Boudoir photography is an art where the body is celebrated. It captures the subject when they’re most vulnerable, yet most strong. If you’re wanting the empowerment that comes with a boudoir photo shoot, I will always recommend getting one done. However, it’s not something you should do on a whim! To prepare for a boudoir photography session takes a little bit of planning, work, and effort. The prep work is nothing too tough, but the results will amplify your beauty.

Prepping Your Outfit

This is what comes to mind first for every girl: “what am I going to wear?!” While it’s the most fun part in some ways, there are some rules to keep in mind to follow. I have three previous blog posts talking specifics on what you should wear to your boudoir photo shoot; I wrote each one depending on which style you’re wanting to go for.

The first post in my three-part series talks about the comfy/casual look in boudoir photography. The second post talks more about the risqué, sexy attire; this one may seem obvious for a boudoir session, but there are still special guidelines you want to adhere to for the best shot! In the third and last post, I focus on attire for curvier, plus-size ladies. In that post, I go into detail about how we can flaunt all that you’ve got in a tasteful way.

The best way to prepare for the wardrobe for any boudoir photo shoot is by being thoughtful, finding what works best for your body, and following the advice in the aforementioned posts. Those guides will help you decide which style is right for you. Every body is different and unique!

Glowing Skin

While you may be beaming on the inside with confidence and strength, we want your skin to glow in the same way! Complexion is a big deal– not just in everyday life, but especially in a photo shoot with a camera capturing the light that will be shining on your skin! There are a few tips to take away in order to prepare your skin for your boudoir photography session so we can get that perfect picture.

First of all: hydration is key. It’s a rule of thumb (for your health in general) to drink at least eight glasses of water daily. To prep for your photo shoot, I recommend drinking at least this much if not plenty more beginning two weeks before you’ve booked your session. Our bodies need water and does miraculous things for our skin.

Secondly: adding extra fruits and veggies to your diet will also help your skin shine more like the sun! I’m not endorsing a total change of lifestyle, like adopting a vegan diet (unless you already are a vegan.) Simply switch out snacks high in sugar or fat for healthier options like grapes, carrots, apples, bananas or granola bars are good examples.

Lastly– and this is a big one!– MOISTURIZER! This may seem the most obvious, but some women don’t already have a daily moisturizing regimen. If this is the case: find a moisturizer you like and works for you, then begin using it daily… Especially the day of your shoot, ladies!

The Little Details

Amid all your primping and prepping for your boudoir photography photo shoot, there are a few considerations to remind you of. These little details are important to produce the best photo possible.

1. Waxing: This one is simple. If you’re going to get a wax, get it done at least a week in advance. This way, all the bumps and blemishes from the wax itself will have settled and gone away.

2. Makeup: For the day of your photo shoot, don’t come wearing any makeup at all. My makeup artist specializes in stylizing for boudoir photography. She will know just how to enhance your beauty! We want you to come clean-faced without any makeup. We also prefer clean and dry hair. This way, my makeup artist will be able to do the best job possible in making you look as sexy as can be!

3. Tanning: Now, this last little detail I want to include totally goes against my previous belief; but I love a good spray tan. Yes, that’s right: I’m endorsing getting your spray-tan on! To be clear, I don’t believe in getting into an actual tanning bed for health reasons. But the contrast of a freshly sprayed-on tan brings excellent contrast and vitality to your photos. My favorite company is Glow St. Louis. Lauren, the owner, does an incredible job making sure the tans look even and natural. She uses a product that will bring out the natural highlights and undertones of your skin. Also, it doesn’t have that funky “tan smell”. Book a spray tan with Lauren a few weeks before you need it, then have a session within a day or two of your boudoir photo shoot in my studio.

The “Do Nots”

Along with these ideas on good ways to prep for your boudoir photography session, I have a few suggestions on what I think my clients should steer clear of.

The first “do not” may seem to go against a previous recommendation mentioned in this post, but it doesn’t! While moisturizing is wonderful, I highly suggest not getting a facial done within a week before your session. The only exception to this rule is if you are someone who gets facials regularly. My reasoning is this: after you get a facial, oftentimes all the the yucky stuff in your pores comes out over the days following the procedure. Since we don’t want any gunk showing up in the pictures, stay away from the facial all together– just in case!

A second suggestion on what not to do before your shoot is limiting the intake of a few things that can really affect the health of your skin. Such things would include the following: greasy foods, alcohol, and caffeine. I’m not saying you should completely abstain– only to avoid these as much as possible a couple of weeks leading up to our session.

That being said, my last “do not” is one I stress with great care: don’t worry about dieting. Especially any crazy diets! My job is to help you celebrate your body the way it is and accentuate its’ perfect, unique beauty. You are fierce and gorgeous just as you are! I will capture that on camera and the product will be great– without a fad diet!

I love to celebrate each and every body through the art of boudoir photography. Each body is special and to be thankful for. With the tips I mentioned on how to prepare for your boudoir photography session, I know you’ll be all set the day of our photo shoot!

Contact me here to set that up.  Talk to you soon!