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Doing your own boudoir shoot is an excellent way to show off your sexy side, either for yourself or a partner, and have a little fun while you are at it. That said it can be a little overwhelming. Here are 6 tips to help you get the most out of your DIY boudoir shoot.
Plan your Shoot
Use Natural Light
Get a Tripod
Pamper Yourself a Little
Clean Your Lens
Enjoy Yourself
Note: While primarily written for self-shot boudoir, most of these tips will come in handy for couples shot boudoir as well.
Plan Your Shoot
If you want to get the most out of your shoot you need to do some planning. This is one of the biggest predictors of success in my opinion.
Pick a date and time. You will want some time to prepare before your shoot, two to three weeks would work well depending on how elaborate you are going with it.
Research poses. The more options you have when it comes to poses that you can try, the more likely you will find one that works for you and your situation. You can search on Pinterest, boudoir Facebook groups, and Instagram. You can also look up boudoir photographers’ websites and check out their portfolios for ideas.
Decide on the outfits you are going to use. Make sure everything fits and the tags are removed before your shoot.
Use Natural Light
You don’t need a fancy light setup for a DIY boudoir shoot. You don’t even need to use the flash on your camera or your phone. The light coming through a window can be more than enough for you to get good DIY boudoir shots. Watch the video below by Micheal Sasser to see just what you can get with natural light.
Get a Tripod
Is it possible to do your self-shot DIY boudoir session without a tripod? Sure. You can get creative with how to place your phone or camera. But, getting a tripod will make it go a lot easier. If you are using a phone you will want a phone mount too.
A camera remote will also help make your shooting go a little easier. If you are using your phone a Bluetooth remote is what you will want to get. You can use the timer function on your phone/camera instead, you will just have to get up and hit the shutter every time you take a picture. The one thing to know about using a remote is that you will need to hide the remote otherwise you will see it in the pics. You can hide it in your hair, in your clothing, or under your hand.
Alternatively, you can enlist a trusted friend to help you out.
Pamper Yourself
Pampering yourself a little before your shoot so you feel your best is a great idea. You can go to the salon, get your nails done, and/or get a nice facial treatment while you are at it.
One thing you need to be aware of though is don’t get anything you haven’t done before. Only get spa treatments or services that you have gotten before and haven’t had an adverse reaction to. Likewise avoid spray tans the week before your shoot.
Clean Your Lens
Before you start shooting there is one extremely important step you need to perform. Clean your lens. Especially if you are going to use your phone. The last thing you want to happen is to find your photos are a little soft when you see them on a monitor or printed out because your lens had a smudge on it. So take a soft cloth and clean your lens.
Enjoy Yourself
Remember to take your time and enjoy yourself. Throw on some music, have a glass of your favorite wine handy, and/or a box of chocolates. I’m a big fan of Lindt Milk Chocolate Truffles myself! You could even shoot a quick selfie to tease your partner with if you are doing your shoot as a gift.
Final Thoughts
Boudoir can be a lot of fun, especially if you do-it-yourself. That said it does come with it's own challenges and the biggest among them is a steep learning curve.
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