Boudoir Photography

Hello everyone.

My apologies for the delay in getting this mornings post out to you. I was out on a shoot early this morning and the time just got away from me.

I know all of you are getting your lists and contacts together for your giving back to charity, so while we are all in that preparation mode I decided to focus on something completely different.

I am a Portrait and Wedding photographer by choice, but recently got an enquiry from a client to shoot a boudoir series for her husband-to-be.

Now, this is something completely new to me so I was not sure how to approach this type of photography. I did a little research and this is what I found with regards to getting this setup for my client.

Firstly, this is a very personal shoot so I recommend the following. At all times I communicated with my client and made sure that she was comfortable with the entire process.

• Get a model release and make sure you cover all the details in a contract. This has to be signed before the shoot and make sure they know what you are going to be covering.
• You need a private room and make sure that you have enough props and clothing changes for your client. Suggest they bring their own lingerie and neglige's for multiple wardrobe changes. I normally have a female assistant to help with wardrobe changes and I also have a make-up artist to assist with makeup.

Make-up artists and hairstylists in my area cost around $60p/h and an assistant is about $25-30 p/h.

I have an air conditioned room and I suggested they bring music they preferred to help set the mood. I also have a bottle of their favorite wine to help break the ice with some cheese and grapes as appetizers.

One thing that I did find in my research is that many first time boudoir clients want to bring a friend. Make sure that they know they will have their friends looking at them in their underwear and if they are not comfortable with this then I would suggest they do not bring any friends with them that have not seen them in any clothing. Family members are not encouraged to attend.

This tends to make your client shy and could inhibit them from feeling relaxed in front of the camera as well as their close relatives.

For some suggestions on Wedding Boudoir or Alternative photographs you can view some photographs on my Pinterest page. Please note that some of these photographs contain images of women in underwear and may not be appropriate for everyone.

I had a wrought iron bed and mattress for this shoot, as well as a comfortable high back chair. I also bought some white linen for this setup to help with the contrast in the shoot. The colors of the lingerie and clothing that will be worn needs to be the feature throughout the shoot so make sure you ask all these questions before the day of the shoot.

Make sure you shoot using both natural light (I had some great windows for this) and strobes. Use the walls and chairs in the room as well. Boudoir is not all about the bed. Great close-ups of jewelry, buckles, earrings as well as hands and fingers are also recommended. 

The shoot lasted about 4hrs so plan accordingly. This is not a shoot that needs to be rushed. It is a premium service that you can offer your clients so spend a little extra time pampering your client and offering them a wide variety of choices when it comes to the photographs that you take.

For some suggestions on boudoir photography you can find some inspiration on my Pinterest page here.  Again, some of these photographs show women in underwear and lingerie so may not be suitable for everyone.

The after sales part of the session is the most important. I charged $495 as the session fee. This covered my basic costs, as well as the hairstylist, make-up artist and assistant. In my after sales presentation I made an additional $1275 in prints and books from the client. I made sure to let the client know in the beginning that this is what the average market price is so they come with an expectation. I did my own research in my market catchment area to verify what other photographers are charging. Make sure that you do your own research for the market that you are in.

To calculate your own daily operating costs you can use this calculator.  It has helped me in the past.

This is another great way to add to your portfolio and may tie into the style of photography that you currently do. I know that it may not be suitable for everyone, but if you have the facilities available you may be offer this to potential clients if they request this. 

I got some of my training from these sites:-

1. Lindsay Adler - Boudoir Posing Guide
2. Christa Meola - The Art of Boudoir Photography - How to Create Stunning photographs of women
3. Creative Live Videos - Boudoir

Great shooting and I will speak to you again next week.