More women are booking boudoir sessions than ever before.
Boudoir photography can empower a client with confidence. It can restore her self-worth. However, if done wrong, it can also break it.
As a boudoir photographer, you have the power to make every woman feel beautiful. Your primary goal during a session should be to make your client feel safe and to capture the best photos of her she has ever seen.
Making a woman feel beautiful during her session is a process that starts at booking, long before the session.
When you first connect with your client, you need to let her know that she will be in an expert’s hands, that you are trained and able to pose her in the most flattering ways to make her look her absolute best.
Many women are self-conscious and worried about what to do during the session. Understandably, they are concerned how to pose in front of a camera and what do to with their face and hands.
Here are some tips and tricks to make her feel at ease!
Have a wardrobe consult.
After booking, send out a questionnaire to get to know her a little bit better. Get to know her insecurities and what parts of her body she likes or rather would like to hide. A phone call is also good to get on a more personal level.
Stay in contact with her for tips on wardrobe and other questions your client might have during that time. Clients appreciate any tips on what to wear and where to buy good lingerie. They will trust your expertise and guidance. Styling and wardrobe should be part of your service as a boudoir photographer.
Talk to her and be yourself.
Remember, your primary goal is to make her look and feel amazing. If she feels good then she looks good and if she looks good then she will love her pictures.
During hair and makeup, take the chance and connect with your client a little bit more. The more you talk and the better the conversation, the more relaxed and at ease your client will be during her shoot.
The key to client connection is to be yourself and to be authentic.
Use posing, music, wind, and light.
Direct her into the poses. Don’t be afraid to touch your client to put her in the right pose or to demonstrate the pose yourself. Compliment her, reassure her that she’s doing great. Make it fun and enjoyable.
Music is empowering, relaxing and sets the mood. I play loud music during every session.
I always use my fan to create some motion in the hair when I pose her against the wall because it makes her feel like a Victoria’s Secret model! Show the client a few pictures from the back of your camera to show her how amazing she looks.
From my experience, this gives her more confidence because she sees that she looks amazing. The more confident she is during the shoot, the more fun and empowering it will be.
Light is an important aspect of a good photograph and you should use light in a way that flatters her body. With the use of light, you can create a moody or soft look, hide things you want to hide and accentuate the things you want to show off.
Help her with poses.
Start the session with posing on the bed. I feel that she is more comfortable during the first few minutes of her session. However, after a warm up period, I will repeat the same poses in another outfit.
When posing, make certain her back is slightly bent, her legs are long, and she is connected to herself or your camera. Connected to herself means that she is touching parts of her body and her eyes are closed or she is looking at herself. Connected to you means that she is looking at you.
Bring out her personality. You can do that by giving simple directions or by making her do a hair flip or by just being silly. This is where knowing your client and their personality comes in handy.
Always remember to vary your poses. Play with clothing pieces or have your client play with her hair. Create asymmetry with hands and legs.
Every woman is beautiful in her own way. You have the power to empower another woman with confidence and self-love. Let this be your guide during the shoot.
Words & photos by Jasmin Pickens
I agree with starting the session in the bed. You can get some great poses straight away and the client gets to relax into the shoot without feeling too vulnerable. Great article!
Great tips for anyone wanting to engage a client before a shoot. It’s so important for that client to be comfortable because their nervousness will definitely show up in the photos if you haven’t taken the time to relax them. Boudoir photography especially needs extra care. As a male boudoir photographer, it can be awkward sometimes to gain that connection no matter how friendly I present myself. When I can, I bring along a female assistant who can help with the shoot. Mainly she’s there, of course, so the the client feels more comfortable disrobing in front of me.
I think it’s kinda funny that this article talks about making ALL women feel beautiful and the only photos you add to the article of photos of thin tiny women. Nice!