So being a male photographer in a largely female dominated genre is a challenge. And many have asked the question: How revealing will my session be? The answer to that is quite simple, it is how comfortable you feel being revealed? So does this mean you have to be completely nude in your session? Nope. Does this mean you have to be completely covered up? Nope. I am very sensitive to how comfortable you are being photographed. Every person has different levels of comfort, and what I ask is, how comfortable you are in the session. So here are some levels to be thinking about in any boudoir session and how I handle it.
Fully covered.
Boudoir is not about how fully nude or covered you are. It is about seeing yourself differently. So if you feel sexiest while wearing outfits that cover all your body parts, then that is totally find. Many times when we start a session, we will always start with outfits that cover you up. You can be very nervous at a session at the beginning. This is normal. And starting out with outfits that cover most of you can help to relieve stress. This can be oversized sweaters, button-down shirts, t-shirts, etc. So this becomes more of a portrait session with a little bit of sexiness added.
Partially covered.
So what do we refer to as “partially covered”. This can refer to bodysuits or lingerie that cover as much skin as you would at a beach. Think about when you go to a beach and family is taking pictures of you in your swimsuit. How comfortable are you with this? This is the standard boudoir set of outfits. These can revolve around Bodysuits, Bra & Panty Sets, Corsets, etc that reveal a good amount of skin, but hide the parts that would not be “Facebook-Safe”
Implied nude
What is implied nude? This is where you cover up with a material that hides your sensitive areas from being photographed, but implies that you are nude underneath. This gives enough of a mystery for the viewer to see. We do ask you if this is something you want to try, but we go out of the room or turn away from you, so you can feel comfortable enough to cover up without us seeing parts you don’t want us to see. Many options for this can be wrapping a blanket around and showing your back with no strap. Or covering up yourself with a sweater, hands, or any other items that can be used to hide.
Full nudity
With this, your comfort level needs to be very open. Our policy is just anything above the waistline is fine, but below waistline, clothing much be worn. Nudity can be very artistic, famous painters have painted full nude paintings for decades. The human body can be very beautiful and can be self-empowering. Fortunately, we will never ask you to be fully nude. This is an option, but you must request it.
The point of your comfort level is important, because what boudoir tries to communicate is loving yourself and pushing yourself to see what your don’t see in yourself. And if anyone is saying that boudoir is like porn, then they have no idea what boudoir truly is. So the next time you are in for a session, communicate to your photographer what level of comfort you are trying to accomplish. You will feel revived and empowered. Or start out fully clothed and then see how the session is going, and explore how comfortable you are with your photographer.