Occasionally I'll dream up an idea that needs one or two client guinea pigs in order to see if I'm crazy or creative. I don't think those two terms are necessarily mutually exclusive, but I think that YOU, my clients, would be a bit more hesitant to hire me if I described my work as 'crazy' :) 

This current move into my creatively crazy experiment had to do with a photo series I saw that involved body paint. Once I saw that series I KNEW I needed to try using body paint during a session. 

Of course I knew nothing about body paint and I'm pretty sure my studio's security deposit would go up in flames if I managed to get paint all over the beautiful hardwoods. Regardless, I'm a risk taker... plus I found out that body paint comes off with soap and water, which makes it easier to work with than mascara and eyeliner. 

I'll spare you the rest of the details and just show off one of the first peeks into this session: 

I LOVED incorporating body paint into this boudoir session. I loved it so much that I convinced my next client to partake in the body-paint experiment, too! 

Creative... crazy... whatever. This was so much fun!

Love,

Sarah

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First off... if you missed Part 1, you can catch that here. 

Secondly, this series is so much fun to write about! The feedback has been great! It's common to imagine that you're the only one panicking over a specific question that you might have about boudoir. Luckily, I can promise you that you're not the only one getting the nervous shakes over the possibility that you will have to get naked! 

One of the most hilarious stories that I have from what I will call "the naked assumption" is when a client of mine showed up SHAKING in her rain boots obviously avoiding eye-contact with me. As I tried to get her to look me in the eye just ONCE I finally threw my hands up in concession and asked her what was going on. In my mind I could swear that she was about to flee my studio because she thought I smelled, hated the setting, or needed to SUPER go to the bathroom. It was only after I practically shook a confession out of her that she finally blurted out:

"PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME GET MY VAGINA PHOTOGRAPHED!!!!"

After a brief pause followed by a little laughter (ok, a LOT of laughter) I assured her that I would never make her line up a Glamour Shot session for her vagina. Most of my style of boudoir is about suggestion and not capturing images that I could sell to a textbook on female anatomy. 

This outfit was borrowed by the client from my studio's closet! You can borrow whatever you'd like as well...that way you're not having to purchase lingerie!

Speaking of suggestion, your wardrobe (or lack of wardrobe) plays a huge part in your boudoir session. This brings us to misconception #2:

You have to buy an entirely new lingerie wardrobe for your boudoir session.

1. One of the last things that I would want you to panic about is the idea that you’re going to have to shop for lingerie and be subjected to hours of trying on bras and body-suits in awful lighting, on days when you’re bloated, and when you’re over exhausted from life itself. Let us help you.

2. Did you know that by 'us' I mean my team? The benefit of having a dedicated team to help you guys out is that you can leave the wardrobe stress up to us. We will shop for you (or WITH YOU!) if you’d like. Do you want our recommendations? We’ll send them over. Is there a specific look that you want to try out but have no idea where to find it? We’ve got you. Do you want help in picking the best items from your closet? We can do that too! I feel like someone needs to write a jingle for us titled “We can do that and we can also do that and that and that!”. 

3. Circling back to the idea of pulling items from your own closet, what I mean is that we can help you pick out items that you already own that would be perfect for boudoir photography. We've got the eye and the experience to know what works well, and how fun would it be to see that black blazer in a COMPLETELY different way. Purchasing items for your boudoir session is not necessary. We can even make your nursing scrubs look hot :) 

4. While you do not have to buy lingerie/clothing for your session, If you do want to treat yourself to a few new items then I would recommend spending money ONLY on what you love. Buying a piece because you “love the front but hate the back” is a terrible investment. You basically paid full price for half of a thing. Stop that. 

5. Photoshop is a TERRIBLE tailor. Along the same lines as the 'buying half of a thing' problem, if you are purchasing items for your session then please only buy items that actually fit. I know that you found a great deal on that 80% off of 50% off silk-gown and the fact that it is now -$5.20 is a plus, but does it FIT? More than fitting, it needs to fit well. Clothing that is too big, too small, or pulls in the wrong areas is not worth it, even if the store is basically paying you to purchase it. Revert back to your closet and let us help you. If you aren't sure about how lingerie should fit at all, take a trip up to Anna Bella Fine Lingerie (our favorite!) or another fine lingerie store and have them measure you. There is no need to purchase, but sometimes just knowing WHERE a corset should fit will make all of the difference.