HORRAY! You’ve decided you want to get brave and bold and do something entirely different for yourself to celebrate the woman you are! You may be doing this photo session to find a part of you that you lost, or reconnect with yourself, to celebrate a milestone, or as Samantha from Sex and the City put it, she simply wants to remember how damn sexy she was. 

Whatever your reason is for stepping out of the ordinary to be photographed, you want to make sure you find the right photographer for you. It’s not as easy as finding the first person who has a camera and asking “You have a camera, right? I want a boudoir session, how much?” No no no. The boudoir genre is a particularly delicate one.

You may be feeling vulnerable, nervous, and anxious – all normal by the way, and in order to ease any level of discomfort you may have (mixed with the OBVIOUS excitement), there has to be established trust between you and your chosen photographer, and this will come with your extensive research. 

I’ve made things a little easier and once you have a read through, you’ll be armed with great information to ask the potential photographers you’re considering photographing this epic moment for you.

Ready? Here goes! 

6 Must ask questions before choosing a boudoir photographer!

Check out their portfolio
This is by far the most important factor in selecting your boudoir photographer.
By checking out photographers portfolios, you’ll find a ton of answers to these really important questions:

Does their work resonate with you? As in, do you love the way they will photograph you? For example, if you love moody, in-studio black and white images that focus on the raw emotion of the subject, you may not be interested in bright, golden-hour boudoir sessions in the fields.

Diversity. If the answer to A is yes, Amazing! You’re on the path! Now, does the photographer show diversity in ethnicities, body types, age etc? The photographer should be able to photograph any woman that comes in front of them, and they should demonstrate this in their portfolio. 

Consistency. When we talked about the style, it’s vital that your photographer shows that whatever way they photograph you, it’s consistent. How strange would it be if you came upon a boudoir photographer who showed images of families, weddings, pets and newborns along with boudoir images in one portfolio – wouldn’t you be a bit confused?

What is their retouching policy?
To retouch or not to retouch – that is the question. This actually isn’t the question, but it does open the door to the conversation of “to what extent will your photographer retouch your images?” What do you want to see in your final photo? Do you want to see yourself in your natural form without any retouching? Or perhaps you just want to blitz out blemishes that are not permanently part of your body and your story – such as mosquito bites etc. On the other hand, do you want a heavy handed retoucher to make you look like you just stepped out of a magazine where body warping is acceptable? This is a personal question I cannot answer for you of course, but you can read my Retouching Policy Here.

What is your photographer’s nudity policy?
Just as important as the retouching policy, is the nudity policy. How much skin is too much skin for your photographer? Will they photograph “full frontal” or just implied nudes? You want to know your photographers boundaries, and be firm in your own as well, before hiring a boudoir photographer.

Does your boudoir photography provide a full service to include hair and makeup?
If you choose to have your makeup done, you’ll likely want to know where to go before your session. A lot of photographers take the guesswork out for the client and offer a full service including hair and makeup before the photoshoot. This is something I provide for my clients, and while it’s not mandatory that they have hair and makeup done for their session with me, 100% of my clients have used this service in my business. 

What is the photographers view on privacy?
This is a BIGGIE. I once had a client ask me if it was ok that I not show images of her breasts when sharing her photos on social media. Yeah, that was the same look I gave her. Say WHAT? Should you choose to graciously let me share photos from our boudoir session with my audience, you decide which ones. Not me. THIS. IS. HUGE. Boudoir photography is intimate and as bold and confidence inducing as it is, it’s also vulnerable. Let me say this from the outset – the photographer you decide on should have clear, hard non-negotiable rules where privacy is concerned. You control what images are seen. Period. 

Finally, HOW MUCH! And what’s included and what products do they offer?
While the email with a one liner of, “How much?” can totally irritate photographers, you’re completely valid in asking. (please be kind though, and at least add some salutations!)
I know the ways of the digital world means we should have digitals, but the photographs created during your Boudoir photoshoot are definitely ones you want printed. It’s a time for your celebration, your freedom, your badass – the images need to be printed, so make sure you find yourself a photographer that offers Albums and Wall Art. Trust me, you’ll want to see yourself every day to remind yourself of how incredible you are.

So there you have it Folks! 6 MUST ask questions and avenues to explore before booking your Boudoir photographer! 
As always, email me at hello@aniyaemtage.com with any questions or comments, and Join the Email community below!!

Ciao for now!

Aniya, xo

@images photographed by Aniya Emtage