Boudoir Photography

Can you describe your approach to boudoir photography?

My work is very much about moving beyond the traditional approach to Boudoir Photography and applying a more natural and organic treatment to the genre. I tend to think of it as more of a modern style editorial approach to Glamour Photography. I have been shooting editorial stories for women’s fashion magazines for over 25 years and so draw a lot of influence from the fashion and also film projects that I’ve been a part of. I’ll create a series of images that are woven into a story line and photograph the subject at a location such as boutique hotel. I often find this more comfortable for people who are new to all this rather than placing them in a stark studio with blank walls.

I’m very much drawn to authenticity, so providing people with an environment where they are comfortable enough to be themselves is an important part of the process. I tend to shoot most of my portraits either in-studio or at indoor locations such as hotels or houses using natural light. Depending on the season, I also have a selection of outdoor settings in Sydney.

As many people will be new to the experience, I provide step by step on-camera direction and wardrobe advice. Basic portrait sittings for individuals take around an hour. There are extended session to cover more involved setups for Boudoir Portfolios and for various location shoots.

Have you any preparation tips?

Clothing is a personal choice however I recommend wearing an outfit that is going to compliment your physique and work with the overall theme of the shoot. If your aim is to look slim wear darker colours. If you’re undertaking a portrait with a partner consider a look that will work for both of you. If you wear make up, only wear as much as you would during the day. Have your hair cut a week beforehand to give it time to settle. 

Price Guide

Boudoir Portrait sessions for individuals include 75 digital images. Allow yourself an hour. Price for the session and all images $789 + gst.

Boudoir Portfolio sessions for individuals that include 120 images, can take up to 2 hours and are suitable for those wanting additional time for outfit changes and set-ups. Price for the session and all images $1,189 + gst.

Boudoir Portfolio Plus sessions includes a Make Up Artist, 200 images along with more involved set-ups. Allow half a day. Price for the session and all images $1,960 + gst.

Extras

Location shoots at hotels and beaches are quoted on an individual basis.

While some may prefer to retain a very natural look to their pictures, hand retouching is available to give an editorial style finish to the work. Pricing starts at $24 + gst per A4 size image.

All images come individually graded and are usually delivered on-line within 3 business days. There are no additional costs aside from hand retouching (or printing - which you are welcome to have done at cost price by a professional photo lab).

Business Model

It might be helpful to know that I operate as an individual photographer as opposed to a commercial photography studio. In short, this means that there are no viewing sessions or sales people to contend with. You simply receive a full set of images from your shoot for one up front flat rate rather than paying a small sitting fee followed by a separate fee for each image. This saves you having to make difficult decisions about which images you get to keep. This is more cost effective for you and easier for me.

Your work also includes artistic nudes. Can you describe your approach?

For me, fine art and nude photography is a way to celebrate the human body without the usual labels and attachments we carry. In a sense it’s the ultimate expression of freedom. Being nude is the most natural state we can be in but due to things such as cultural conditioning many of us are made to feel shy and even ashamed of our bodies.

It’s important that the sitter feel confident enough to switch the critical mind off, that part of them that is always saying “I’m not good enough, I’m too this, I’m too that”. 

From a creative perspective, much of my work is in black and white. Black and white allows us to remove ourselves from the ordinary. Unlike most other genres of photography there is something uniquely beautiful about loosing oneself in the luminosity of a face or the tonal landscape for a torso. There is also something quite extraordinary about transforming the human body into pure form and shape.

What draws people to undertake a nude portrait session? 

I’ve had people come to me for a wide range of reasons. Some will undertake it as a creative project or as a form of artistic expression - there is a real sense of desire and allure around this type of photography. Some will be doing as a romantic gift for a partner. Others will be doing it for themselves or as an exercise in self-acceptance. Whatever the reason, nearly all come away from the experience with a certain sense of empowerment. Whether intentional or not, I think it’s a way of allowing ourselves the opportunity to feel comfortable in our own skin. 

When did you first start taking nude portraits? 

I studied fine arts at the University of NSW Art & Design in Sydney. Within the course I also studied painting and film making which had a profound influence on my photography. I was later commissioned to create editorial stories for fashion magazines, including Not Just Black & White which published monthly features on nude celebrities. 

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

A lot of the inspiration for my photographic work, not just Boudoir comes from film. I’ve always been inspired by French cinema, particularly from the New Wave era. I love the black and white nostalgic look of Jean-Luc Godard or Truffaut. I’ve also spent a lot of time in France. I find the appoach to art in general thoughout Europe tends to be a lot more subtle and internal than what we see in Australia. Other inspiration comes from painting, particularly artists who use window light such as Vermeer.

Have you advice for women who are particularly body conscious? Don’t you have to be a model to look good in these types of photos?

A lot of the time the thing that draws a person to an image or what they find beautiful about a photo of someone very much comes down to the subjects energy and their ability to be themseleves in the picture. Feeling beautiful or sexy is very much a state of mind regardless of your age or your dress size. It’s understandable that people who have never worked with a professional photographer are going to feel a little awkward at first. I find it does n’t take long though before they start to let go and discover the fun and expressive side to all this.

I’ve been commissioned over the years by magazines such as New Women to undertake nude photo shoots around the theme of Body Positivity. Ironically what we found is that one of the best ways to over come body sensitivity is to actually partake in such an activity. Interesting enough when asked, the hardest part for most people was not the shoot itself but the anticipation.