"Why am I reading this, I thought about a boudoir session but that's SO NOT ME..." Literally, 80% of the clients I work with say this exact thing!
Lots of ladies are interested in a boudoir session for either themselves, a gift for someone else, or just to boost confidence; but they are worried because they have preconceived notions that they HAVE to be a certain way to book a boudoir session. Not true, at least with my boudoir sessions that I do. Most ladies who come through the door, first thing they say to me is "I'm so nervous", lol, and typically I'll laugh and say "why????" because I want to hear what you are worried about. We'll talk for a minute or two about why you are coming in for a session, what your outfit choices are, and who you are individually. Here are a few bullet points for what to expect from your boudoir session from me and what I need from you before and during the session to make the best of your experience and your photos!
1. Comfortable + Confident
I want all of my clients to feel comfortable and confident, the only way that is going to happen is if you are 100% real with me. Don't come in the door and try to act like someone you are not, because I don't, ever. I want you to come in, say hi, and have a seat and we will talk about you, your personality, why you are here, what outfits you brought, and of course we will still talk about your insecurities. My studio is actually like a living room/bedroom combination so it feels very comfortable for my clients to come in and do these types of sessions. There is NO expectation to wear skimpy outfits if you don't want to, there is NO expectation to act/look a certain "sexy" way, there is NO expectation other than to be yourself and I'll guide you into fun poses that work for your body type and personality. I've had ladies come to the studio wanting to pose in sweaters and they ROCKED it, like seriously, and I've had ladies who want to do topless who were super uncomfortable to start with and we captured some really tasteful gorgeous images! So, what I need from you... honesty, openness, and bring your confidence with you. You may not feel confident to start, but I want your goal to end feeling on top of the world about yourself and what you booked!
2. Expectations
Before going on any further, I want all of my clients to know that while I COMPLETELY love the fact that you have inspiration photos you found on Pinterest or ideas from online I cannot replicate and will not replicate specific photos from other photographers. I encourage you to send me up to ten inspiration photos that you like (at least 3 or 4 coming from the galleries I present online) prior to the session so I know what expectations (if any) you are coming with. It takes up so much time having to pose "exactly" like the model you are showing me on your Pinterest board and most times it doesn't work out that way. My sessions are very flexible, fluid, and most times start off VERY slow to get you comfortable and then towards the end you'll be posing like a super model (at least with the confidence of one!).
3. Outfit Choices + Changes
Lots of my clients aren't sure what to bring, wear, or how many outfits they want to have. I try to include outfit choices in accordance with the time of your session. Meaning for my 20 minute mini sessions you will only have enough time for one outfit but will still get TONS of photos because we can still go through many of the typical poses but without that time to change. My 45 minute sessions you'll only have time for 2 outfits. The first outfit will typically be 15 minutes and the second outfit 20 minutes allowing for 10 minutes to change (which is a long time but its in there fore that changing if you need it). For a one hour session I say that you can typically have up to three outfit changes but most of my clients have time for only two, which is honestly PLENTY. Its not the outfits that you wear in your photos its how you wear them. I recommend neutral colors, but obviously if you love that hot pink teddy thats totally fine, but for my style I love blacks, gray, beige, whites, tans/nudes, etc. So, with that being said, think about quality over quantity in terms of the outfits you want to wear. Find those two or three outfits you LOVE that highlight your favorite parts about yourself. You can even email me photos of them and I can tell you my opinions on them!
4. Online Gallery + Editing
Every session comes with an online private/confidential gallery. You will be able to view your images within 10 days and download all the images. I am a shoot and share photographer, not IPS (in person sales), so ultimately my clients are paying for my time rather than the images they receive. You will pay the flat rate for the session and then whatever images turn out from that session are yours. The number on the pricing/package guide is just based on the average/minimum amount that you will receive but most, if not all, of my client receive way more.... but yep, you don't have to pick with images you want to keep because they are all yours, and my goal is to give you as many as possible from your session. I will give you a variety of the same pose with slight movements. You may not like the side that I photographed and another image with a better look you would rather have, so I keep them both and they are both delivered to you. The images are all edited for color grading, lighting, and minor skin retouching (smoothness/shadows); however if you want any extensive editing such as blemishes, tan lines, liquifying (making smaller) or anything of the like I charge a rate of $10 per image for those images to be edited accordingly. Sometimes those edits take up to 30/45 minutes per image which is why there is a small fee. The gallery is completely private and confidential and there are two passwords to get into the gallery and one download pin to get them all onto your computer. And the images are all high resolution large images which you are certainly welcome to print at whatever printing company you would like, however if you'd like to ensure confidentiality and professionalism I always recommend printing through my online gallery site or through me.
5. Books + Prints
Most of the collections I offer include a book because 85% of my clients are gifting these sessions to a new spouse and want something to take with them. However some of my clients only want the images online which is totally fine and if you'd prefer a collection without prints or a book I can absolutely get you the cost difference for that. I always recommend having a printing product because its nice to have something thats not going to get lost on your computer. Sometimes I offer specials (like for valentines day) where you get a mini session and a smaller 3X3 accordion style book is included as an incentive to book on the days offered (since I book many of them back to back). You are more than welcome to print your images at other companies like I stated in question 4, that you are welcome to print wherever you want but I always recommend through one of my companies because of their professionalism and quality.
So, are you ready to book a session?!? If so please check out the boudoir page again for pricing and package information as well as specials I might be offering. If you have more questions always email me so we can talk about them! I'd love to help with whatever you need to help make your experience with boudoir more comfortable and the images epic!