Preparing For Your Boudoir Shoot
8 Tips On How To Prepare For Your Photoshoot!
So, you booked your first boudoir session and now you’re wondering “How do I actually get ready for this experience?”. Or maybe you’re on the fence about booking in, and you’re simply looking for more information. We wanted to put together our top tips in helping you prepare for your boudoir photoshoot session!
Boudoir can feel mysterious and daunting if you’ve never done a photoshoot like it before. Every person carries insecurities about themselves, their body, etc… so when you’re considering taking your clothes off in front of a stranger, it can feel pretty intimidating! But believe us, we get it. We both know what it’s like to be on both sides of the camera, and we promise you that nerves are 100% normal. The baggage we often carry around about our bodies isn’t something that will just disappear overnight, but we can take steps towards healing our relationship with ourselves and reprogramming the way our brains perceive our bodies. It’s an incredibly powerful thing when you allow yourself to be seen (really seen) by another person, and to let them shed light on how they (and the rest of the world) view you.
So, have a read below of our top tips to help you best prepare for your amazing boudoir experience!
1. Do the things that make you feel sexy/beautiful/confident
In the week or two leading up to your photoshoot, it’s a fantastic idea to do the things that leave you feeling confident about yourself and your appearance! If you like having a fresh hair cut or getting your roots done, having an eyebrow wax, getting a manicure/pedicure, or even just taking some extra time for self-care each day, it’s great to schedule those things in the week before your session. This allows you to feel your best in the lead-up to your shoot! If you want to undertake any hair removal, it allows enough time for any lingering redness to disappear. But please know that when it comes to boudoir, the most important thing is to come exactly as you are. If that means doing things like waxing or shaving your legs, that’s great! If those things aren’t for you, that’s 100% fine too! Our boudoir sessions are a safe space for all bodies, and we want you to feel like a million bucks.
People sometimes feel as though they need to get a tan before doing a photoshoot. This definitely isn’t the case! All skin tones are beautiful and look amazing in photographs. It’s just about your personal preference and what makes you feel fantastic. If you do intend to use a fake tan of some kind, we recommend using tanning methods that you’ve tried in the past and that you know work! We also suggest doing any tanning at least 3-4 days before your shoot so that the tan has had time to properly settle.
2. Prepare the right way for professional hair & makeup
It’s best to arrive with a cleansed/exfoliated and moisturised face, with no makeup on. For your hair, please have clean (e.g. from the morning or day before) and completely dry hair, worn down, with no dents from hair ties etc. This provides the best base for our hair and makeup artist to work their magic on the day!
Moisturising the rest of your body is also a fantastic idea - it can make your skin look soft and radiant, and eliminate any dry patches of skin (e.g. around the elbows, knees, feet, etc).
3. Plan your wardrobe
Although many people think of boudoir as being about wearing lingerie, it really can involve anything when it comes to wardrobe options! Boudoir is about celebrating what makes you you. It doesn’t matter if that’s lace lingerie, a snuggly sweater, Doc Martin boots, or literally nothing but a white sheet… it’s totally up to you! We’ll always offer a wardrobe consultation session as well so you can talk through what options you might have, or get suggestions on things that generally work well. But it’s just about finding things that reflect your personal style and your personality.
We recommend bringing a range of outfits (typically between 3-6), so that we have different options to work with on the day. You might want to buy some new items for the shoot, or you might want to pull out something that you know and already love! Both of these are fantastic choices. It’s just important to find clothes that fit you well, and that you feel comfortable and confident in.
It can be a great idea as well to cut tags (e.g. size tags, or care instruction labels) off items where they might be visible, as they can stand out in photos!
Some people also love to bring accessories to have with them on the day. This might include things like hair pieces, jewellery, shoes (heels, boots, etc), stockings or knee-high socks, some of your partner’s clothing, or any other sentimental items you might have that you’d love to incorporate.
It’s also helpful to have a think about what to wear for when you arrive on the shoot day itself. Wearing loose-fitting clothing is best if you can, so that you avoid having any indentations or marks in your skin from things like tight bra straps, the waistband of jeans, tight socks, etc. It’s also good to use a clear (not white) deodorant on the day, just to avoid any white marks on your skin/clothing.
4. Engage in self care
Drinking plenty of water, getting a good night’s sleep, and having some food that will offer you energy beforehand can all be great ways of ensuring that you start the day off feeling your absolute best!
5. Get comfortable with your team
We’re both here for you every single step of the way! If you have anxieties, fears, or any worries about the shoot, let us know! You can always schedule a call with us to talk things through. After you book in for a shoot, you’ll also receive a pre-shoot questionnaire which allow us to help design the perfect shoot for you. It helps us understand what you’re wanting, what you’re comfortable with, if there are any parts of yourself that you want us to focus on or to focus on a bit less, etc. But the more you communicate with us, the more comfortable you’ll feel.
6. Connect with others who have been where you are
While communicating with us can certainly help alleviate some of the initial nerves, it can be a fantastic idea to connect with people who have already been exactly where you are! Head over to our VIP Facebook group, where people of all genders hang out and support/empower each other. Many people in the group have done their own boudoir photoshoots, and we often post testimonials that they’ve written about their experiences! It can be a brilliant way of helping quiet some of those final niggling anxieties.
7. Focus on your WHY
We feel that this can sometimes be the most important thing you can do in preparing for your boudoir photoshoot. Take a bit of time to think about why you’re doing your session, and what you want to get out of it. Many of our clients want intimate portraits to share with their partner as a gift (whether it’s for a birthday, anniversary, engagement present, etc). Those are fantastic reasons, but it’s also great to think about what this experience means for you. We often like to focus on two questions: What parts of your body do you like/love? What parts of your body do you want to like better? Boudoir can be such a transformative journey, and it’s often one that can challenge you to view yourself in a completely different light. Some people might find the experience confronting but therapeutic, others might find it surprising and confidence-building, while others might find it to be an amazingly fun day out. Some people might experience all three of these things. But as you prepare for your boudoir shoot, have a think about what this experience means for you and what you hope to get out of it.
8. Last but not least… remember to relax!
This will be fun, we promise. So take a deep breath, and know that you’re going to have an absolutely awesome time!
