Garters and Lace – Bachelorette Style
Things got a little steamy in downtown Minneapolis last night.
A few times a year, I set up a Garters and Lace event. Boudoir, fancy hotel, signature drink, and sessions all day. This time, it wasn’t a list of appointments with various clients, it was a group of girlfriends spending the day together. Over the last month or so, I kept hearing snippets from the friends of shopping trips and makeup ideas…and when the day came, they all got their makeup done, and came over to the fancy hotel room I had rented for the night.
We had music pumping, everyone was helping each other choose outfits and accessories, and making each other laugh. The unforeseen benefit of shooting as a group, was that insecurities were checked at the door and I was able to capture real laughs and subjects that were at ease and comfortable. When all the sessions were done, the whole group (still with gorgeous hair and makeup) got dressed up for a night on the town, and were able to spend the night in the hotel room. I think a boudoir party is the perfect bachelorette party!
And I will not confirm nor deny that there was a pillow fight at the end…I’ll just leave that up to the imagination.
Here are a few sneak peeks. The ladies who are showing their faces have graciously given me permission to do so. There are some lucky significant others that are going to get quite the gift in a few weeks!
The Art of Boudoir
I just wrapped up ordering some lovely boudoir gifts and started brainstorming about what the next Garters and Lace could look like. Modern? Stark? Romantic? Pin up? It just depends on what the clients are looking for…and here are some good places to start for inspiration!
This collection of images is the perfect example of classic pin up. Even light, monochromatic backdrop, cute poses.
I adore the Guess Fall 2011 campaign. It shows how you can incorporate your partner in the shots and how to be cute, flirty and fun while keeping it classy. This shoot is deliciously 50′s and has a very sexy vibe even while fully clothed and using outdoor spaces. Boudoir doesn’t always have to be limited to a hotel room.
Speaking of outdoors, here are some gorgeous examples of pin up style images on the beach.
Here is a photographer who’s work I really enjoy. This boudoir entry of hers shows how you can use the architecture of a space in boudoir.
I hope that these sites show you how different and unique boudoir can be. How you can be completely clothed and still have sexy shots. How you can inject your personality into the shoot and make it your own. How you can incorporate architecture into your images. Keep checking back on this blog and the Studio Laguna facebook page to find out when the next sessions will be or contact us to set up an appointment!
Boudoir Pictures
I just finished mailing out the batch of disks from our latest Garters and Lace boudoir session that took place last month. It was such a blast! We chose a gorgeous room at the Nicollet Island Inn that had an exposed brick wall and lovely furniture and did a lot of retro style boudoir. The ladies looked amazing because they had their makeup done by Jamie at Brett Dorrian Artistry…they were simply flawless.
But this blog entry isn’t about taking boudoir portraits, it is what to do with them after you get your images back. After investing in outfits, makeup and photography it can be a bit anticlimatic to just give a disk of the images. So, how do you present these gorgeous pictures to your partner? Here are a few ideas, some that cost some money and some that don’t, but all should have a good impact.
Screen Saver – I LOVE this idea. Take your favorite images and put them on your partner’s home computer as the screen saver. So next time they’re using their computer they’ll get quite the surprise. The downside of this is that it might be difficult to be present when the surprise happens, but it is a fun and inexpensive way to present the pictures.
Random Placement – If you’re into surprises, you can leave prints around the house for your partner to find at random. Put a print in a book. Another under the coffee can. Another on their pillow…so on and so on. You can either hide all the pictures at once or one a week or even create a scavenger hunt and when they find the last one, they get a prize (this can be as chaste or…not chaste…as you want it to be, I’m not judging!)
Postcards – One of my favorite boudoir sessions took a lot of pre planning but was spectacular. With numerous retro themed rooms in the client’s house, she designed outfits to match the “sets” and we spent two hours on the session. Afterwards, she found a flat tin box and I designed vintage style postcards to fit inside. We printed 10 different cards and she gave them to her husband. It was a great presentation.
Accordion Booklet – Your photographer has access to pro labs and those labs have some great products. The accordion booklet folds up to just a 3×2.5 size or so, but folds out like a centerfold. The benefit is that you can fit multiple images onto this product and it closes nice and small for discretion. This type of booklet can also be done DIY, but you need access to a printer that can make large prints. Fast Foto in Edina also does accordion booklets and the owner is very sweet and professional.
Magazine Cover – I have designed a couple magazine covers for clients. Take whatever your occupation is and make yourself a cover girl! And you can get really creative with the articles, too.
Large Prints – Whenever I shoot boudoir, I make sure to get some that have more of a fine art feel, especially in black and white. Take one of your images that isn’t so obviously boudoir or use a classic 50′s pinup shot to make a framed piece for your bedroom. Especially if it doesn’t show your face, you can treat the image like any other piece of art you have in your home.
Calendar – I’ve designed a couple calendars. They are a ton of fun. If you’re going to do a calendar, though, it requires some pre planning as you would want to have quite a few different outfits.
Books – When creating a book, you want it to be at least 15 pages, with only one image per page. Find lyrics or poems that mean something to the two of you a scatter the words throughout the book. The books can be sweet or sassy or funny or a mix of all three. It can have extensive graphic design or be simple and clean. My favorite use of a boudoir book is as a present for your partner the night before your wedding. Leave the book wrapped in ribbon for them to find and hand write a note on the first or last page with a lipstick kiss. I have, no kidding, gotten hugs from grooms on the wedding day thanking me for making such a cool gift.
