Most clients are concerned about how they are going to look in their images. Body image is often number one, but looking sexy in their face is almost an equal concern. “Where do I look? Do I smile? Do I look mad? Am I squinting? ” Let’s face it, staring into a camera lens… well it’s just doesn’t emote a sexy glance on it’s own! This is where it’s so important to be working with a skilled professionals. Three factors are the key. Professional styling, guided posing, and confidence in your photographer to guide you to move naturally.
It really does start with your styling. I only work with exceptional hair and makeup artists. Looking the part is the very first piece in having a successful session. If you feel you look sexy, it’s much easier to play the part.
Typically in my sessions I never ask women to look into camera at the beginning of the shoot. I know it’s intimidating and that the nerves are running highest at this point. Off camera glances, and detail shots are perfect for the warm up frames.
I walk my clients through posing. Micro tweaking their bodies to highlight the beautiful feminine lines. This is the second piece of the boudoir equation. It doesn’t take long for them to realize doing it right comes with a little discomfort. Anyone who’s been a past client I’m sure is laughing right now. A little discomfort is probably an understatement hu ladies?
So, how does posing help me get clients to give me a gorgeous, intense, sexy in camera look? It really comes down to one word. TRUST. Imagine being in a session with me. Having me adjust every detail of your body. Then hearing the shutter click, and my voice, “That’s gorgeous! Perfect!”. Very quickly women start to relax. They get out of their own heads, and just trust what I’m doing. Trust that I’m adjusting them and guiding them to create stunning images. Once this shift happens, I begin to introduce the third and final piece. Free flow posing. Simply stated, free flow posing means movement. Through the many years of shooting boudoir, I would see clients naturally move into perfect poses and expressions when my camera was down. Ding, ding, ding! We do know how to move, and we instinctively do know how to look sexy. It’s the idea of being photographed that stifles us. Get past those nerves, settle the mind, and the body will fall into a sexy rhythm. Now this doesn’t mean I don’t still give guidance at this point! Typically we talk about the pose, and I model it, showing how to move into and out of it. A few practices flows, and it happens.
Simple? Maybe not. Achievable? Absolutely!
