When inquiring about any photography session, let’s be honest, most of us have searched around for the best deal and we just want the digital images so we can print them off ourselves, right?  For some genres of photography, that works but for Boudoir, it does not. And I’ll tell you why Boudoir photographers don’t like digital images.

Let’s imagine a scenario: (90% of people do this but don’t even realize it).

It’s Fall time and you want fall family photos. You search around for the best photographer who has many raving reviews, good customer service, and amazing images.  You see that they are $500 for the session but include all of the digital images. Awesome! So you book the session, go and pick out new outfits that color coordinate, work around your schedules, and have an amazing time.  A couple weeks later, you receive your images and they are stunning!  You do what most do and share the images on social media.  Instant gratification with the likes and hearts but then decide to go to Walgreens and get your favorite image printed into a big 16×20 to hang on your living room wall.  The price: $20.  But…..the quality is terrible, it’s pixelated because you made it larger without reformatting it for larger prints and the color is auto saturated.  It looks nothing like the pictures that were sent to you from the photographer.  You asked in the beginning what the price of a professional print would be and she said $175.  That was too much, so you decided against it and went to Walgreens instead.

What did you end up getting out of all of this?  You spent $520 for a terrible quality photo that you hung on your wall. (the total equals the session fee, along with all of the images, and the amount you spent at Walgreen’s).  When in fact, you could have spent just about $100 more for a beautiful keepsake large print that would have lasted a lifetime and captured the attention of your guests in your home, or the same amount for several smaller prints of more images. But we don’t think like that, we still think that we saved money by printing the image ourselves and that is why Boudoir photographers don’t like digital images.

It’s important to have high quality professional portraits in your home because you know they will last a lifetime. It’s something to look at for years to come, be it a larger portrait on your wall, or a beautiful keepsake album, you want to be able to look at the photographs over and over as a daily reminder of how amazing you are. This is why professional printed photos are important.

Here is an example of professional printing services versus Walgreens. In this case, it was with newborn photography:

 Photographer’s Professional Image                              Walgreen’s Image

Boudoir photography is a whole different level.  This isn’t just a fun family session, this is an experience deeper than that.  Most women who book a Boudoir session are on a self-love journey to love themselves and accept their bodies.  With that being said, a full on Boudoir experience is an unexplainable experience it’s hard to put a price on. If done correctly, the experience can have long lasting effects.  During a Boudoir session,  you are getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things you’ve never experienced.  You booked the session because that was the whole point – to see yourself differently and love every part of you.  If you had the session and felt amazing and empowered, then received digital images to print off at your local Walgreens or CVS, it’s hard to see yourself in that light because of the poor quality of photo.  There’s a reason why Boudoir sessions are a luxury experience.  With that comes a luxury price.  For Boudoir photographers, we thrive on changing women’s lives.  By helping women to see past their flaws and see the beauty within.  An image that looks like it was taken with your cellphone, doesn’t do it justice.  Boudoir photographers do extensive research on finding the best high quality professional printing service possible to make sure you as the client are getting the best images to show off your best qualities. And with that, the professional companies are high quality for a reason, so they charge a good sized amount for their products.  Because of that, photographers need to consider that factor when deciding total price of their sessions.   Digitals can be included with the album or professional prints, but not sold separately for that very reason and that is why Boudoir photographers don’t like digital images.

Of course you can find a less expensive Boudoir photographer who includes all digital images.  Be be cautious because the saying is true, that you get what you pay for.  If you want a reliable car for your new driving teenager, you’re going to research the best car and it might be over your budget  but you can make payments on it with the assurance that the car will be safe enough for your loved one.  You would never purchase an old car that is rusted out and has been sitting in a field for months just because it’s cheaper.  There is a fine line between expensive and value.  To you, a Luxury Boudoir session may be out of your price range and that’s ok.  But to others it may still be out of their price range but they see the value in it and appreciate it so they will make it a priority to save up for it.   I have learned to never judge a book by it’s cover. Just because a person works at a Fast food place does not mean that they can’t afford a Boudoir session of their dreams.  It’s actually the high paid Doctor or Lawyer that will try to ask for a discount.   You can never base what a person can afford based off of looks or their job alone.

Another good reason is, most photography places (even local pharmacies like Walgreens or CVS) will not print Boudoir images.  This genre of photography is in a separate class and anyone working in the printing department of the store should be at least 18 years of age.   It is hard to find a trustworthy place to print your images locally.   Professional printing companies who specialize in Boudoir are reputable and trustworthy.  You can be certain that your images will be in the right hands and no boundaries will be crossed.  Everything is completely confidential and you will never need to worry about who is seeing your images and worried if you’ll see your tushy coming across the internet.  This is why it’s important to know, Who will see my boudoir images?

Boudoir photographers don’t like digital images also for the reason of high quality definition.  Most digital’s saved on a thumb drive or uploaded through an online gallery can only be printed up to an 8×10 before becoming grainy and low quality.

Think about this particular photo right here:

See the water droplets surrounding the ice cubes giving off that sexy wet look that can make a persons jaw drop to the floor?  The clarity and sharpness to that image is important. Especially if it’s going to be made into a larger print to hang on your wall. You want the details popping out so much at you that the water droplets look like they are actually there in front of you.  And for that, you  need a high quality reputable printing company that will make that happen.

It’s just that simple, Boudoir photographer’s don’t like digital images.  And when asking multiple photographers, most of them will say the same.  We take pride in what we do. We crafted the art of photography for a reason- to be shown and something to look at over and over and be proud of, especially if it’s helping you on your self love journey.