So, you’ve booked a boudoir photo shoot. Excited? Nervous? Maybe both? Either way, I want to help you get the best photos possible by sharing some tips that will help you get even better images from your session.

Before your photo shoot, you should consider how you want to present yourself with regard to:

• Hair Removal

• Tan Lines

• Hair Cut & Coloring

• Nails

• Lash Extensions

• Teeth Whitening

I should emphasize that you don’t need to do any of the things mentioned in this video to get great photos. Instead, consider everything mentioned, and if it’s something you care about, go for it. If not, don’t.

It’s your meat suit, so style it however you want. But definitely consider everything mentioned in this video so you can show up prepared to capture the best photos you’ve ever seen of yourself.

Hair Removal

You probably already have a great hair removal routine that works for you. However, this section exists so you don’t accidentally try a new “better” method right before your photo shoot.

For example, I’ve had clients who usually shave their bikini line decide to get waxed the day before their session, and lo and behold, they show up with a bunch of red bumps and irritation that makes it look like they shaved with a rusty butter knife.

Pro tip: If you’re considering getting waxed, let your hair grow out 2-3 weeks before, and then wax 3-5 days BEFORE your session to allow redness and irritation to subside.

If you decide to experiment with hair removal yourself, just make sure you do it well in advance of your session and not the night before. Because procrastination is a great way to show up to your photo shoot in a panic with things looking angry.

For everyone else who prefers to shave, always remember to use a new blade of the best quality the night before your session.

Oh, and if you’re still using those disposable cartridge razors from the grocery store, you can upgrade your life by getting a safety razor and some way better blades like Japanese Feather blades.

Or you can just do nothing, and that’s fine too. Do you.

Tan Lines

I personally don’t give a shit about tan lines in real life, but that said, a farmer's tan and boudoir photos go together like hot dogs and whipped cream. The best way to handle unsightly tan lines aesthetically is to even them out by tanning in the sun or a tanning bed over time.

But what if you don’t have time or don’t want to expose yourself to the sun for health reasons? Can the tan lines be fixed with Photoshop? The answer… Kinda.

I’m pretty good at Photoshop and have processes to even out tan lines, but if the difference is really extreme, post-production will never exactly match the look of baby-soft skin protected from the sun vs skin exposed to the sun daily.

This is because sun exposure changes not only the color of your skin but also its texture, which is pretty hard to fake without making your photos look… fake.

On a side note, spray tans are so hit or miss that I tend not to recommend them unless you’ve got experience with a tech you really trust.

They can look good, but a bad tech or one of those spray-tan drive-thru car wash machines can also make you look like an Oompa Loompa. Don’t experiment with bull shit like that the night before. Ask me how I know.

Hair Cut & Color / Eyebrows

Do not, under any circumstances, try a new hairstyle right before your photo shoot! It’s pretty easy to avoid this giant trap, but somehow it still manages to swallow up a fair number of women just trying to go all in for their session. Don’t be that girl.

Instead, go with a style you know works from your favorite hairdresser, and time your cut/color for 3-5 days before your photo shoot. This timing allows any hair dye to wash off your skin and scalp while still maintaining a fresh look. It’s also the perfect window for getting your brows shaped if you want them done before your shoot.

Nails

It’s the details that make good shots great. How and when you do your nails is a small detail that’s easy to overlook before your photo shoot. The ideal time to do your nails is 1-2 days before your session. This helps minimize the chance of chips and avoids that unsightly week-and-a-half grown-out look.

As for those drugstore stick-on nails, leave those at home. They might look okay from far away, but they’re pretty cringy in close-ups.

If you want fancy nails, do it right and have them done by your local nail rock star, or take the time to do a nice job yourself.

Or better yet, don’t do anything and just show up as you are.

Lash Extensions

Most of my clients look amazing with just mascara. But for those who want it, we can give you strip lashes that look great for ½ body portraits and further away as part of your makeover. 

For close-ups, I recommend getting lash extensions from a skilled lash tech, or, if you’d like to save some cash, invest some time in learning how to do your own lash extensions. With a little practice, brands like Lilac St. can look excellent even in close-ups.

Just promise me that whatever you do, you’ll resist the fashionable urge to have caterpillars installed above your eyes. This will help future-proof your photos and keep you from becoming the contemporary version of 80’s glamor shots. You’re welcome.

Teeth Whitening

Although I have a process to whiten your teeth in post-production, if you’re worried about your teeth, you’ll tend to guard your smile in photos. This makes capturing genuine expressions way harder than it needs to be.

So instead of fighting against your insecurities, make an appointment to have your teeth whitened by your dentist, or grab some whitening strips and use them at least a few weeks before your session.

Often, dentist treatments can look almost too bright right after, so it’s important to give them time to settle before your photos. Once your teeth are movie-star white, avoid all the usual culprits that cause staining so you can keep the body positivity ball rolling.

Make Thoughtful Choices

So, that’s pretty much it for personal care appointments you should consider and when to do them for the best results. Now, the rest is up to you to show up in the best condition you can for your photo shoot. For example:

• Don’t have a living room wrestling match the night before your photo shoot (true story).

• Don’t go to the lake the day before your shoot and skip the sunscreen entirely (true story).

• Don’t plan a night of chaos, booze, and regret the night before your session.

Simple, right? But here’s the catch: only you can make sure all of this happens. So, while none of this stuff is hard, only those who go down this checklist and make some artistic decisions about how they want to present themselves will unlock the full potential of their photo shoot.

Put another way, Rembrandt was an amazing painter, but his work was only ever as good as the canvas he painted on. Use this checklist so you can show up to your session as a beautiful canvas, ready to create stunning art. (Very nice.)

If you have any further questions about session prep, please reach out, and I’d be happy to help

Have a question about something I didn’t cover here? Drop me a line!