Boudoir FAQ

WHAT IS YOUR POLICY ON PRIVACY IN REGARDS TO BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHY?

I take your privacy very seriously. Permission is always asked to use images from a session on my website, ads or blog so your privacy is guaranteed. A model release will be signed at the time your permission is granted. Your images will only be viewable by you via a password encrypted private gallery.

I FEEL NERVOUS AS I AM NOT SURE I CAN DO THIS..?

Everyone feels nervous before a boudoir shoot but I can promise you this feeling will disappear quickly, you will soon feel at ease and enjoy the full experience. I will always ensure that I work to your comfort zone and personality, creating images that will show your beauty. Please view my Behind the Scene video, so you can get an idea of what to expect during a boudoir photo shoot.

WHO WILL BE PRESENT DURING THE PHOTOSHOOT?

Myself and my  make-up artist will be the only people present during your shoot. You are welcome to bring a friend along, but sometimes an audience can make a client feel self-conscious. If you want to bring somebody, please limit it to one person.

DO I HAVE TO BOOK A HAIR AND MAKE-UP STYLIST?

I strongly recommend having your hair and make-up done professionally, whether by my make up artist or anyone you prefer to work with. Make-up for boudoir is different from everyday make-up. Professionally applied make-up will enhance your features and help you to look your best through the camera’s lens. It will also help you to relax if you feel confident that you look flawless and true to your vision.

I DON’T KNOW HOW TO POSE!

Don’t worry, most people don’t! I will fully direct you into poses that flatter you and I will have visual references to help you visualise each pose. I will also demonstrate a pose and give you easy-to-follow instructions, from how to position your body, to facial expressions and the placement of your hands and fingers. I recommend that you let me know some of your favourite music to get you in the mood during the photo shoot.

HOW DO I PREPARE FOR A BOUDOIR PHOTO SHOOT?

I have prepared a list of dos and don’ts that will help you to prepare for the photo shoot which I can send you once the booking has been made.

DO I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT BEFORE THE SHOOT?

All women seem to worry about the extra pound before a photo shoot but rest assured, it is not necessary. My skill is to enhance your body shape with lighting, poses, angles and clothing that flatter your figure.

WILL YOU RETOUCH MY PHOTOS?

Every image will go through editing and skin smoothing. Light retouching will enhance your look and features. The removal of acne, bruises, stretchmarks, veins and cellulite is part of the retouching process. However, I will not use any sculpting photoshop techniques that will make you look like somebody else.

HOW MANY SETS OF LINGERIE DO I NEED TO BRING?

I would recommend three or four sets of  lingerie – I can advise the type of boudoir lingerie and accessories that will flatter your figure and match your vision for the shoot. I also have a list of lingerie boutiques and brands that I like that you can use to get started with ideas.

WHAT KIND OF LINGERIE OR ACCESSORY SHOULD I CONSIDER?

During the pre-shoot consultation we will go over the different types of boudoir lingerie that will match your vision. I normally suggest négligées, baby dolls, silk dressing gowns, corsets, stockings or hold-ups, dresses, tops, a white men’s shirt (yes, really!), jewellery, cashmere cardigans, masks, stiletto shoes, hats and anything that makes you feel fabulous.

I AM A BRIDE-TO-BE; CAN I BRING MY WEDDING LINGERIE, VEIL AND TIARA?

Absolutely!  For a bride to be boudoir photo shoot I can advise the type of wedding lingerie that will flatter you. 

WILL I HAVE TO POSE NUDE?

It is up to you and I will never push you to go beyond your comfort level. During the pre-session consultation we will cover your comfort level about possible nudity. There are ways to imply nudity such as wearing a sheer top, being nude under the sheets, behind a sheer fabric or lace, which can produce tasteful, elegant nude pictures, if that is what you would like.

WHICH LOCATIONS ARE AVAILABLE?

I like to add variety for my clients to match their visions. The boudoir  photo shoot session will take place either at your home or at a location of your choice. For a luxury experience, I can suggest a choice of boutique hotels or similar. If you would prefer the photo shoot to take place in your home, I would like to view which rooms have the best light. If natural light is not available I can always bring lights.

HOW MANY IMAGES WILL I BE ABLE TO CHOOSE FROM?

