning that this post would be considered PG-13.
I have never shoot boudoir before and it is definitely something I wanted to practice before I ever tried it. I’ve photographed artistic photos of men in various states of undress but not the female form. My friend Samantha, who is a great photographer, has shot boudoir on a regular basis and usually around Valentine’s Day. What better way to surprise a spouse or lover than with a book of boudoir photos.
We picked the theme of undress for this shoot
Samantha also wanted to learn some lighting techniques so I was happy to trade my knowledge for her knowledge and expertise. She even wanted to be the model! Which is awesome.
Samantha checks her makeup as part of the storyline
We picked the them of romantic undress where we would progress from clothed to bare. Samantha knows here posing and really shined for the camera. Everyone woman should feel sensual and sexy and a boudoir shoot is a great way to do that.
Samantha is the master of boudoir posing
Samantha also had prepared a location for the shoot. Often times boudoir photographers will have a location or they will use a hotel room. Sometimes they do this covertly because a hotel might not appreciate that their premises is being used for a boudoir location. One way to keep it on the down low is for the client to pay for the room and the photographer arrive and do the shoot and leave. Afterwards the client has a luxurious hotel room to relax with their partner. Just throwing that thought out there.
Posing with high heals in bed
The next two photographs are my favorite of the shoot. Samantha looks downright radiant and stunning.
Also one of my favorite photos from the boudoir shoot—Samantha looks amazing.
One of my two favorite photos from the boudoir shoot
Here is a behind the scenes photograph of the boudoir shoot. I have one large octabox as the only light. At one point I did bring in another light for some fill. Keeping it pretty simple and laid back is important. You don’t want to feel stressed in front of the camera.
Behind the scenes lighting for the boudoir photo shoot
I’ve also been experimenting with some film photography. So I brought a medium format film camera and created a few shots with the camera and even with a Polaroid back for an instant print.
Using a film camera for a film look to the boudoir shoot
Trying out a Polaroid film back for the boudoir shoot
