Before Boudoir: What You NEED To Know
General
Let’s Un-complicate Things
Booking your boudoir shoot can be an intimidating thing. There are so many things about it that might seem overwhelming at first. What do I wear? How do I get in shape? Why are they doing my makeup for me? Where can I take lessons in posing? How do I know what I should know, and how do I know what I already know?! Is there anything more complicated?
Well, the LSATs maybe. Those seem pretty complicated.
Okay, but really. We’re sure you have a lot of questions before you come through our door. And there are actually some things we would like you to know before we put you in front of the camera. Fortunately, nothing about our process is that complicated. And here’s another surprise: you probably already know everything you actually need to know prior to the shoot.
Still, there is a certain confidence that comes with knowledge (knowledge IS power after all). So what we would like to do here is present a little primer of five things you should know before you come in for your shoot. You might recognize these from our welcome email, but we thought they were important enough to address in a full blog post. First impressions mean a great deal, and we want to make sure you have the best first impression possible!
While this will serve as your introduction into boudoir, we have a ton of resources available for you if you have more questions. Everything from why boudoir costs what it does, the how and why of our makeup process, to a history of boudoir and the technical aspects of our photographic editing phase. So dig in! There’s a lot you can learn!
The First Thing You Should Know Is… You!
No, we’re not getting metaphysical here. Although, we absolutely do believe in knowing yourself through and through, body, spirit and mind. What we want to focus on here is you knowing your body. More specifically knowing that your body is perfect.
You know those memes you see floating around that say something inspiring followed by ‘read that again.’? Okay, bear with us, but this is one of those moments.
You and your body, are perfect, exactly the way you are. Read that again.
You and your body, are perfect, exactly the way you are. Read that again.
A lot of times, we see a lot of stress around looking ‘perfect’ for a boudoir shoot. Our clients want to diet and get in shape and make sure they have completely symmetrical vastus intermedius. That last part might be a little exaggerated. And again, while we totally promote whole body health and mind, and think eating right and being active are important, you already look perfect for a boudoir shoot. You do. No, you don’t need to slim down five more pounds, or go on a celery water cleanse for two weeks. Those things won’t help you look amazing for your shoot.
Because you already look amazing. We believe that. And we want you to believe that too.
Plus, there can actually be some downsides to crash dieting or excessive exercise right before a photo shoot. If you make big changes to your diet, activity or sleep habits right before a boudoir shoot, it can impact your mood and energy as your body adjusts to the new ‘operational standard’ you’ve created for it. Basically, your body will expend energy adjusting to your diet and exercise, and that will take away from what you can put into the shoot itself. And believe us, you’re going to need your energy: ‘cause we have fun. Like, so much fun.
But What If I Don’t Feel Perfect?
Well that brings us to the next thing you should know before your shoot: your confidence level. And, surprise! You already have exactly the right amount of confidence! Who knew?!
Alright, we promise this isn’t just a fluffy cheerleading section. Although, to be very transparent, we absolutely love cheerleading for our clients. And we’re going to do plenty of that when you’re in front of our lens. You absolutely will feel like a SUPERSTAR (cue Mary Catherine Gallagher pose.)
No, but seriously, you really do have plenty of confidence already to do a shoot with us. If you’re nervous, then one of two things is probably going on. And fortunately, we have a pretty good remedy for both.
One thing that might be occurring, is you feel underprepared. Those ‘oh crap, the test is tomorrow and I didn’t study’ feelings. But, that’s why you’re here, in our blog. To strengthen your knowledge, and therefor strengthen your confidence. And like we mentioned earlier, we have plenty of resources we send you prior to your photoshoot to help prep you, and even more on our site to help with that.
Did you also know that being nervous about something means you care about it? It’s true!
Did you also know that being nervous about something means you care about it? It’s true! Think about it- when was the last time you felt nervous right before brushing your teeth? Probably never, right? Why would you- it’s not a particularly exciting event in your life. But we’re willing to bet you got a little nervous just before a big presentation at work, or skydiving, or a big date.
Being a little nervous- or a lot nervous!- means you care. It means what you’re doing is important. So don’t worry about your nerves. They don’t mean you don’t have plenty of confidence. They just mean you’re excited. That you care. We care too.
I’m Not Sure… What to Do With My Hands
Aaaaaand… pose! Did you do it? Did you vogue? Strike a pose? Greta Garbo and Monroe?
Yeah, more good news here, you don’t have to know any advanced choreography or super special poses before you come to us. In fact, we’re pretty well versed in not only teaching you how to pose, but also what poses specifically work for the most vibrant, confident boudoir photos. Our recent blog post about the value of a boudoir photo shoot goes into some deeper detail on this, but we’ll give you a recap.
