Loosening Up

Photo by gré-Kelly Segré

When you are working with a boudoir client for the first time it is very important to get them comfortable right away.  With wedding clients you would normally have a huge warming up period, you meet with them, talk with them on the phone, email, shoot an engagement session and then the wedding day comes and you have already spent and invested a lot of time with these clients.  With boudoir photography it is completely different!

You are bringing a total stranger in front of your lens, a professional photographer’s lens for the first time in most cases.  When you think about it, the only professional photos most of your clients may have ever had may have been their wedding pictures or maybe even just their school portraits!  Boudoir photography is about capturing their inner and outer beauty and usually in a pretty short time-frame.

You really need to keep it fun, light-hearted and full of energy in your shooting space.  If something is not working right then definitely do not show your stress in any way to your client.  The last thing they need to feel is the stress of trying to “get it right” because once that look of worry sets in, it is twice as hard to make it go away!

Try different things to loosen them up, music is something that can always help take someone’s mind off of their worries.  Be social, talk about fun stories from boudoir sessions in the past or ask them about themselves and get them to open up about something funny that has happened to them.

The goal is to always have a fun session and leaving your clients with a feeling of joy and delight!