Photos by Kim Hill and Seductively You

Clients often ask me what is best to bring – either because she doesn’t own much lingerie and needs to go shopping, or because she has drawers and drawers of lacy underthings and needs help choosing the best of the bunch.  You know the saying, K.I.S.S., well I decided to put a little spin on that today.  It will now be known as “Keeping it Simply Sexy” cuz that’s what really works best when it comes to choosing your wardrobe for a boudoir photo session.  A brassiere and coordinating panties are all you really need.  Honest!  But you can take it just a step further and complete the look by adding a garter belt, stockings, shoes and jewelry.  Below is a terrific example of keeping it simple and sexy.

This one outfit can go a long way towards a multitude of poses, whether that’s on a bed, on the floor or even on the vintage couch.

Black is a really great option as it looks good on everyone.  But if you have other colors, that’s even better because it will show more of your personality and give you a few different “looks” when putting together your little black book.

Not sure what to choose?  The sales associates at Victoria’s Secret have always been very helpful whenever I’ve stopped in.  Even if you don’t buy your items there, they can do a proper bra fitting and help you choose pieces that will flatter your figure.  Then you can take that knowledge with you wherever you ultimately end up shopping.  There’s a list of suggested retailers on my site if you’d like to browse online.  When you’re ready, drop me a note and we’ll set up a consult.  Until then…

By now you know that I’m super excited to be doing boudoir photography more frequently. It’s awesome to see a woman come to that moment of realization that she really is beautiful. But today, I wanted to share with you some of the 5 lies we tell ourselves to NOT do a boudoir photo shoot, and then I will counter those lies with comments.

1. “I need to lose 10 pounds.” This is so not true. Posing and clothing choices play an important role in how you look on camera. I’ve had a few clients who came in not long after giving birth and they all protested that they still had some baby weight to lose. Well guess what? That baby weight never showed in their photos because they wore outfits that fit well and flattered their figures, and I posed them in such a way as to accentuate their assets. By drawing more attention to the parts of the body that you like, you automatically take attention away from the parts you are not as thrilled with. So losing 10 pounds isn’t really going to make a difference.

2. “I’m too shy and nervous to do it.” That’s okay. This is something you’ve probably never done before and it’s perfectly normal to be nervous. Most clients opt to have professional hair and makeup applied so that first hour here in the studio is usually a great way to ease into your session. And then we’ll take the first few photos with whatever you’d like to wear…it could be a beautiful dress or even a t-shirt and jeans. We don’t have to go straight to lingerie if you are not ready to. I promise that by the end of your session you will feel a lot more at ease and those nerves will have melted away.

3. “I don’t want my photos posted online.” Privacy is very important to me. I understand that the photos may only be for you, or for you and your significant other. And there is no reason why your photos would have to be shared online if you don’t want them to be. If you DO want to share them, I’ll have you sign a release and YOU get to choose which ones to share. If you choose to share none, that’s perfectly acceptable.

4. “I’m not in a relationship so I don’t have anyone to give the photos to.” Do it for YOURSELF. It is really the best gift you can give yourself because it will boost your self-confidence. You will start to see yourself in a different way…..less guarded and more empowered, less critical and more beautiful. Remember, your first relationship is with yourself.  So why not embrace that?! You deserve it.

5. “I’m committed to God and it just feels wrong to flaunt myself in this way.” Now this one may be a touchy subject for some. Here’s the thing, though. I really think that God would be okay with a woman having tasteful photos taken for her to share with her husband. When you are in a loving and committed relationship, I think it’s acceptable.

There’s only one thing standing in your way…YOURSELF. 🙂

This is the 3rd installment of my boudoir sets series of posts.  You can find the first post HERE and the second post HERE.   This week I’m sharing the vintage yellow headboard set which is very sweet and demure, perfect for brides and other “light” colored themes.  Sometimes I will use mosquito netting as an accent, other times I’ll use white curtains.  Both look really pretty.

For those of you who prefer to do a themed boudoir photo shoot, I have a few other options for you.  One of the most popular themes is sports.  You would bring in props for whatever sport you’re interested in.  I’ve had women bring football gear, jerseys, baseball gear, and even golf balls.  The more “stuff” you bring with you, the more pulled together the theme will look.  I had one client bring in boy short panties with the team logo on one side, a pair of striped knee-high socks, a jersey and a football.  She totally rocked her football themed session on a simple white rug.  Another theme I have available is the naughty school girl/teacher.  I provide the chalkboard, desk, books, apple and glasses.  And if you are able to fit into my costume (shown below), you can use that too!  Otherwise, bring along your own favorite outfit and we’ll use my other props to pull it all together.  One last popular theme I’ve done a is the mechanic’s garage.  I provide the cement wall, gray tarp and tires, you provide the tools and outfit.  If your session happens to be during the summer, we can even move out to the garage to take a few shots of you tinkering under the hood of your car.   And don’t think we’re limited to these three themes…feel free to share your ideas with me and we will customize a session for you.

As I mentioned last week in my Boudoir Sets – A Series post, I’m in the process of putting together some mini storyboards showing the various boudoir sets available for you to choose from.  Every client is able to select two sets for her session.  This vintage blue couch is by far the most requested set I offer.  It looks great when paired with the white flokati rug I mentioned last week.

If you like a darker look, I do offer black satin sheets as well.  This set is the least popular, but still creates an amazing look when paired with the right clothing.  Anything that will pop is preferred – white, red, or pink for example look amazing.

I still have more storyboards to share soon.  In the meantime, if you’d like to see a new set added to the selection, please feel free to contact me to share your thoughts and ideas.  I’d love to hear what you’re dreaming about.

Over the coming weeks I’m going to share some mini storyboards I’ve created showing a little glimpse of the various boudoir sets available for you to choose from.  Every session has two sets of your choice.  The first glimpse is at a fairly new favorite of mine, the white headboard on gray wall with white bed linens.  Very pretty and works extremely well with a variety of outfit colors.

Another client favorite is the ivory flokati rug.  You’ll often see the rug making a cameo appearance in the bedroom sets, or sometimes in front of the vintage couch.  But I absolutely LOVE shooting on the rug with no other furniture too.  Take a look:

Next week I will share two more storyboards.  In the meantime, if you’d like to see a new set added to the selection, please feel free to contact me to share your thoughts and ideas.  I’d love to hear what you’re dreaming about.

Long distance relationships can be wonderful, but also rather complicated and sometimes it is challenging to keep that spark flickering as months go by.  This amazing woman created a memorable gift for her special guy, something he really was not expecting at all…but was quite pleasantly surprised to receive.  LOL  Take a look at just a few of my favorites from her boudoir photo session:

Are you in a long-distance relationship that needs a little spicing up?  Message me by clicking the “book a session” button below.  There is still a little time left to schedule for a very sexy Valentine’s gift!