Remember, boudoir isn’t playboy (at least it shouldn’t be). Great boudoir images are going to be classy, gorgeous, show of your personality and be sensual and teasing. Some of my favorite boudoir images are of women in their partner’s favorite t-shirt (Frankie Say Relax!) and knee high socks with a big laugh on their face. That is sexy. Yes, thigh highs and a corset shot with a retro 50′s vibe is what we all picture, but if that isn’t you, then don’t do it. Your partner wants to see you for you, they love you for a reason! So choose your outfits and the presentation of your images with that in mind. And the bonus part of boudoir photography is that, yes, you’re doing this for your partner, but after the session, you realize it is for you as well. The self esteem boost is priceless =)
As a last disclaimer, your boudoir pictures are YOURS. Before you give them to anyone else, make sure you really trust them. Once you give someone else a disk or prints of yourself, or post them on the Internet, they are out of your control. If you plan on running for president someday, keep those pictures under lock and key.
Boudoir at the St. Paul Hotel
One of the things that I love about boudoir photography is that even though it is intended as a gift for guys, the girls are the ones that really benefit. They leave feeling so confident and happy with how they look, and that is so rewarding to be a part of! Today, all three of my clients first got dolled up by Jamie at Brett Dorrian Artistry Studios. I knew we were off to a good start when one of my clients texted, “I’m on my way and I look hot!” ; )
Another confidence booster was the amazing outfits and pretty underpinnings they all brought to the session (some from my favorite store, Flirt Boutique). So between a glass of wine, professional hair and makeup, and a beautiful wardrobe, today’s sessions were a breeze.
As always, I want to protect the privacy of my clients, but here are a couple more abstract images so you can get an idea of the shoot.
Garters and Lace 2010
Sunday was our annual Garters and Lace boudoir event. This is a special event because we get an amazing hotel room (this year, it was at the fabulous W Foshay) and have a great rate for a 45 minute boudoir session.
This year, clients sipped on the signature drink (the Laguna Breeze) and we had a wonderful time choosing outfits, listening to music, picking out jewelry, and taking sensual and tasteful boudoir pictures. My favorite part is that each person leaves feeling so good about themselves! Having a knock your socks off gift to give is just a bonus =)
When I shoot boudoir, I aim for tasteful, classic poses with some mod attitude and strive to show off the client’s personality. Besides having six beautiful women of all shapes and sizes as clients, I also got to push the envelope a little bit by having a couples boudoir session.
Because of privacy, I am not showing my clients’ faces (except for one that gave me permission) but wanted to help others get the vibe of what a Studio Laguna boudoir session is all about. Here are my favorites!
Vintage Boudoir
Today I had a lovely boudoir session.
One of the differences for today was that I had not just one, but four “sets” to work with for pictures. It was fantastic to have the variety and create a theme to all of the images.
To protect my client’s privacy, I am not showing her face. However, here are a couple of my favorites that will allow you to still get the vibe and idea of the shoot. Let me know what you think!
Boudoir Photography Tips
Between September and April is when we photograph the majority of our boudoir sessions. I’ve been editing a lot of those sessions lately and getting such sweet notes from the clients afterwards talking about what a self esteem boost it is and how much fun they had during the shoot.
I truly enjoy boudoir photography and wanted to share a few tips to get the most out of your session:
Look your best – it is always nice to have professional hair and makeup done for your session. You don’t have to have a fancy updo, but having a polished hair style and a couple fake lashes can elevate your images to glamorous in a heartbeat.
Be healthy – if you’re well rested and have had a good diet for a while, it shows! Dewy skin and bright eyes don’t just happen on their own!
Pay attention to the details – when I photograph boudoir, I shoot a lot of details. Your hands, lips, feet…so having your nails done and teeth cleaned shortly before your session will help them look their best.
One key piece – go to a high quality store to purchase at least one of your outfits. I just love the shop Flirt on Snelling in St. Paul. They have great pieces that will last and flatter all shapes and sizes. Anthropologie is another great store where you can get sweet and flirty gowns and other pieces. It really does make a difference to have high quality skivvies, they are much more flattering.
Little bubbly – it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a glass of champagne before your boudoir session, just sayin’.
Presentation – think of how you want to present your boudoir images. Do you want to make a calendar? Have a series of antique postcards? A fold out book? I had one client put a picture of herself in the middle of one of her husband’s favorite car magazines so he’d get a surprise…be creative! If you think about this before your session, it will allow us to plan for that purpose.
Have fun! And be sure to give Studio Laguna Photography a call when you are ready to set up your own boudoir session!
Surprise!
I had three boudoir sessions today. They were all surprises for their guys. Most of our boudoir sessions have an element of surprise, but the three ladies today were going all out. Red herrings, secret lingerie shopping trips, elaborate coverups, all to keep their guys in the dark until the grand reveal…gorgeous shots of the women they love.
Each story was different, one shoot was for a boyfriend’s 30th birthday, another was for Christmas/birthday/Valentines, and yet another was for a fiance’s “day before the wedding” present. All of these women were excited and nervous for their first boudoir session, but couldn’t wait to give these images as gifts.
And we had a blast.
It only takes a few minutes for people to realize how fun, liberating, and self esteem boosting a boudoir session can be. I love seeing their faces when I show them a picture or two and they just light up. Making women appreciate their beauty and have confidence in themselves is what boudoir is all about!
Here are a few of my favorites (can’t show too much!), enjoy!
