Shooting Boudoir can be intimidating. It’s not for everyone, but it’s one of my very favorite things to shoot! If it’s something you want to do, Here are some pointers!

First and foremost, with boudoir even more so than other shoots, remember that the shoot is ALL. ABOUT. YOUR CLIENT. It’s about their experience, and their confidence, and their personality, and their beauty, and their comfort.

It takes a lot of women a lot of courage to just send that initial email asking about boudoir, so your job is to make them feel at ease right from the get-go.

5 tips for doing that are:

1) Give as much info as possible pre-shoot

Over inform them. Go beyond rates and policies. Tell them what to bring, how to prep, give them ideas for how to be discrete if the session is meant as a surprise to a significant other, give them easy to follow directions to where you’ll be meeting, give them alllllll the info they could possibly get stressed about or wonder about.

2) decide what level of coverage you are comfortable shooting, and what level they are planning on having shot.

For me, I’ll shoot anything that instagram wouldn’t take down (meaning, no nipples or nether regions). You can decide what you are comfortable offering, and be sure your clients understand where your boundaries are. (I.e. When I get an inquiry of someone who is interested in a fully nude session, I turn them down and give them a referral of someone I know who does do full-nude boudoir).

*Also for the record, that choice is totally personal to you and your clients. Don’t feel pressure to shoot anything you don’t want to and also don’t feel embarrassed to shoot something someone else doesn’t. As long as you and your clients are always respectful of each other and not pushing or pressuring anyone into something that makes them uncomfortable, you should be all green-lights-ahead!

3) Make the shoot as relaxed and comfortable as possible (play music, be friendly, etc).

Make sure you prepare yourself, so you can have a calm, comfortable, confident presence. Adding ambient things like music can also help.

PRO TIP: A lot of studios are cold! Turn on a space heater or request that the thermostat be turned up a bit before your boudoir shoot.

4) Promote Professional Makeup

Not only does professional makeup make your job easier and the photos even more beautiful as a final product—it makes your client feel special and pampered and extra beautiful which will help her feel extra confident and excited about her shoot.

Find artists I recommend HERE

And read more about Pro Makeup in Photos HERE

5) Book a studio that is good for boudoir

**Meaning: It has pretty furniture, it is private, and it is safe. The furniture doesn’t necessarily have to be a beautiful bed, but check to see if there are pretty sofas, chairs, etc. I’ve shot boudoir at places with gorgeous vintage bed frames, and I have shot at places that have a blow up mattress with a comforter on them (I loved the photos from both—). Just make sure you see what’s available and you feel good about being able to work with what they’ve got before you book the space. (Sometimes you may not even want to use furniture, some of my very most favorite boudoir photos have been posing near a beautiful window, or painted wall.) The privacy and the safety are not optional though. Be sure that you and your clients will have space all to yourselves without risk of unwanted visitors!