Looking for DIY Boudoir Photos you can do at home? I’m here to help!

No woman has ever said, “I don’t want to have a Boudoir session”.   All women secretly want to do one, but fear is a common reason why they don’t pull the trigger.  Here, I will tell you the main reasons why you should book a session and the common myths on why you shouldn’t book a Boudoir Session.  Looking for ideas you can do at home to help prepare you for a future session or ease your nerves? How about trying DIY Boudoir photos at home to break the ice a little bit. The “Do It Yourself” approach has gotten you inspired and I can show you exactly how you can make that happen.   But first, here are the top 5 reasons as to why most women say they would never book a session:

1.  “Boudoir sessions are too expensive.”    Maybe so, but that’s because they might not know the real reason behind the price tag. There is more to a Boudoir session than you think. So Why are Boudoir Sessions so expensive?  Boudoir photography is a luxury experience and with that there comes a luxury price attached to it.  You aren’t just having photos taken. You are experiencing a deeper connection to your own self.  As a bonus, most photographers will accept pre-payment plans to fit within your budget as well.
2. “I’m not photogenic”.  Good news! You don’t have to be!  You’re in good hands with your Boudoir photographer because he/she will help guide you every step of the way throughout the session. They will help you with posing from your facial expressions all the way down to making sure you point those toes. That’s what we’re here for!  Finding the right Boudoir photographer is important when booking a session like this one. You are placed in a vulnerable position and trust is a huge factor when it comes to something like this.
3. “I don’t have anyone to give the album to”.  And the problem is……? Because deep down, we really know that the session is for yourself.  Yes, having a person to give the photos to is a plus, but we did the boudoir session to heal ourselves and see ourselves through a different lens and learn to love our bodies. What to do with your Boudoir photos is completely up to you. Do you want to keep them in an album, or hang them proudly on a wall? The choice is yours!
4. “I don’t have the ideal body to have photos taken and I need to lose weight first”.   Girl, this is the number one reason deterring women from booking the boudoir session they’ve always wanted. Tell me, what does the ideal woman look like and have you seen that body type over the age of 30? Our bodies are SUPPOSED to change.  We have babies, and sedentary jobs, hormonal changes, and different stress levels that all contribute to shifts in weight.  This is what makes us all unique. Boudoir photography is meant to celebrate womanhood no matter what stage of womanhood you’re in. And it’s to celebrate your body in the NOW, not your future or past self. Every “body” is the perfect body for a boudoir shoot. I have photographed women of all sizes, and believe it or not, plus size boudoir is trending!  I am loving seeing all of the love from everyone when bodies of all sizes are celebrated.
5. “I’m too old”.  Heck no, you’re not!  Too old to feel sexy? Who says there’s a cut off to how you should feel as a woman….that’s crazy.  Womanhood in every stage of life is worth celebrating. Some of my most amazing clients are over 40 or doing this to celebrate turning 50+.  More power to them because age is just a number, am I right?  To prove it, here are Women over 50 Knoxville Boudoir Photos.

Ok, now that we’ve cleared the air on the fact that anyone and everyone should experience a boudoir session, let’s get going on how to show you how to take spicy images at home with DIY boudoir photos.  Now please note, these will not look like a professional Boudoir photographer took them.  There’s a reason why specific cameras and lighting equipment experience can give off different looks. This is why boudoir photographers are experienced in this field, but let me show you ways in which you can create these DIY boudoir photos at home to help prepare you for your actual professional shoot in the future.  This definitely will help with How to feel comfortable in front of the camera at your Boudoir session as well.

