I wrote a blog post about boudoir tips a few years back. Here it is again for those that missed it.
You’ve booked your session, now what? Here are some Boudoir/Pinup tips to help you prepare for your upcoming session.
What do you wear? What should you bring? Let’s break it down, from head to toe.
Hair ~
Hair is not included in your session. But it can be! If you’d like to add it to your session, just let us know. If you want to do it yourself, or have your own stylist do it, that is fine too. For boudoir, you want something soft and touchable. Something that we can fan out on the bed, or have fall from one side to the other. If you are coming in for pinup, you are going to want to have a very styled hairdo. Finger waves, pin curls, the classic page boy style, those are all great choices.
Face~
Makeup is included with every session. We bring in a professional makeup artist. Makeup for the camera is different than what you would need for everyday life. So, it may look like too much to you, but please trust our makeup artist. The end goal for all involved is to make you look as good as possible. Sometimes we include adding false eyelashes. These look amazing in camera! As we are shooting, we will probably ask you to smile for some, and to not smile for some. Not everyone can pull off the serious look. I, myself, look mad when I try. So, we’ll try both in the beginning and go from there.
Body~
This is the big one! Everyone has at least one part of their body that they don’t like. Please be sure to tell us what that is, but along with that, tell us what you think your best features are. And tell us what his favorite parts are. While we are shooting, try to remember that we have seen it all. This session is about you, your beauty, and us helping you to see that. Don’t curl up and try to cover up. Trust us to pose you the way we need to in order to bring out your best features. If you are pear shaped, we will help to enhance your bust. If you are apple shaped, we will help to give you some curves. If you have amazing legs, let’s show them off! If we feel that a pose does not flatter you, we will not proof it. We are not afraid to try something new, but if it doesn’t work, we are not going to try to force it. So, if we change positions or poses, it does not mean you are doing something wrong. Not every pose works for every woman!
When choosing outfits to bring, don’t just think about bras and panties. Check out some corsets, oversized sweaters, teddies, miniskirts, his favorite shirt or jersey, Bring a good supportive bra. Nobody likes the girls hanging low! Padded or a pushup bra can help out those with smaller chests. Thigh high stockings and/or garters always look great. But get them a size or two bigger so they do not cut into your legs and cause bulging at the top. Check out the outfits in our boudoir , curvy boudoir, and pinup boards on Pinterest.
Feet~
Your toes (as well as your fingernails) should be either fully polished or not polished. Please don’t come in with polish all chipped. This does not look good in photos, and we will not edit that out. High heels, boots, big chunky socks, they can all be added to your outfits. Just remember that delicate, strappy heels look much better than chunky wedges or bulky platform shoes. The right shoe can help to elongate your legs. Socks can look good, but they also can make your legs look shorter.
Accessories – feel free to bring along anything else that you want for your shoot; jewelry, his tie, a guitar, a hat, anything to help make your session fun.
Your Input~
We welcome new ideas, poses that you like, etc. Just remember that you will not look like that photo. Even if your body shape was the exact same, there are so many different variables that come into play, such as lighting, camera angle and settings, and zoom length of the lens. We will put our own spin on it.
In the end, we hope that your shoot is something that you look back on and smile. We hope you have fun trying something new, stepping outside your box a little bit. And we hope it empowers you. All women are not created equally, but they can all be beautiful.
I hope some of the boudoir/pinup tips above help you while you are planning for your session. If you have other questions, please feel free to give us a call or shoot us an email.