photo shoot

I cannot remember if I mentioned it here, but as a "yay masters degree!" present, I purchased a Nikon D80. I am pretty much in love with it. I am still learning how to use it... it is pretty high-powered. Fortunately, the camera is better at taking pictures than I am, so they usually turn out decently. My biggest goal is to figure out how the heck to use it in low light situation. That is the most annoying thing: many scene I consider to be beautiful happen in low light. Eh, I am working on it.

The camera itself came with a 18-55mm lens. Basically, 55mm is almost like actual length while 18 zooms back away from the scene so that you can get more in. Pretty cool. For Christmas, my parents got me a 55-200mm zoom lens and Jon got me a speed flash. Awesome!

And so I went, armed with my lenses, to do my first boudoir photo shoot.



Turns out there is not a lot of known boudoir photography in the Philly area. As I searched around, there were really only two photographers who publicized that they did this type of photography. One was pretty darn ghetto. The other was a pro. She now charges $500 for a 2 hour shoot incl dvd and published photo book of your shoot. She promises at least 70 pictures, I think, with edits... and you can put 30 in your book of the session.

What is boudoir photography? Well, its a variety of things. Some people would consider the classic "pin up girl" style to be boudoir, but it really isnt. There is a place in Philly that does that, hair and makeup and costumes and the works. True boudoir is much more personal. And it usually involves less clothing.

I guess if I were trying to give you an idea of what it encompasses, I would say sexy, soft, classy, and only as revealing as the person wants it to be. You can wear anything you want, though lingerie is worn most often, and you can show as much as you want with one caveat - no crotch shots! Butt and breasts are a-okay though.

One of the most awesome things about boudoir photography is that it is designed to show a woman's natural sexiness. This means you do not have to be 5 ft 10 and 110 lbs. For this style, the curvier, the better! It is all about how the woman feels about herself. Though most woman tend to do this sort of thing for a present to their husband or lover or partner... I would say that this is something every woman should do for herself. It is invigorating and just a whole lot of fun.



So, as I said, I went to shoot my first boudoir shot. I would love to do more.

The subject was a friend who knew that I was interested in trying this out to see if I could do it. She is pretty open and wanted to do it for her husband for Valentine's Day. I would love to tell you who or to show you some shots, but her job kind of precludes her from being public with this sort of thing.

Anyway, we took a Sat and shot for almost 3 hours. I took approximately 500 pictures. I narrowed them down to about 140 favs... and from that, culled about 35 to put into her book. It was exhausting. After that shoot, I wanted nothing more than a nap and a back rub. Who knew photography was that physically taxing?!

My friend is an amazing model and I thought her pictures looked wonderful. She is so beautiful!!!! I lucked out having such a willing first model. We both had a lot of fun with it and I am VERY excited to see what her husband thinks of her book.


Overall, I loved doing the shoot. Bodies are beautiful. It sounds cheesy, I know, but I really believe it. I was not sure how I would feel about seeing a friends' rack... but it was not strange at all. I just felt professional about it. You sort of forget what you are looking at as you try to find the best angles and best lighting. I am pretty sure she relaxed into it also.

I told her I would not shoot her again until she gets pregnant... I REALLY want to do a photoshoot like that. I love black and white photos of pregnant women. Wow, that sounds weird. But I just think they are gorgeous! There is something innately beautiful about a woman's body doing what it was designed for.


So, my dear friends, readers of my pathetic blog... if you are interested, the offer is out there. I would love to do your shoot. You do not have to be topless. You do not have to show your butt. In fact, I wont shoot anything you are not comfortable with. But if you want to do one, I promise it is fun and liberating in a strange bra-burning 60's sort of way. Just let me know. :)