After having a phenomenal experience for my Boudoir photos experience I had to share it!
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My body is not as bad as I thought it was as was revealed after my boudoir photos came back
Duh – This is the biggest thing holding most women back from a boudoir photo shoot. Before I did my sexy boudoir photog session I looked at hundreds of Instagram pics tagged with #boudoirphotosession, and they were all so glamorous and the women looked perfect. It was so intimidating!
2. I’ve always struggled with my body image. That changed after I saw my boudoir photos.
I was never acceptably thin in grade school or high school like the other girls and have always hated my problem areas (my thighs and butt). I think about my body and its flaws often and never wear shorts because of it. I thought I had to have the perfect gym body before I did this, but at 40ish, I thought, I’m not going to look much better so why not do a boudoir shoot?
Have you scheduled a boudoir photography session and asking yourself “How should I prepare for this sexy photo shoot?” Here’s everything you need to know to have the best boudoir photography session!
3. My flaws are not that bad – I didn’t even notice them in my boudoir photos.
All women are their own worst critics about their bodies, aren’t we? Luckily I have a husband who tells me how beautiful I am, regularly. But when I try on bathing suits in the spring, those fitting room mirrors don’t convey that message at all. I mean, who am I to do this?
I honestly thought that these boudoir photographers were magic with those photos. Either that or they are wizards at photoshop. So, I was a little stunned when Mirrored Images told me they didn’t alter any photos at all! They just use light and shadows to show your body in the best way possible.
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Wondering how to pose? DYK? Upside down photos can hide a lot and make you look so sexy!
4. Even after 40 you can still look attractive, especially as your curves have developed, you look super sexy.
Gosh, when I was teenager, I thought anyone who was over 35 was old AF. When I reached that age, I still felt young, but my metabolism took early retirement. Going on walks didn’t cut it anymore and I knew I had to make a change. I’ve hit the gym pretty hard over the last handful of years and I do a lot more than cardio – there’s lot of weights involved. Even though I’m no super model, I felt it was a now or never moment.
5. Boudoir photos are good for self esteem.
I thought I’d feel totally nervous the day of my shoot but honestly, I felt pretty confident. While I sat in the hair and makeup chair, and got glammed up for my boudoir session, I couldn’t wait to get started with my session! It was fun planning what outfits and shoes I would wear leading up to my boudoir shoot too!
6. Women don’t always like other women to look sexy…or have the guts to take boudoir photos
You know as often as women plaster on social media about how women should help other women and lift up other women, I rarely see it. Maybe it is me, but I have found more men to be generous and giving of their time, resources and connections to help me succeed than women have EVER been. While I only showed ALL my boudoir photos to a few close friends and my husband (I mean some were more daring than others), I did share some on social media. The most bold one to date that I shared on my Instagram lost me 200 followers! Coincidentally, it is also my most liked Instagram post to date. So, be careful who you share your photos with. Women can be quite judgy and bitchy.
Curious as to what a boudoir session is like? It is not as scary or intimidating as it may seem! I loved it and felt super sexy!
How to prepare yourself for your boudoir photo shoot:
7. You should know your boudoir photos look ahead of time.
Sure, you have plenty of time to look and shop for what you are going to wear. But I’m talking about hair and makeup. I didn’t do much research, instead just showed up sans makeup with freshly washed hair. I just relied on showing the stylist some past pictures of me. I really wanted to look like myself when it was all done, not like some Glamour Shots version of myself. While I think my makeup was done well, we had to revise it several times while I was in the chair to get what I wanted, so make sure to show up with a firm idea of your look.
A good boudoir photographer will be able to tell you the best positions to pose to show your body off perfectly for your fantastic boudoir session!
8. Go with classic accessories so you’ll have a timeless look for your boudoir photos.
If you’re like me, this Boudoir photography session is probably going to be a once in a lifetime thing. I mean, maybe if I win the lottery and can hire a personal trainer, I would do it again. But, for me the cost is not something I can swing all too often, I mean if I want to reach other goals like completing my travel bucket list. For that reason, I’m all about the timeless look for these boudoir photos.
I mentioned I didn’t want any Glamour shots looking photos and I meant it. No overdone hair or makeup that makes me look fake. And that extends to nails too. I painted my nails a deep red. It is a timeless look that will still be relevant 30 years from now (I hope). Same goes for jewelry. I wore my wedding ring which is a simple round diamond and no other jewelry. I did put on a stunning gold chain that my photographer had in her wardrobe stock.
9. Don’t starve yourself in the days leading up to the boudoir shoot. And booze might not be the best idea either.
When I started researching boudoir photographers, I was surprised to find out how many there are in Atlanta. I thought I’d find two or three boudoir photographers in my city, but I found a handful. And, it turns out boudoir sessions are quite popular. This means you don’t pick a boudoir photographer and book your session for next week. Some book months in advance. And that’s a good thing, because it gives you time to get your body in the shape you want (well relatively, right?).
We made plans for my Mirrored Images Boudoir session for late December two months in advance. Great. Plenty of time for me to down kale smoothies and do extra leg sets at the gym, right? But as life often does, other plans took over and I found myself with lunch meetings, media dinners and well, December get togethers. Before I knew it, my photo shoot was upon me and hadn’t dropped one pound towards the five I wanted to lose before sexy photo shoot.
Shameless rose gold teddy. Lingerie for every woman.
10. If you’re doing a boudoir photography session for your SO, bring something they really like on you.
Maybe it is a bra and panty set or maybe a shirt they really like. Maybe your SO has a baseball cap he or she loves. Whatever it is, make sure to bring that so they know you did this for them. For Glen, I wore a purple bra and panty set he loves! He was so happy to get the pictures from my boudoir shoot. I even got one blown up on a canvas print for him. But where do you put something like it besides the bedroom? I mean, it isn’t like he can keep it on his desk at work. LOL
11. You can indulge in a boudoir photos session for no one other than you!
Yep! This is for you. In fact, when I first told Glen I was going to do this, he asked if he could come along. He’s a really great photographer (I mean have you seen some of the food and travel pictures he’s taken for this site!?!), and I was cool with it. But when I mentioned it to the boudoir photographer, Jenn Hyman, she said she doesn’t allow it. She said SOs often make the subject a little more timid, so she says it is best if they stay away.
So, even if you are gifting your SO with these images, keep in mind, this is also a gift to you. Pick out outfits and jewelry YOU like for the boudoir photos. Find the makeup and hair style YOU adore and go with that.
Thirty or forty years from now when you look back at these glam, sexy boudoir photos of yourself, don’t you want to think, “DAYUM – I looked good!” I know I did!
