I firmly believe that everyone should be able to get great pictures of themselves in the best light possible and if they choose for those photos to be more intimate in nature that is their choice. This applies to men too. While women have boudoir photography, the male equivalent to boudoir is called dudeoir.
The Three Subgenres of Dudeoir
Dudeoir can be broken down into three subgenres.
Masculine
Feminine
Comedic
The one you chose will be largely based on your personality and the reason he/you are interested in having a dudeoir shoot in the first place.
Masculine
In my opinion, the masculine subgenre is the complement to boudoir for the average man. If I had to sum up masculine dudeoir I would use the words strong, powerful, and intense. Think classic male model or underwear model photos.
Good outfits for a masculine dudeoir shoot include suits, jeans and t-shirt, underwear, towel, or nothing. Just do me a favor and make sure it’s a new pair of underwear.
Direct lighting is often used to accentuate the musculature and facial features. Top down and side lighting are two I see often with this subgenre.
Now let's talk for a moment about posing. My number one tip is to pose in a way that helps show off your/their most masculine trait, the muscles. On average, men are more muscular than women and a lot of guys are proud of the time they put in at the gym.
Feminine
With that said, not every man is super masculine. Which is where a softer more feminine style of dudeoir may suit them better than the more masculine style I talked about above. The feminine style is akin to classic boudoir just with a man instead of a woman.
Unlike with the masculine subgenre, silk and lace are on the table when it comes to embracing your feminine side. I specifically see a lot of silk robes used for feminine dudeoir.
Soft lighting is the name of the game here. You will generally want to avoid the harsh shadows that direct lighting produces.
For posing you can use a lot of the same poses that you would in a boudoir shoot. Think pointed feet, soft hands, and dreamy expressions.
Comedic
A subgenre in dudeoir has been for men to pose in the same manner as women, but with an exaggerated aspect resulting in photos that can be on the outrageous side yet super fun. The point behind these photos isn’t to mock boudoir photography, it’s to produce fun images that show off the man’s sense of humor.
Where things get really fun is with the outfits. I’ve seen lumberjack outfits, daisy dukes, mermaid tails, and even cut off overalls. I’ve even seen a guy wear a spider man outfit.
Lighting for the comedic subgenre can range from direct lighting to softer lighting. The main concern is to get a well balanced image because the outfits and posing are telling the story.
When it comes to posing, I have seen a lot of dudeoir photos in this subgenre that use pinup posing (see my article here) to great effect, especially with some of the outfits that are more outrageous and fun such as the lumberjack or mermaid outfits I mentioned above.
Final Thoughts
If you want to do your own dudeoir shoot, think about the style of shoot that fits your personality best. Is it fun and comedic, masculine and powerful, or softer and more feminine? Whichever style you choose, remember to relax and have fun.
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