Many times it’s also in Black and White. Old style poses, black and white photos and definitely the lighting.

This about old Hollywood Style Photos, how they were so glamorous, now get that idea going in your head.

In the old days they couldn’t show a whole lot of flesh, at least not publicly, but in todays world things have changed. But still leave some for the imagination.

Hot lights, such as Fresnels used to be used in old movie sets and in old glamour photography, like from George Hurrell. George Hurrells was to some the godfather of Hollywood Glamour Photography. Check into his style and see!

But back to the Fresnels, they create a different kind of shadow than flash/strobe do. Many use softboxes on Strobe but on Hot light there is no softness about then. Crisp hard edges, very moody when use right. Sometimes only one light is needed, maybe a 2nd will help.

Sometimes an angle change also called the “Dutch Tilt” will also create some “Stress” or “Tension” that has a vintage feel.

Let’s not forget that color can also change things. While in vintage style photography  it was usually in Black and white, doing the vintage style in color can also look pleasing!

The post Vintage Boudoir Photography Ideas first appeared on Boudoir Photography Tips and Poses.

Depth of field, is sometimes used to draw the eyes to another part of the photo, and using curves can do the same thing.

Depth of field or how shallow the depth of focus is , where part of the photo is in focus while the rest is out can play a part in making a view look at other things in the photo.

Image one, the model is in focus on the upper part of her body where at first a viewer is drawn to the nice chest on the model, while the lower part is not in focus. BUT WAIT! What is that going on down there, where it’s not so focused? The secrets of the blur!

Another part of drawing the attention is called Leading Lines. While leading lines are not always Straight lines, some are curves and some are angled. One curve is the arm that leads the eyes to the out of focus area below. Leaving somethings slightly out of focus or out of the field of focus leaves things to the imagination! And some will say is the biggest…aphrodisiac?

While in our second photo we are using the whole body and and the downward angle that lead(leading line) the curve of the butt. It also draws the viewer to look at the “Whole Picture” So to say. The use of curves and leading lines to draw the yes to specific parts is the “angle” here Pun intended.

The post Follow the Curve with Depth of Field – Curves and Leading Lines first appeared on Boudoir Photography Tips and Poses.

Everyone wants dramatic images for their clients. Clients like dramatic images and dramatic lighting. dramatic lighting makes things look , well, more dramatic and that means stunning images. Dramatic lighting brings with it emotional content which is what moves people. Here are some boudoir photography tips for dramatic lighting which will give you great results. One of our biggest tips is to use a single source of light. Whether it’s a single strobe or a single window with the sunlight coming through or simulating the sun coming through a single window for the single light source. A single light source will give the simplest dramatic lighting and some of the setups we’re about to show you are super simple.

Boudoir Photography Tips for Dramatic Lighting

This first 2 images were done with a single light source. The light used was a fresnel hot lamp, the type they used in the old Hollywood glamour style of lighting. These lights were what the movie studios used and it’s what the movie studios photographers used as well including George Hurrell. The light is coming from camera left coming down upon the model as a slight angle in order to give the loop style shadow under and next to her nose. There is also a bamboo plant places slightly off to the side of the light and slightly in front of it to cast a shadow on the edge of the model and as background “drama” or texture. This style of lighting is great for Old Hollywood Glamour Boudoir and is simple and very effective. This is one boudoir photography tip we give everyone who is just starting out: Start with one light, even if it’s a hot light and practice with that and get good with it and then try adding two lights.

Boudoir Photography Tips for Dramatic Lighting

Boudoir Photography Ideas for Dramatic Lighting

The next image was done the same way as the previous two images, except the light was shifted from camera left to camera right and coming across the front of the model to create a different look just by changing the direction of the lighting.

Boudoir Photo Tips for Dramatic Lighting

The next image is done with a single strobe light with a softbox attached to it. The softbox softens the shadows on the wall and on the model and the single light give the dramatic lighting effects. The single light is used to outline the model as well as illuminate. A single light source can also accentuate the body of the body and make it stand out. The light is coming from camera right, behind a wall and in front of and to the side of the model. This is a type of short lighting, lighting where the source of light illuminate the farther side of the model from the camera. It is used to make people look slimmer and to accentuate an outline. The photography tips for this image is short lighting with a single source of light that outlines the models shape.