It is difficult to specify the exact number of images I will be producing as this will depend not only on the hours you have booked me. However, I will aim to present you with 60 images to choose from which,when viewed together, they will tell a story of the session. The majority of my clients choose a number of images to display on their walls, either as framed prints, or any of the acrylic and aluminium mounted products or an album which will include all your chosen images.

WHAT IS A COPYRIGHT AND WHO OWNS IT?

The copyright is a piece of legislation which is in place to protect photographers against unauthorised copying of their work – In the UK there is no system for registering a copyright – it exists automatically and it will last for the life of the photographer plus 70 years.

I retain the copyright to all my images. However, you will be granted usage rights to get the images reproduced at a print lab for your personal use or to give to family and friends and for social sharing. You are not permitted to sell any images that I have created to third parties, including stock libraries, whether this means a print, a digital file, framed images or finished album.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RAW AND A JPEG IMAGE AND WHAT DOES POST PRODUCTION DO?

Post production is a process that transform images from what were captured in a camera, either to be closer to what our eyes have seen or to alter the image artistically.

When a photographer shoots in RAW the image out of the camera will be un-processed and not the finished product. If you were to try to print a RAW image it will look “soft” (slightly out of focus or lacking details) and the colours will look “flat”. You can compare a RAW image to a negative, that in the old days of film, wasn’t of much use until it was developed in a dark room for the image to come to life.

When shooting in JPEG, the camera will do all the processing on the image for you, whereas, when shooting in RAW the processing is done by the photographer in post-production using software like Photoshop.

Once an image has been edited in post-production with software such as Photoshop, it will look beautifully edited and finished. The editing process is as much part of my artistic and creativity skills as it is the way I photograph.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HIGH-RESOLUTION AND LOW-RESOLUTION IMAGE?

Basically, low resolution images are used on the web and for viewing on your computer screen, Ipad and phone and high resolution images are reserved for printing. Resolution is measured in DPI (dots per square inch). This is the measurement printing companies use to determine how sharp an image is. A dot (also known as pixel) describes the number of points that can be captured by digital cameras. Photos or images used for online or web can be at low resolution (72 DPI) and will look fabulous on a computer screen. High resolution images will need to have between 240 and 300 dpi (dots per square inch) to look clear and detailed, once they have been printed.

If you were to print and low resolution images they will look pixelated and out of focus.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PROFESSIONAL AND HIGH STREET CONSUMER PRINTING LAB?

You may think that you are saving money by having your high resolution images printed by the high street printing lab. I understand how easy it is to “think” that you are getting a good deal with many of these labs but it is until you compare printing between a pro and consumer lab that you can really see the difference. Professional labs offer several options of superior quality of paper, including fine art quality, ink and sizes which are just not available with the high street labs. In addition, they will not be able to handle larger size prints as they are mainly geared towards smaller sizes. At any professional lab a human reviews the images before they are printed on state of the art color calibrated machines and they are trained to make adjustments if need-be. In addition, I can tell them to print as “it is” and don’t retouch anything on a print to print basis, whereas at consumer labs, a computer algorithm is going to decide if my prints are too dark or too light and adjusting the exposure without caring about the artistry that it has taken in creating the image. Like all professional photographers I edit on a colour-calibrated monitor, meaning what I saw on my monitor,after I edited the image, should look exactly the same when the digital file is printed. The creamy newborn skin and overall soft palette that I see on my screen will look completely different if I was to use a high street lab. Sending your prints to a non-pro labs is going to leave you with not only substandard quality prints but inconsistent colour results.

You are investing in my professional skills to get beautiful portraits and, therefore, you are entitled to get the best photography products including pro prints which will be printed exactly as I have envisaged them to be.

WHAT IS A FINE ART PRINT?

This is a term used to describe an extremely high quality print. Fine art prints are printed from digital files using archival, pigment based inks and acid free fine art paper.

An acid free fine art paper will be free of chemicals, including acids, that are normally added to the pulp mix in order to achieve the desidered whiteness. These acids have an adverse effect on paper as over time they cause the paper to yellow when exposed to air and with time may attack the colours on the print causing the image to fade even without being exposed to air or sunlight. Archival quality paper, will last well over 100 years without losing its colour or without fading or changing its tones because it is completely acid free and specially coated to ensure that the ink is absorbed as accurately as possible whilts retaining a vibrant and clear image. The pigment-based inks used on fine art prints, mainly giclée inks, will result in an amazing colour gamut and spread of colours.