Your beauty, grace and sensuality – that’s what boudoir photography should be all about. At its best it’s an indulgent experience that yields intimate, sexy and seductive images…little photographic distillations of your feminine essence that you’ll love sharing with the right person and treasure forever.

To help you on your quest for boudoir success, here are some tips from Blush Girls who have been there and done that…

Indulge

…gently blooming like a flower in front of the camera, easing into it, being spontaneous, playful, seductive… that’s part of what makes boudoir fun and makes the results so rewarding. The number one key to success is to reserve enough time. A session lasting several hours is the norm for best results so be good to yourself and reserve a full morning or afternoon, not a quickie one hour drive through. You and your photographer should decide when you’ve got all your images in the bag, not a clock on the wall.

Focus

…look for a photographer who’s niche is creating romantic, erotic, sensual images. Skip the studio shooting pet photography one day and senior portraits the next – you might go home with Dachshund hair on you derriere and the results will be lacking too. Better to work with a boudoir specialist who knows every trick in the book to make you look your sexy best.

Explore

…why settle for cheesy paper back drops, fake sets and cookie cutter studio lighting? You deserve much better, so instead collaborate with your photographer to come up with an exciting shoot location that reflects your personality, someplace fun and romantic where your personality can shine through. The possibilities are endless of course and they don’t have to be expensive; a sunny hayloft filled with saddles and colorful Mexican blankets or a little Victorian bed and breakfast with an old four poster bed or go ahead and book a suite in an upscale high rise hotel. Choose your inspiring location and it will put you in the just right frame of mind for your sexy photo shoot.

Glow

…when it comes to photography it’s true what they say; lighting is everything. It’s what separates professional images from those shots your husband took that one time, remember? Anyway, book with a pro who can do intimate glamour photography lighting, on location. As far as lighting styles, consider passing on a dark overly dramatic soap opera look, it’s less forgiving of any flaws and went out of style in the 80s along with shag carpet. More flattering and contemporary is a “California look”, bright and open like a sunny Saturday morning it’s a seamless blend of strobes and natural room light.

Prep

…losing that last 5 pounds doesn’t matter, it’s all about how confident you feel in your photos. So instead of eating celery for a week – go shopping instead! Buy lots and lots of sexy lingerie and a few pairs of outrageous stripper heels too. The important thing is to have lots of choices ready to wear at your photo shoot and later return whatever you didn’t need. You may want to round up your favorite seductive music and bring your jewelry box too. Good preparation will help you get past procrastinating and have you arriving at your photo shoot feeling excited and oh so well appointed.

Protect

…the security of your images is a big issue that’s often overlooked. You would never run through your office half naked or show up at your kid’s soccer game wearing lingerie – so why risk starring on the internet? Better to ask some pointed questions upfront, like who does the retouching and printing? The preferred response is that its all done in house but many studios outsource these tasks, sometimes even over seas, so be careful. Also ask if the photographer will be showing your images to prospective clients, either in person or online. The point is that these are your images so make sure you control who see’s them.

Pose

…super models use all the classic posing tricks to highlight their best features and you should too. All you need is a boudoir photographer who is a posing coach too. He’ll spot your strengths right away and show you how to best position yourself for every shot. And if he’s tech savvy and fully digital (the only way to go) you’ll also get helpful feedback in the form of real-time images shown on a preview monitor. Of course practicing sucking in your tummy and arching your back is always a good place to start with sensual boudoir photography.

Surprise

…it’s tempting to bring a security blanket with you to your shoot – a husband, a boyfriend, a best friend, all the members of your book club, etc. While this may sound vaguely reassuring, most women are totally comfortable within the first 5 minutes. Your guest would be hopelessly bored or worse; actively involved in your shoot. Tell your husband to go play golf instead, your marriage could probably use some mystery and intrigue anyway – you’ll both come home in a great mood. And when he finally see’s the finished images, he’ll be totally blown away.

Shine

…every magazine cover girl or catalog super model you see has been fully retouched – and they’re super models! So even if you are gifted with flawless skin, perfect symmetry and hit the gym three days a week, you’ll still want a good retoucher on your side. Don’t let a little blemish or wrinkle spoil your image – find a studio with a good retoucher (in house) and be assured that you’ll look your very best.

Experience

…in addition to yielding beautiful images, your boudoir photo shoot should be a wonderful pampering experience… satin sheets, scented candles, sensual music, a gentle breeze in the summer or a fireplace & hot bubble bath in the winter, maybe even a nice glass of wine before or a chocolate covered strawberry after. Find a photographer, who really does it up right, then relax and be fully present to enjoy your session. After all, you deserve it and your images will be better for it too.