Boudoir Photography Tips for Dramatic Lighting

The next image is a beautiful shower scene in which it looks as though the model is taking a shower at the break of dawn or during the day. IN fact the shot was taken at midnight. The lighting used was a single fresnel light placed outside of the window to create the illusion of sunlight. This is also a variation of short lighting. The light is illuminating the further side of the model from the camera, thus outlining her figure and accentuating the shape.  The light is a single source coming through the window and gives the illusion of daylight. It is also a diffused light similar to that of a light with a softbox attached. The light isn’t directly hitting the model and is softened to create soft edges but also give hard edge outlines such as on the face, nose and lips. Your boudoir photography tips for this image is not so much blasting the model with light but carefully placing shadows and outlines.

Boudoir Photography Tips

Tips for Single Light Sources

Single light sources are available on Amazon.com. You can get fresnel lights for photography, or single strobe lights and softboxes at reasonable prices. Be sure to check out the rest of our sire for more boudoir photography tips.

The post Boudoir Photography Tips for Dramatic Lighting first appeared on Boudoir Photography Tips and Poses.

Here are some boudoir photography tips for one of the biggest selling days of the year, Valentines Day. Valentines day is the day people profess their love or affirm their continued love for their mate, or they just want to do something awesome for that special person in their life and possibly jump start something in the bedroom. It is one of the biggest selling days of the year for Flowers, Lingerie, Chocolate, Jewelry and Boudoir Photography. Hopefully these boudoir photography tips will give you some inspiration and ideas for next years Valentines day.

Boudoir Photography Tips and Props

Here are some boudoir photography tips for props for the Valentines Day boudoir sessions you will be shooting. Be sure to have on hand some boxes of chocolate or have the client bring their own. Have plenty of roses on hand or have the client bring their own. Some of the roses may have the petals pulled off and placed on the bed for prop and effect. Red and White Lingerie is also a great set maker for Valentines day sessions.  Also have some Red Satin Sheets(available at Amazon.Com) available for the set, if you are doing studio sessions on a bed. Red and red satin the colors of love and the bedroom if you know what I mean. If you are shooting in the studio is may be wise to have several sets of these sheets and change them after each client. Actually red Satin Sheets are good to have anyway if your shooting boudoir.

Boudoir Photography Tips On Styling The Photograph

Styling the photograph for valentines day should be somewhat easy, but when we get into the studio sometimes we have a momentary lapse of memory and draw a blank. These boudoir photography tips for styling the shoot will make it easier, just think about the props being used: Candy, Roses, Lingerie and Red Satin Sheets and it will all come together. Boudoir Photo sessions have never been easier with so many easy props and such laying around. Don’t be afraid to get creative.

This first shot is a high key white background with a big red heart as the main prop. Additional styling includes red lingerie and red high heels.

High Key white Background with a big blowup heart as prop

Boudoir photography ideas for valentines day – Look for simple props

This next pose is the looking up/on the back pose, with a single red rose in hand making the connection to love and Valentines Day. The model is smiling and happy and she is wearing a nice looking and revealing lingerie piece. Sometimes one simple addition or prop is better than a bunch all over the place.

The Looking up/On the back pose with a single rose in hand.

The next image is a tightly cropped shot with a single red rose, not showing any face, with a black piece of lingerie and a minimal of flesh showing. This shot can work in many different ways for other purposes too, because the lack of a face, anyone’s face can go here in the imagination.

Tightly cropped and one prop, no face

The next shot combines several props for Valentines Day. Red Roses, a heart shaped box of chocolates, red satin sheets and pink lingerie. One might say that with all these extras in the photo it might be overkill, and it could be yes, which is why I stress that sometimes less is more, way more.

Chocolate and Roses

This next shot is a favorite among the ladies. It’s a semi nude shot with the bust obscured, a skimpy bottom and rose petals on the bed as well to make that connection to Valentines Day. The shot can be modified my making it completely nude as well, or any other slight modifications.

Rose Petals on the bed, Semi Nude

This next shot is one of my favorites. It has the roses in focus and makes the connection to love or Valentines day and the subject is in the background out of focus due to shallow depth of field be used. A semi nude shot with bust obscured but still quite sexy.

