Too Awkward for Boudoir? Read This.
I always say “if I had a dollar for every time someone says ‘I look really awkward in photos’ before they book a boudoir photoshoot, I’d be rich!” I’ve also heard ‘I’m not photogenic,’ ‘I don’t know how to pose for this,’ etc. And if you’re reading this, you’ve likely felt something like that before. Lucky for you, I’m here to help.
Look to the Expert.
Like I said before, I’d be rich! Probably 90% of my Muses tell me they typically feel super awkward in photos, and are afraid their boudoir photos will turn out that way too. So this is a very common experience for people, aka you are not alone! So what do they do to make sure they love their photos? They put their trust in the expert.
Hi, that’s me — I’m the expert 😉
As your boudoir photographer, I dedicate myself to researching, experimenting, and creating poses for you. My job is to guide you and direct you through posing, making sure that you feel comfortable and confident that it’s going to look great on camera. I love showing you little sneak peeks throughout the session on the back of my camera so you can see for yourself!
How Does It Work?
Everyone learns a bit differently right? That’s why my favorite way to direct you through posing involves verbal and visual guidance so you don’t ever feel like you’re not “doing it right.” This looks like me, on the floor, describing the pose AND doing the pose myself along with you. That way, you can hear what I’m saying, see what I’m doing, and mirror me while I’m doing it. This by far has been the best way for my Muses to feel confident going into a pose, because you don’t have to try to imagine what I’m telling you to do, you can see me doing it along with you.
And rest assured, if there’s anytime you are not comfortable doing a pose for any reason, we’ll skip it! Trust me when I say I have plenty of ideas to choose from.
How to Prep for Posing
You’ll hear me remind you this many times leading up to your session, but stretching is so helpful in preparing for these bendy poses! Your boudoir photoshoot is full of fun, but I won’t lie, it’s a workout. So making sure your body is taken care of by doing some light stretching, staying hydrated, and getting good sleep will go a long way.
A lot of clients will also mention two specific body parts when it comes to posing fear: hands, and face. They’re actually a lot easier than you think, and one of them you can practice in the mirror beforehand if you want!
Hands are tricky little things sometimes, but usually they just need something to do; run through your hair, hold a prop, pull a strap, caress the chest. I just give you a little action to do with your hands and they look great!
You can totally practice “posing” your face in the mirror at home. People overthink the face a lot, and really you want to look relaxed, and engaged. (Engaged like interacting with the camera, not like the relationship status lol) Something that helps people, especially with the mouth, is to take a deep breath and breath out through your mouth so your lips part slightly. That’s usually a great little pout in the lip that takes your face to a “posed” look. Everyone is different, but I help each person pose head to toe, so there’s no need to worry.
Just to Prove It…
Each Muse in the photos of this blog post are not models. You heard me! These are everyday women who put their trust in me. They let go of fear, and trusted the process. And every one of them has photos of themselves that they can’t get enough of. As they should!! And I want that for you too. You’re not too awkward for boudoir. You’re worthy of having photos of yourself that you love. Let’s do it together.
