Yay! You’ve decided to do a boudoir photoshoot. I’m so glad you’ve come to that decision. Congratulations for stepping out of your comfort zone. You will have an amazing experience. Now you have the pleasure of choosing a boudoir photographer which can be a hush hush topic. Here are some helpful things to consider when choosing your photographer, and a nightmare story of what happened to Hannah when she went Boudoir price shopping.
Are You Comfortable With Them?
This is the most important thing you should consider when choosing a photographer. Being comfortable with your photographer will make your Boudoir experience exciting and empowering, rather than stressful and nerve wracking. If you are not comfortable with your photographer, it will show in your images. Nervousness shows up in your poses, facial expressions, and even your eyes. Unfortunately no amount of photo editing can get rid of it. One of the best ways to get comfortable? An in person consultation! Skipping this step can result in some awkwardness down the line (Have you seen Hannah’s story?).
Meeting with your photographer can help ease your fears. Get to know them! Have a tour of the studio, and see all of their beautiful products ( wall art, albums etc. ). There is a BIG difference between someone who shoots boudoir as a hobby vs someone who specializes in it. A specialist will take the time to get to know you and answer all your questions. They will make sure you walk into your shoot feeling comfortable & prepared. You’re not going to get naked in front of just anyone. That’s why it’s extremely important to do your research when trying to book a professional to take your gorgeous photos. Here are some things to look for:
Do You Love Their Photo Style ?
Each photographer has a unique style. When searching, figure out which photos you’re most drawn to. Once you find the style you like, make sure the photographer is visually consistent through their website and social media accounts. If someone’s work is all over the place, you may be wondering if you’re going to get a light and airy, dark and moody or experimental shots. This could cause some major stress, but not to worry! Review their work on their website and social media pages and make sure you love their style.
By looking at their business social media such as Instagram or Facebook Page and not website alone, you’ll get a better idea of their overall work instead of their top 10 portfolio photos. Bonus tip: Pinterest is a great way to look for ideas and create a custom board that you can share with your photographer so that they can customize the shoot to what you’re envisioning. Your photographer may even have a Pinterest!
How Long Will The Shoot Be?
When choosing a boudoir photographer session length is quite an indicator of the experience you might have. You don’t want it to be too long. Boudoir sessions can be very tiresome after all that fun. If your session is too long, your lack of energy will come through to your images. You also don’t want it to be too short. For example, If the shoot is 30 minutes and it takes you 20 minutes to fully relax, then only one third of the images will actually capture you feeling like yourself. You want to make sure you will get the quality and professional experience from your once in a lifetime session.
Most women are not lingerie and clothing experts and with the hundreds of choices out there, it can be SO confusing. If your photographer isn’t offering some sort of guidance, assistance, or a few tips on what to wear to accentuate your body type, RUN. AWAY. Nothing is worse than seeing your final images and realizing that your outfit wasn’t as flattering as you thought, because you had no idea what to bring. You shouldn’t be left in the dark about any aspect of boudoir. For many women this experience can be therapeutic and positively life changing! Finding the right person to take you through that journey will have a huge impact on you and your confidence for years to come.
95% of my clients have never done a Boudoir session before. The other 5% have previously done a Boudoir session with other photographers and come to me to get their photos redone. Let me tell you about a price shopping nightmare.