Boudoir photography is definitely not for everyone. But it can also be such an empowering moment in your life. Boudoir photography isn’t meant to make you feel down and ugly about yourself, It’s meant to help you start the journey of loving yourself. It’s meant to help you feel beautiful. Its meant to help you love your body and all the so called flaws you may see. If you’ve already started that journey, then its there as another stepping stone on your path to loving yourself.
You have a boudoir session coming up and you feel unprepared for you. Preparing for a boudoir session takes time. Like you need to start weeks in advance. But don’t worry because I got you girl (or boy, heck even they…no hate here). As a boudoir photographer, I have compiled a list of what I’ve done personally and have also had clients do prior to their session and every day leading up to the day of their session. Prepping for your session will help you be able to enjoy it and the outcome of the images a lot better. I mean you don’t have to prep at all if you don’t want. it won’t keep you from doing your session. Butttttt its definitely highly recommended that you prep in advance.
Continue reading below to learn more.
Pre boudoir photography session Prep:
Prep Mind, Body, and …Skin
2-4 Weeks before your boudoir session:
STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH. Boudoir sessions can be quite the workout, so you will want to make sure to stretch every day for 2-4 weeks before your session and day of your session. We recommend doing some beginner friendly yoga and soon we will be launching a yoga/stretching guide for you to do before your session. For now, you can search YouTube for great legs, back and arms stretches as well as beginner yoga videos.
Shop for Lingerie. This is very important, unless you wanna be fully clothed which is totes fine. Heck you could even be fully naked if you want. ZERO Judgement here. This can part can be fun, but it can also be daunting as well. There are so many options out there it can be hard to pick what may best work for you.
Here at Red Vixen Boudoir, we are knowledgable in the lingerie department. We kinda have to be considering we photograph plenty of people in lingerie. We know what will flatter body types as well as what would be best to help hide those parts you don’t particularly care for as well as what will work for the camera. Part of your session includes fee includes a wardrobe consultation where we meet with you in person to help pick out up to 3 styles for your session. Soon though we will have our own in house lingerie boutique that you will be able to shop from.
Prep For the mind:
You’re probably wondering why you need to prep your mind? Well again, a boudoir session is not for everyone. It is something you need to be mentally prepared for. If you are in a period of your life where you absolutely hate your body and are unhappy and you are not ready for pictures to be done, then wasting the money on a session will not do you any good. You will then start to feel guilty and then not enjoy yourself or the final images and us photographers want to make sure you absolutely love your images and yourself. That’s why most of us got into boudoir photography. To help women and men learn to love themselves.
So the importance of prepping your mind is pretty high. We want you to come into your boudoir session ready to feel beautiful, get pampered and have tons of fun. Yeah you may be nervous but that is totally normal and acceptable. Your photographer should be good enough to help you get comfortable and be less nervous. If they don’t, then you should look for a new photographer.
- Write daily in a journal 3-5 things you love about your self and why. Inner and outer beauty.
- Say those 3-5 things out loud daily as well. Fully believe it.
- Listen to positive and upbeat things to keep your mood positive and upbeat.
- This is a time for no negative thoughts.
THE WEEK BEFORE YOUR BOUDOIR SESSION:
- Get your hair trimmed, and roots touched up if you have split ends or harsh roots.
- Wax/groom unwanted hair. If you wax, you’ll want to give your skin a few days to settle down before it is photographed. This goes for eyebrows, armpits, and anything that may poke out of your lingerie.
- Manicure/pedicure. Hands play a big part of your photographs.
- Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize! Especially in the winter.
- Avoid tanning or sunless tanning lotions. They do not photograph well! We don’t want to look like an orange Oompa Loompa during your session.
- Prep you’re skin so it’s baby smooth for your boudoir session
THE DAY BEFORE YOUR BOUDOIR SESSION:
- Avoid alcohol or excess salt intake 24 hours before your session. The last thing you want is to feel bloated during your photoshoot!
- Drink LOTS of water. This helps flush away any water retention, makes your eyes look more rested, and gives your skin a healthy glow.
- If you prefer to shave your bikini area, the night before is a good time to do so, with minimal irritation showing up in your photos.
- Get a good nights’ sleep! (Easier said than done if you’re a mom, am I right?!)
THE DAY OF YOUR BOUDOIR SESSION:
- Remove all tags from your lingerie if you’re bringing your own.
- Brush your teeth before your shoot if possible!
- Remove hair-ties and elastics from your wrist. Sometimes they leave a crease in the skin.
- Wear loose fitting clothes/bra to your session. Again, these things leave a crease in the skin. A sundress or sweatpants are perfect.
- Use clear rather than white deodorant. Boudoir posing is a workout, so you may break out in a slight sweat, and white creases are easy to see in your photos and can leave marks on your clothes.
- MOISTURIZE. All over your body. Even the armpits. Don’t ask why, but it looks better.
- Show up with clean hair and clean skin for our beauty team (I’m looking at you, moms! Check your hair for applesauce!).
If you are interested in booking a boudoir session contact me here.