Often, when we think of boudoir, it conjures up a very specific way of being photographed. Clients have told me about previous experiences where manicures and professional makeup were mandatory, and wardrobes were encouraged to fall within strict beauty standards. There are countless boudoir posing guides online where your back must arch at a precise angle relative to the bend in your elbow to create “sexy” photographs.
The thing is, we don’t do that here!
How do we differ from 'traditional' boudoir?
Although some of our photos may have the aesthetics of traditional boudoir, we approach the session with a few key differences that deeply changes the experience:
- The experience is collaborative.
- The experience is client-led.
- The photographs are for your gaze, first and foremost.
- What you wear (or don’t wear), hair, and makeup are entirely your choice.
- We focus on feeling sexy for yourself, rather than being sexualized for someone else (and that’s only if you even want to create photos that make you feel sexy!).
- One size never fits all. We are about defining your own personal kind of amazing.
- We don’t hyper airbrush or make digital changes to bodies – we are trying to move the needle beyond narrow beauty standards.
- Personal discovery, self celebration, body acceptance and documentation is often the goal
What is a client-led experience?
Throughout this article, I’ve included photographs from a recent session to illustrate what a client-led experience actually looks like when it all comes together. Here’s how a typical photo session progresses.
It all starts with a phone call
This initial chat is the perfect opportunity to throw around ideas and get to know each other better. For the session featured here, we talked about my client’s interests, and some beautiful ideas naturally began to emerge. Their favorite books, records, and quotes felt like the perfect direction. We discussed how to incorporate these personal elements into the shoot, along with clothing and color palettes.
On the day
We all feel different from day to day. This is not about turning up to perform; it’s about going with what feels right in the moment. When you arrive (and after hair and makeup, if you choose to have it), we sit down and chat a bit more about the approach for your session. Sometimes this involves narrowing down our initial ideas or expanding on them to make sure you get the most out of your time.
No forced posing
Because these sessions are collaborative, we work together to find movements that feel right for your body. This can take a lot of experimentation and quick peeks at the back of the camera to see what you are loving and what feels most like you. I will absolutely guide you as needed, but often, it’s your natural, unprompted movements that look the most incredible and just need a little refinement.
A safe space for every body
Inclusivity and body acceptance are two of the main reasons that this photography experience was created.
We work mostly with transgender, non binary, and female clients to build confidence and celebrate uniqueness right here in our West Adelaide studio.
Spending your session trying to replicate what you think you should be doing, eg. replicating beauty standards – will likely mean your experience will not be very rewarding. Tapping into what you genuinely love – your style, colours, hobbies, and creativity – is what creates meaning and results in a deeply authentic (and stunning!) portrait.