DIY Boudoir photos- Tip #1: Creating a silhouette

We’ve all seen the beautiful silhouettes cascaded across the internet, either with pregnancy baby bumps or showing off those amazing curves on Pinterest or other forms of social media.  This is actually quite easy to do because everyone has a window at home. To diffuse this light, there will need to be a good amount of light coming through the window and some time of soft diffuser such as a sheer curtain. This will soften the light and make you more in focus.  For this type of image, you’ll need to have your camera, your body, and the light in the that order with the camera in the front, then your body in front of the light. Try to have the rest of the room somewhat darkened. You can always lighten the photo up afterwards with exposure post editing but to take the photo, it’s ok if it comes out darker. That’s the look we’re going for.  I can explain it more in detail here:

DIY Boudoir photos Tip #2- Where to place your hands

With Boudoir photography, your hands should always be doing something.  If they were just down to your side, it would look a bit awkard and the posing wouldn’t flow as naturally. With positioning your hands with DIY boudoir photos, it depends on what you’re wearing, but each hand should be doing something by either up in your hair or pulling down at a shirt. If you’re not wearing a shirt that’s tuggable, have your hand hold the strap to your bottoms or your bra strap.  It will form beautiful lines with the curves of the body by directing your eye to the beautiful subject themselves, not the awkwardness in the pose. Plus, sometimes you feel a bit awkward in photos themselves by being in front of a camera so by focusing on your hands, it helps distract you a little bit by giving an effortless look.

DIY Boudoir photos Tip #3- What to wear

That is completely up to you. With Boudoir photography, the wardrobe choices are endless. You can go glammed up with something over the top, or you can be in your birthday suit. Whatever you wear (or don’t wear) is completely up to you and what you’re comfort level is and what kind of look you’re going for. Lingerie is a huge part of boudoir photos and is accessible to everyone whether you shop at Victoria’s Secret or Amazon.  Not sure which lingerie to get? Here is some information on Lingerie For Your Body Type that may help you narrow down the perfect pieces.

Here, she’s wearing a simple red bra and undies set. That’s perfect and really all you need unless you wanted to get a bit more snazzy.  With this DIY boudoir photos pose, create the lighting the same as you would the silhouette and have the light hit your body just right by bending over your bed and arching your back. Wearing heels will elongate your legs but not needed. Relax your entire body and take in the moment.

DIY Boudoir photos Tip #4- Facial Expressions

You ALWAYS want your lips to be partially separated. A tight closed mouth is not as seductive and pleasing. Just by having that subtle little relaxed lip look, it can take your DIY Boudoir photos from drab to fab. You will see that in many boudoir images, that the subject’s head is tilted slightly backward and their eyes are closed. This is an extremely sexy look and also helps calm nerves by not looking directly at the camera. Change it up with your DIY boudoir photos by keeping the same position, but having some with your eyes closed, and some open looking at the camera.  Also notice here, that her hands are doing something like bringing attention to the detail in her beautiful face/jawline.

With this photo, she’s looking off to the side but it’s also focusing on the curves of her body. You don’t want to be looking directly at the camera in all of your DIY boudoir photos.  Change it up a bit by changing the direction of your gaze.

DIY Boudoir photos Tip #5- It’s all about the camera angle

Depending on the look you’re going for, it’s really all about the camera angle. Here in the image above, the camera is directly above her. In this case, with DIY Boudoir photos, it may be more difficult to prop your phone at this angle unless you have a ring light stand with a phone holder or a tripod stand with your camera. But when it comes to camera angle, whether you are shooting from a higher angle or lower angle, it can change the vibe such as a more dominant vs submissive pose.

In this photos above, it was taken as a higher angle so it is more of a submissive type of image.

Whereas, this one was taken from a lower level giving off the dominant vibe. (I don’t have any images showing faces that I can share because they didn’t give permission to share publicly).  But I think you get the idea.

You can also incorporate different props into your own DIY Boudoir photos to take it to the next level.

I hope these tips helped with your DIY Boudoir photos.  And remember, just have fun with it.  Experience with different angles, lighting, and posing. You will look amazing and you might even surprise yourself. There is no perfect way with How to take your own Boudoir photos, but by experimenting with different things, you’ll be a pro in no time!

Start getting inspired and form your own Pinterest board here.  Can’t wait to see what you create!