What to Wear for Your Photo Session! Part Two: For the Boudoir Babes
Yesterday I talked about how to prepare for family photo sessions in terms of outfit choices and how to coordinate so that the entire fam bam looks amazing (see that post here), and in today's post I want to focus on wardrobe choices for my ladies' boudoir sessions!
Boudoir doesn't have to be you all in lingerie! I want to showcase who you are as a woman, and make YOU feel beautiful first and foremost! These sessions are often done as gifts for partners, but I also want to make sure that I'm focusing on YOU and making you feel like a queen! You deserve to feel confident and sexy, so focus on finding one outfit (or prop!) that is true to who YOU are and go from there.
Shopping for a boudoir is a fun experience, and I recommend buying a few options to work with. Pulling from your current closet is also a good idea, but because you will be getting all dolled up for this experience, it's nice to #treatyoself and buy something new. During our session, we will have time for about 3 outfit changes, so I want to make sure we incorporate what is important to BOTH you and whoever you are doing the photos for.
So, my top three recommendations for outfits would be:
1. Bring something that leaves something to the imagination and is more covered up, so to speak. This could be a men's button down shirt (i.e. one of your partner's favorites), a body suit, a sheer or more exposed dress, etc! The possibilities are endless here. We will always start in an outfit that is less risqué and more covered to get you "warmed up" and feeling confident! I am a huge fan of body suits as they can cover up areas we women are often self conscious about (cough cough, tummies) but can still be super sexy! I also really like it when my clients have cozy sweaters/sheer shirts to tug and play with, much like this gorgeous gal below is wearing.
2. The next outfit I would recommend having is what I would call a classic lingerie piece that YOU feel sexy in. This could be a bra and panty set or a negligé or something that basically you can TELL is lingerie. Corsets, thigh highs/stockings, and garter belts are also fun touches to use here. And you can get as scandalous as you want (are comfortable with!) in our shoot!
3. The last outfit I would try to have, is something that speaks directly to YOU and who you're doing this shoot for. This could be just a prop or accessory (are you or your spouse a musician? How about a guitar? What about a mask to add an element of surprise and unknown? Doing a bridal boudoir? How about just a veil? What about JUST a tie? Maybe a fun fur jacket... or just a really awesome statement necklace. So many options!)... let your imagination run wild here!
Here are some general tips and suggestions for planning your outfits:
Make sure the outfits you're going to wear look new or barely worn... this is the time to splurge on yourself! We don't want things that look super worn in. Also be sure to take off all tags and cut off visible labels (carefully!) because we don't want them to distract from YOU at all!
Don't forget accessories and shoes! Heels are going to be your new BFF. Look for ones that make your legs look nice and long (kitten heels will photograph short so be aware of that). I would bring a few pieces of jewelry too; they can add a fun pop and be a nice thing for your hands to play with while shooting.
Be sure to try on everything BEFORE you come to our session. Make sure you feel comfortable in it and like how you look in it! You likely will be a little uncomfortable wearing it to get your photo taken, but you should think you look good in it first and foremost!
Some good places to shop for your Boudoir Session are:
Journelle (which can be good for lingerie inspiration!)
and even places like Target, Amazon, and Kohls!
Once you have booked your session, I will also send you an email of how to prep for your session; which will include reminders to take off tags, ensure the bottoms of shoes don't have price tags on them or look dirty, to be hydrated and eat before!, and so much more. This session will be like a fun party where you and I listen to music and I basically worship YOU for being absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful.... you won't want it to end, I promise!