Standard photography poses, and jack-of-all-trade photographers don’t necessarily work for a boudoir shoot. Further, photographers not explicitly versed in boudoir may not know how to direct you through a shoot. Which is where your knowledge as an individual comes in.
You as an individual, how your body moves, and what your boundaries are will all be taken into consideration. Our process is designed to draw out your most striking, sexy inner-beauty.
If most photographers don’t know how to direct your posing, we absolutely don’t expect you to know this either. Again, that’s part of what you’re paying for. We are going to teach you, practice with you, and gently guide you through the whole process. You as an individual, how your body moves, and what your boundaries are will all be taken into consideration. Our process is designed to draw out your most striking, sexy inner-beauty. Even if you aren’t sure just yet how to access that, we are going to help you.
So if you have any fears about knowing what to do in front of the lens when you get here, you can put those to rest. We’ve got you covered. You already know everything you need to know about posing. Only really sure how to rest your head in your hand and smile? We’ll start there. You’ll look and feel like a professional by the time we’re done!
Yeah, But Gas is Like… Really Expensive. What About Boudoir?
Look, we won’t beat around the bush, boudoir is a bit of an investment. But it’s most importantly, an investment in yourself! And as we have discussed in previous blogs, we don’t believe in bait-and-switch: price transparency is important here. You’ll know at the end of your complimentary consultation exactly what your financial commitment will be.
If you’ve got a budget, we can probably work with it. Accessibility is important to us. Critical, really.
Here’s the thing, though. If you’ve got a budget, we can probably work with it. Accessibility is important to us. Critical, really. Everyone should have a chance to experience boudoir. Every woman should be able to find out what our cameras see in her. That’s part of our mission. And we make it a priority to find ways to work within everyone’s budget.
So why don’t we just post a price list? Well, because every shoot is different, and everyone orders a slightly different package of photos. That’s also part of the experience: it is curated and individual. You only get exactly what you are looking for! (Although we like to think the results are going to exceed your expectations.).
That said, no matter what kind of an experience you are looking for, we likely have a way to make it accessible. We offer a number of different payment plans, most zero interest, and can work with you on what deposits you put down. And, we work with payment intermediaries like PayPal, which often have their own payment plan options, as well, that may work best for you!
Look, money is a little sensitive- we get it. But trust us: we’ll work with you. You’ll only pay for what you want.
And, Me. You Should Know Me.
Hi, I’m Kerri! I take cool pictures, and stuff!
Well, actually, not really ‘and stuff.’ I am a practiced and experienced professional in a very specific art style of photography: boudoir. The empowerment and celebration of women is a mission and a passion, and I am excited to bring it to you through my photography!
There’s a lot to get to know about me. Ask my siblings- they’ll tell you. But I’m sure there is just as much to get to know about you, too! And that’s important to me. It’s an important part of my process and the experience you get when you book with Boudoir by Cipriani. I want to get to know you. Genuinely! By getting to know each other better, we can do amazing things.
For one thing, I’ll be able to craft a better, more individual and more intimate experience for you. I’ll get to understand exactly what you are looking for out of your session, and how I can bring that to life. We’ll also build some trust. It’s a lot easier to be open and expressive with someone when you’ve already gotten to know them a little bit. Think about it. When was the last time you draped yourself across a chaise lounge swathed in silk in front of a complete stranger? Right?
We’re all about breaking down barriers at Boudoir by Cipriani, and some of that starts as soon as your consultation does. We’ll get to know each other. We’ll build an environment of trust and comfort. Before you know it, any of those last remaining nerves you’ve been holding on to are going to turn into excitement.
You Don’t Need to Take Notes
At the end of the day, this isn’t a test. It isn’t something you have to cram for, and make sure you remember how many isosceles triangles fit into a standard octagon. You don’t have to study or prepare a bibliography.
You already know what you need to know.
You already know what you need to know.
And if there are still some questions floating around in your mind- and there probably are!- we have a lot of resources right here to help answer some of those questions. Really, though, the best way to get the answers you’re looking for, and empower yourself with more knowledge, is to book a consultation.
Like we said, we know this can be kind of intimidating. And it sort of seems like the thing you need to remember a specific choreography or set of instructions for. It really isn’t. Not because there isn’t a lot of work that goes into boudoir- it’s just that we are the one’s who do the hard stuff. All you have to do is bring your best self and be excited for the experience! We know having a few facts before you get started can really help to create that atmosphere of trust and excitement, and hopefully this has helped.
But you didn’t need our help. You know everything you need to. So give us a call, and let’s take the next step together!