Roses in focus client out of focus

The last shot is somewhat provocative. The subject is slightly nibbling on a heart shaped sucker/lollipop with a seduction upward glance from a slightly down tilted head. Nice bust shot and not too revealing but still quite the hot shot in any case. Very Suggestive wouldn’t you say?

I want Candy, Raises eyebrow….

I hope these boudoir photography tips have helped you to formulate some ideas for next valentines day or for any holiday for that matter. Boudoir photography is more attitude than anything else. One simple little prop or adjustment can make the difference in any shot and can add a whole new dimension to the picture.

More Boudoir Photography Tips Here

The post Boudoir Photography Tips for Valentines Day first appeared on Boudoir Photography Tips and Poses.

Christmas time is a great time for boudoir photographers. It has the potential for making good money and new clients so we have some tips for you to make the most with very little. No Pun Intended.

Christmas Props

Christmas has a wide array of decorations that lend themselves nicely to boudoir photography as props. Small gift wrapped boxes, sometimes large ones held in the palm of the hand or in front of a ladies bosom, a giant Christmas Stocking, Santas bag of goodies, a Christmas tree, an elves hat, Santas Coat, a Santa hat and the good old Christmas themes lingerie.

Any small item can make a boudoir shoot fun and different, not the usual boudoir style but a fun and sexy shoot that yields images that a lady would love to give her man as a stocking stuffer. Picture this: a naughty Santas helper, a gift wrapper woman in not much but a giant box, a scantily dressed female in Santas Coat, or a woman in lingerie wearing a bow under the Christmas tree.

All sorts of new ideas from just a few simple Christmas props.

Making Money During The Holiday Season

Here is a couple boudoir photography tips to make money during the holiday season which can also be used during any holiday of the year to keep those new clients streaming in to your studio.

Have a boudoir photography event which you supply a hair stylist and makeup artist. Charge a set fee which will include hair and makeup and a 45 minute shoot, and include Five, 8×10 printed images in the package. Here, you are selling a complete package, an experience and a great time for the client. Hair and makeup done by professionals and 5 prints included as well. What more could they ask for except maybe some snacks.

How Much To Charge and Pay

Set up a day of shooting and line up 6 clients who have prepaid say $300, pay the hair and makeup artist $300 each for the day and you walk away at the end of the day with $1200 in your pocket for a days worth of shooting beautiful ladies in Christmas themes outfits. These tips will give you some new inspiration, new clients and your Christmas spending cash.

Santa’s Helper

A Simple Candy Cane Can Do The Trick

A SMall Gift Wrapped Box Can Be Fun

The Good Old Christmas Themed Outfit

A Santa Hat

A Stocking Stuffer?

Let’s Not Forget The Pin Ups

Another Christmas Outfit

More Boudoir Photography Tips Here…

The post Boudoir Photography Tips For Christmas first appeared on Boudoir Photography Tips and Poses.

This shoot was in a hotel room in Hollywood, just after the Bondage Ball that is held in Hollywood 4 times a year. The setting is a hotel room, and a hot and sweaty, sultry Gothic fetish model named Lily Kill Blue.

Off with a few articles of clothing and onto the bed. Some torn fishnets, a corset, and a strobe with a bastard amber gel for color correction. No other lights were used except the hotel room lights that were already there.

You use a bastard amber gel to make your strobe flash a warmer orange color to match the existing incandescent lights in the hotel room. If you were to use no gel, the strobe light would look bluish in color and the hotel room light would be orange or warm. So use a gel to match up the color temperatures, and away you go.

A Bastard Amber gel is the name of a certain colored gel known in lighting circles. You can also use a 1/2 CTO or a full CTO( Color Temperature Orange).  All this was done in a matter of minutes and makes a great addition to any boudoir portfolio.

Enjoy…

Lily Kill Blue - Gothic Fetish Boudoir Photography

Lily Kill Blue - Gothic Fetish Boudoir Photography

The post Hotel Room Boudoir With a Gothic Fetish Theme first appeared on Boudoir Photography Tips and Poses.

Here is another shot from a shoot with Model Kristabelle. Corsets make nice props and additions for Boudoir Photography. I’ve included the lighting diagram for this shot. It’s very simple and self explanatory.

