How to choose a boudoir photographer

So you’ve decided that you’re ready to have your own boudoir photo shoot. That’s wonderful, and I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun!

But if you’re not sure how to choose a boudoir photographer then your next step may seem daunting. So let’s simplify this by looking at five factors that I believe are important in choosing your photographer.

You may be asking yourself the obvious question - why should you listen to me? So let me outline my bonafides. I established Christchurch’s first boudoir photo studio way back in 2019. I’ve photographed many, many women. I’m one of the most experience boudoir photographers in the country. And the women I photograph rave about their images, the experience, and how the photo shoot made them feel.

Do you like their work?

Every photographer - like every artist - has their own way of approaching their work. So take a look at a photographer’s published portfolio and see if it matches with what you have in mind for your own view of what you want.

Some photographer’s work looks sleazy, others may feature many outdoor shoots. Another photographer might favour super saturated colours. Yet another may only work with young women. Find a match between your expectations and their portfolio.

I favour a classic, art approach to boudoir photography. It’s almost always black and white, stylish, with real expressions of real women.

Will you still look like you - on your best day?

A few years ago a friend of mine had a glamour photo shoot, and I couldn’t recognise her in the photos. Everything had been so manipulated, so smoothed away, that it looked like an AI woman, and not my friend.

More recently, a boudoir client showed me a few photos from a recent shoot with another boudoir photographer. I looked at the photos, and I looked at the woman in front of me, and I couldn’t recognise her in her photos.

Boudoir photographers like to use terms like “empowerment” and “body positivity”. But, if you can’t even recognise yourself in your photos, then how positive, and how empowering, is it really?

You’ll want to be able to look back at your photos in years to come without cringing, and without wondering if you really did look like that.  I tell my 20- and 30-something clients that they will love to have their boudoir photos when they turn 50, and 60, and 70. And two of my clients in their sixties had photo shoots to celebrate who they are now, and proudly hang their framed photos in their home.

Styles - in clothing or in photography - can be called classic when they stand the test of time. My editing is designed to be timeless. It will look like you, on your best day. If you like your photos now then you’ll enjoy the images in decades to come.

Do the women look real?

This also relates to the previous point, of course. But let’s move on.

It’s easy enough to hire beautiful models to create a portfolio. And it’s easy to get great photos using models - it’s their job, after all. And that’s all you will see in some photographers portfolio.

But, you’re probably not a model, and probably don’t personally relate to photos of models.

So check out the photographer’s portfolio. Are there a variety of women in the portfolio? Are there images of women of differing ages, and of differing sizes? And do the photos of these women all look like real women on their best day?

I’ve photographed women from their 20s to their 60s. And I’ve photographed women of different sizes, different levels of flexibility, and differing levels of confidence. My aim is to capture the best of every woman in front of my camera.

Does the photographer have any reviews?

What do their clients think? Any well-established boudoir photographer should have reviews from their clients available. That way you can gain an insight about what it’s like working with that photographer.

On my testimonials page there are reviews from clients, from 2019 - when we first opened - up to now. Most of these reviews also have a photo of the woman who wrote the review, showing the images they liked. It’s not difficult to gain good reviews. All a photographer has to do is make their client feel comfortable, let them enjoy their experience and take some great photos.

Does the photographer want to incorporate your ideas into the shoot?

Some women research their photo shoots and have a bunch of ideas they want to try out for their shoot. Other woman come to their shoot trusting that the photographer knows what they are doing. But if you have ideas, then they should be used in your photo session.

I’ve photographed several women for their second boudoir shoot, simply because their first photographer wouldn’t listen to what their client wanted. I view a photo shoot as a collaborative process. If you have ideas that you want to incorporate then I’m all for that. Let’s get you the photos you want.

Thanks for reading this far. If you have any questions then please email me and I’ll get back to you quickly. And if you want to book a shoot, have a no-obligation phone consult, or a Studio Tour, then please fill out the form below.

Some links: our portfolio of women we’ve photographed. Our portfolio of women over 50. Testimonials from our clients from 2019 to the present. Our pricing page.