THE REAL VALUE OF A BOUDOIR PHOTOSHOOT
“From the moment I walked in to my session I had booked, I felt completely at ease, I loved my makeup and felt very beautiful! Dave knew exactly how I wanted my shots and made the whole time fun.
I started the session just wanting underwear shots but was totally comfortable with topless,
I would recommend this experience to anyone who is considering booking, beautiful surroundings and a fantastic day will be in store,
Many thanks I absolutely love my photographs xx”
DON’T EXPECT MIRACLES
Great Boudoir Pictures don’t just happen, they take planning, work and effort.
Imagine being in front of a total stranger and all you’re wearing is next to nothing. It can feel terrifying.
It takes time to relax. This is normal. Some studios schedule their photoshoots according to a period of time, such as one hour or two hours and, of course, this allows studios to shoot multiple clients a day and make more money. Yet, this is doing you a great dis-service. What if you’re nervous? What if it takes you a little more time to relax in front of the camera?
Whilst 2 hours is a reasonable minimum for a boudoir photoshoot, sometimes it can take longer. This is why we will never schedule more than one shoot a day.
We would advise you to not book a boudoir photoshoot if you only have a few free hours in your day.
Clear your schedule for this.
Take the day off.
Get someone else to do the school run.
You’ll be glad you took the time out to do this with no distractions.
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF A BOUDOIR PHOTOSHOOT?
Make no mistake, Boudoir Photography is a pretty big investment.
How big?
Think in terms of big screen TV, iPhone, Holiday big.
No reputable studio will be able to stay in business by charging a couple of hundred pounds photographing Boudoir. It’s far more likely to cost around £1000
So what makes a boudoir experience so valuable?
Well, first of all, not all Boudoir Studios are equal. A photographer with plenty of experience dealing with Boudoir clients will be more valuable than a novice, just starting out. Unfortunately though, the overheads of running a business will be just the same. A novice or an expert will both need professional equipment and a location to photograph you in. So, though the overheads to running the business may be the same, the expertise may be very different.
REMEMBER, EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Boudoir is an intimate and often, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Finding someone with plenty of experience is so important.
Knowing how to relax a client in front of the camera, how to create flattering pictures of different body shapes, how to pose, how to light and how to communicate. These are all skills which take time and experience to acquire.
We’ve been photographing Boudoir for 20 years and have learned a lot during that time and we’re still learning. (Every body is different with individual needs and it means that every photoshoot is unique)
Our Portfolio contains 1000s of pictures of our clients and many dozens of reviews from clients about their experiences. Our experience is what you’re paying for when you book a Madison Bou Boudoir Experience.
YOUR FINISHED PICTURES SHOULD ALWAYS LOOK NATURAL AND FLAWLESS
Have you ever seen a picture that just looks over photoshopped?
Like, the skin looks a bit plasticy? Look closely and you’ll notice the complete absence of any skin texture. You see this effect on instagram all the time. These are what people call ‘filters’.
essentially it’s a uniform blurring of the skin. We used to do this in our work when we were starting out. Over the years, though, we have mastered the art of photoshop to the point where our skin-work is a lot more natural. You’ll look fresher and cleaner, like you’ve been drinking lots of water and getting lots of sleep and just had a relaxing holiday. This is the look we achieve for our clients now. Not something totally artificial.
It’s taken years to learn this craft.
THE REAL SKILL OF THE BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHER IS TO MAKE YOU FEEL SUPER CONFIDENT AND RELAXED IN YOUR OWN SKIN
This is the most important part of what we do.
You don’t want to feel uncomfortable in any way during your photoshoot.
It’s a daunting prospect, being photographed with very few clothes on in front of total strangers. You’ll look scared on camera. That’s your worst ‘camera face’ and you’ll hate those pictures unless we can help you to relax and enjoy the experience. Natural laughter, flattering looks - This is what we’re after. We don’t always arrive at that point at the same time. For some people it takes half an hour, for others it can take a couple of hours to really feel comfortable.
From the moment you first contact us, we do our best to be as informative and approachable as possible. We communicate a lot during the lead up to your shoot to the point where you’ll feel like you know us pretty well by the day of your shoot. The more special you feel, the more comfortable you will be and this will result in better pictures for you.
In fact, everything is about you. This is your special day and we go above and beyond to make you feel pampered and indulged.
Have a look at what past clients think about their experience HERE
A BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHER’S WORK SHOULD DISPLAY VARIETY AND CONSISTENCY
Boudoir photographers can use a variety of different locations to create your photoshoot and while location is not a true indication to the quality of your end result, you should ask yourself if the location is the kind of place you’ll feel comfortable in.
Over the years we’ve photographed Boudoir in so many different places and all have produced spectacular results.
We’ve photographed everywhere from cold, ‘white walled’ studios to exclusive, elegant hotel suites.
We’ve photographed in clients’ houses and in outdoor locations, such as waterfalls and woods.
Whilst it doesn’t really matter where your photoshoot takes place, you should consider the type of photographs you want. Would you like to go outdoors or in an elegant location? Contemporary or classic styling? Would you feel comfortable in the photographer’s house or in your own home? There are so many options and your Boudoir Photographer may not be able to offer what you want.
We change where we photograph often so we can keep things as fresh and different as we can. No location is bad for boudoir. We have the experience to turn any space into a fabulous place for your pictures.
When choosing a Boudoir Photographer, have a good look through their portfolio of past work. Does it show a variety of clients and a variety of ideas? Does the portfolio look as though it was created over a number of years? Do the clients in the portfolio look comfortable and natural? (They may be dramatically posed, but do they look comfortable doing it)
Remember, a photographer’s portfolio will only show the absolute best work. Is the absolute best work good enough for you? You may not see loads and loads of pictures. Conventional wisdom says leave a client wanting more and don’t give them too much or they’ll get bored. We didn’t pay much attention during the ‘marketing 101’ lectures and have decided to go a little overboard with the amount of pictures we show on our website. We have thousands of pictures featuring 100s of clients and you’ll never have the patience to view them all. However, we want you to know that all our clients get great images and that they have a huge variety of images taken. We want you to know that our work is consistent and every single client ends up feeling (and looking ) like a ‘model’ for the day.
We really believe a boudoir photoshoot is so much more than just the pictures.
It’s an investment in yourself.
It’s taking the time to tap into your feminine, sensual side. An opportunity to truly accept yourself for who you are. That ‘perfectly imperfect’, desirable woman with the power to achieve anything.
A Madison Bou Boudoir Photoshoot will last for decades and, for you, the pictures will be priceless.
… A Holiday Tan, and iPhone or a Big Screen Telly … Not so much!