The lighting for this boudoir shot is just 2 lights, hot lights in fact. Fresnel lights create nice hard edges but also softness to the edges at the same time. If you’ve never used a fresnel, I highly suggest it.

Kristabelle - Boudoir Photography Tips

Boudoir Photography Lighting Diagram

The post Boudoir Photography Tips and Lighting Diagram first appeared on Boudoir Photography Tips and Poses.

Sometimes a retro feel for your boudoir shoot is called for. Burlesque styled props and outfits can really make the scene. Photoshoping also helps lend a hand with a plugin to create the old film styles from the 70’s and earlier. The Model’s name is Kristabelle and we had a shoot where we did some boudoir poses and some Hollywood Glamour Poses.

The plugin I used on the burlesque type shots was Alien Skin Exposure, using the Polaroid Polachrome setting.

Color Prints of this shoot can be purchased for $20 each for a 8″x10″ or 8″x12″. Just Contact Me, Darkman.

Kristabelle - Boudoir Photography Poses

Kristabelle - Boudoir Photography Poses

Kristabelle - Burlesque Boudoir

The post Retro Burlesque Style Boudoir Photography first appeared on Boudoir Photography Tips and Poses.

Boudoir Noir relies heavily on the style of film noir, and it’s characteristics. Film noir is heavily steeped in shadows and what you don’t show, so will boudoir noir be, steeped in shadows with some things left to the imagination. Dark and stark contrasts, lots of shadows and even an obstructed view of the face.

This type of boudoir imagery is good for selling as posters and prints, because the obscured face leave the mind to it’s imagination. Whereas if you had a clear shot of the face, it defines a person, and sometimes a person the viewer cannot have or doesn’t really want. Facial obstruction is good as I said for the imagination to roam where it shall go. The persons mind is left to put the face of whom ever it wants in the image.

These types are great for sale as prints and posters because the viewer, should they show it in their gallery or home, give each person who views it, a different experience. Each viewer can put who ever they want int he image, and create their own fantasy.

Boudoir noir may incorporate a man’s button down dress shirt, or an over coat, a fedora or a neck tie. It is often considered sexy for a woman to wear a mans clothing in a seductive manner. Pictures also in the background music from your favorite old film noir or a lone solo trumpet piece such as the Main Theme for L.A. Confidential. This type of music is also great for a boudoir portrait session, but really good for Boudoir Noir.

Enjoy…

Boudoir Noir

Boudoir Noir

Boudoir Noir

The post Boudoir Noir with Evie Lovelle first appeared on Boudoir Photography Tips and Poses.

One boudoir photography tip is to use the right light for the right situation. If you were using sunlight or natural light to light a scene, you would use a strobe, as the light “temperature” or kelvin rating would match. Whereas if you were to do a scene in a bathroom or bedroom and the primary light was incandescent, you would use either a hotlight, or use a strobe with a CTO(color temperature orange) gel on the strobe to color correct. Another popular color gel for strobe correction is called the “Bastard Amber”, made by the Rosco.

This color of gel turns the blue temperature of the strobe to a warm orange for that nice warm color on a body. Strobe being around 5600 kelvin is blue when shot with a incandescent setting on the camera, meaning when you take the picture you will have a blueish light from the strobe.

If you shot an incandescent lighting setup which is 2800 kelvin using your camera on strobe setting, you would have a very orange color hue on your picture. When shooting boudoir it is best to match up your lighting color temperature in your camera with your lights actual color temperature.

To color correct a strobe, like previously said, put an orange gel on your strobe to make it a warm color instead of cool color, that’s if you are shooting an indoor scene using the existing settings lamps and furniture lighting for effect.

The following picture shows a scene in which the indoor lights were the primary lights used which have a kelvin temperature of  2800. I could have used a strobe with an orange gel to make the strobe color correct, but instead I chose to use a fresnel hotlight for the fill, then color correction was not needed. There is a lighting diagram following the actual image taken.

Model: Bianca Malise

Model: Bianca Malise

Bianca Malise Lighting Diagram

The post Boudoir Photography Tips – Using The Right Light and Lighting Diagram first appeared on Boudoir Photography Tips and Poses.