Gaining popularity among brides, Boudoir Photography is thought to be an intimate yet a fun and playful experience - but what is it really about? Liesl from Claris Photography shares with brides (and grooms) her thoughts around the Boudoir concept and what it means to her........
The idea of Boudoir Photography is as old as it is new. It's been around for a long time but recently has received much attention. As it relates to Wedding Photography, it is usually meant to be a photography session the bride participates in prior to the wedding and in turn gives the groom on the wedding day in the form of an album or prints. This session can be scheduled before or after the wedding but most of the time it is completed several months prior to allow time to order products (i.e. albums and enlargements). Once in a while, it is scheduled during the "getting ready" phase of the wedding day but this is not ideal.
I have found it to be one of the most profound and amazing gifts a man could ever receive from his soon-to-be wife based on the comments I heard after the fact. It has drawn the attention of women of all ages and even couples as a gift to each other. (I have even had a client who was inspired to do this as a 25th wedding anniversary gift for her husband)
Because of the intimate nature of this type of photography, it is imperative that the client feels a good connection with her photographer. As a female photographer, I feel this factor helps to ease the tension and allows a stronger trust and comfort level during the session. When I am first contacted about doing a Boudoir session with a bride, I want to know what style of imagery would she like to produce for this session. At this point I ask for several samples of what she has in mind either torn from a magazine or sent online in an email. From these examples I will learn the client's style and use my own creativity from there. I usually recommend that the client hires a stylist to do hair and makeup prior to the session and then to stay during the shoot to work closely with me during outfit changes to freshen up and/or change the look for variety's sake. I work inside and outside, weather permitting, based on the client's comfort level to produce a range of images in various lighting situations in about a 2 hour time frame. It can be done at the client's home, a hotel, my studio, or any location of her choosing depending on the style.
This photography session can sometimes take bravery and courage on the part of the bride-to-be but it is truly appreciated on the receiving end. To give the gift of oneself is intimate and one-of-a-kind. There is no way to compare this to any other. I have never heard any complaints from any groom-to-be ...............EVER! It is worth the effort and time in every way and with careful planning and communication with the photographer is a very fun and adventurous experience.
Liesl from Claris Photography just wrapped up an engagement session with a couple planning to get married next June. When she shared her photos with us, our jaws dropped and couldn't believe that this happened right around the corner. Check out what Liesl had to say and how she worked with the couple to bring their ideas to life!
Kristen and Dan will be getting married next June and wanted to get started by doing an engagement session for a "save-the-date" photo. Kristen is the manager of an art gallery and has a very artistic eye. We shared ideas ahead of time and Kristen's input was essential. Dan was incredibly patient and willing to go along with our sometimes bizarre ideas. I loved that Kristen had done her homework and used tips she learned on postures and poses she liked - The "Broken" look she was after which totally worked in some shots. This was a perfect example of the "Collaboration" concept I like to convey before and during photography sessions.
The locations were all very close to their home on the lake and careful consideration had been taken to determine outfit changes to maximize our time. However, we realized at one point that Dan didn't have the perfect shirt so it seemed only natural that we should ask him to take it off entirely. He didn't skip a beat and removed his shirt just as a jogger went by. And, ok so maybe an orange couch in the middle of someone's driveway is a little out of the norm but its all about the art! (We also noticed halfway through the security camera zooming in on us.
Mostly, Kristen and Dan were very forgiving people and hopefully weren't offended by my habit of opening my mouth as words tumbled out without consideration (like telling them their boat house reminded me of the ice pick scene in "I Know What You Did Last Summer" or asking to use her lamp "Hey, how about if we use that dorky lamp you have in the bedroom?". Maybe it wasn't ok to ask if she had a hard time finding a date to her Senior Prom in that purple dress she wore
I learned a few lessons along the way which always seems to happen. At one point, probably because Dan and I were giving her a tough time (in a fun way), Kristen started to second guess herself on one of her ideas. She hesitated and thought maybe we should skip it and I said "NO WAY...You had the vision so we're going to follow it through even if it doesn't work out!" I told her we should just try it...that we can't go back now. And while the shot we may have been after wasn't exactly how it was supposed to go down, the images that happened before and after were some of the most powerful of the day. Just goes to show a concept that happens all the time if you keep your options open...Sometimes the journey along the way is WAY more interesting than the destination.