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I was definitely nervous, so I booked a female photographer to make it a bit easier. She had a female assistant as well. It made it more like hanging out with girlfriends than someone taking naughty photos of you, lol. To relax, I just came to a realization that you wear a bikini on the beach in front of total strangers, so really, a bra and panties is not a big difference, get over yourself and just have fun! I drew a hard line with myself and stuck with it! We shot outside in a farmer's field because I was too cheap to pay for a hotel room, and if I were going to book a hotel room I sure as heck was going to stay the night which would have been hard to explain to DH, so I skipped it and took the risky road ;) I think he liked it more because he loves nature and big wide open spaces, so it suited what appeals to him in a number of ways ;)
For outfits, I eased into it. I started in a skirt with a button down shirt and DH's cowboy hat. Then I changed into bra/panties/one of DH's dress shirts with the shoes I was wearing when I met him. THEN we did bra/panties/robe/props, and eventually got rid of the robe. My photographer was awesome and she made it SO easy! I don't have a lot of "sultry" photos because I think I spent 98% of the time laughing with her and her assistant.
I was a little nervous, (I also bought a groupon, which is actually kind of risky--some people have had really bad experiences, cuz the photographer will sell a ton and then not really be able to dedicate the proper amount of time too editing or whatever everyone's pictures,) but I was really glad it was a woman. She was very professional, and it was in her salon. (I was overall very pleased, and thought it was well worth it...but, just to warn you, the price for mine was $99, so I'm kind of suspicious that you'll get what you pay for...)
Anyhow, I really like being photographed in general, but I'm otherwise very modest. So if you don't really like being photographed or being the "center of attention," then I imagine it might be a bit more difficult for you. But, if you're just worried about the "modesty" aspect, you can wear outfits that are as revealing as you want-- it doesn't even have to be lingerie. I had one outfit that was underwear and a bra (I just kept telling myself that it was like wearing a bathing suit, so I wouldn't feel as weird, and, I ended up not even liking that outfit as much; I didn't think it was as flattering,) and my other outfit I loved, it was this:
@bakerella: Your pictures are AMAZING! The deal is with a female photographer, so maybe I'll be more comfortable. Your story gave me the courage to book it! Thank you SO MUCH! & If I'm still not comfortable, wine will do the trick, right? LOL!
@joy2011: Thank you for sharing your story! Maybe the price has to do with your location? I'm in Memphis. Hopefully, they won't be bad, but if they are, I'm only out of $39. So, not a big deal. Thanks for the advice!! I bought the groupon, so fingers crossed! I'm also going to do it at her studio, not my home.
Be wary of Groupon photography deals, I rarely hear positive stories.
1. See how many are "sold." Many times new studios or "struggling" studios offer this and then can't fullfill the sessions. Good luck trying to get an appt anytime soon if hundreds or more sessions are sold.
2. Understand exactly what you are getting, typically it's a barebones package, limited images, probably not retouched,etc,etc. The gimmick to the Groupon is the UPSELL, which, most of the time to make it worth your time, you will have to pay a bit more to get what you really want out of it.
3. Studio Boudoir? Make sure what they are giving you meets your vision. Boudoir pictures should and most typically are done in a bedroom. Outdoor images are becoming popular too, but studio images tend to be more "glamour" (think maxim) and don't really fit the definition of Boudoir. There is nothing wrong with this if it's what you expect, but ask what kind of set is being used.
@USER876: Agreed.
@MARIE901: Thank you! Defintely do as USER876 recommended and read the terms of the deal very closely, especially what's included in terms of time alloted, photo album/disc/prints, and what your rights are to the photos. Also ask how many photos will be retouched (for instance, I believe I got to have 25 photos retouched and put in an album), and how much additional prints are. That's usually the upsell.
I just checked the deal out and you may want to consider the following things:
-The $39 package includes the photosession, a print of your favorite image and a "DVD slideshow" of all the images. The DVD slideshow of images are probably websize and unprintable or embedded in a slideshow and can't even be saved as websize images. I bet the CD of high resolution files is extra.
-They say they include and retouch 200 images. Boudoir retouching is very time consuming due to the amount of skin showing. I couldn't imaging retouching 100 images for one session, never mind 200. Even spending 3 minutes on each image would be 10 hours of retouching, and it typically takes much long then that per image to do the job right. I would see samples of what the photographer means by "retouched." (color corrected?) and see what is extra. Also, 200 images in 60 minutes doesn't sound right to me. That is one image every 18 seconds assuming you don't change outfits at all. Someone made a huge miscalculation, this just doesn't seem feasible. Quality boudoir poses take time to setup.
- Obtain a price list of adders. I am sure you will want more than one print to show for your session. Make sure you understand what the total cost is before you book so you know exactly what the price is for what you want.
- I noted that the photographer has no mention of Boudoir on their website and no sample images. It would be nice to see sample images so you know what to expect. I suspect they are new to the business and looking for portfolio content. Also ask what the photographer's expected usage of the images are (website portfolio,etc). Are you comfortable with that?
@hecallsmelove: Thanks. It was a very isolated field. LOL!!!!!!
@USER876: @bakerella: I bought a boudoir session and a regular photo session through groupon (two different groupons/studios) and I have nothing but wonderful things to say from it, I had no problems making an appointment, they were very professional, and I got everything I expected so there's your positive story :) Not ALL photography groupons are bad, but I do agree with you both that you need to be careful about what you buy and read the fine print...but thats with ANYTHING.
@MARIE901: I was nervous too but the studio I worked with was very professional and really really nice. The actualy shoot went great...but as it turned out FH was not that thrilled about me having done it so that sucked. :/
@june42011: That is great that you had such a positive experience with a Groupon Photography Session. There are many people that were not as lucky though with stories that didn't turn out so good. I am giving the OP some insight of the common issues you hear about a lot when booking these sessions. There are very reputable establishments that use Groupon and handle their business very well, and then there are the rest.....
@june42011: Awesome! Glad you had such a positive experience! Were there any questions you asked the photographer before you booked or details you thought were important?
ETA - I just read the part about your DH. What a party pooper :( Sorry to hear that.
@USER876: Thanks for the insight! I'll keep that in mind ;)
@june42011: Thanks for sharing your positive experience. I was getting a little nervous.
If it doesn't work out, I'm only out of $39. So, ehh.
I just bought a groupon for a session today. I am very anxious about the whole thing, especially after reading some of the experiences other women have had...
But, I'm hoping for the best and thinking that if I don't do this now I never will. And, who hasn't watched Titanic and thought "I wish someone would paint/photograph me looking sultry and beautiful?"
Good luck to everyone else who's taking a chance!
(And, thank goodness for groupons.)
I'd be curious to see how your session turns out. We do boudoir occassionally but don't really advertise it on the site. In order to really do it right, your photographer needs to be a very accomplished retoucher. It's super time consuming, and I couldn't imagine doing it for $40.
@MARIE901: I just bought the same groupon. I think we live in the same area. I checked out the sessions and the best sessions seems to be in a pretty hotel room or bedroom. I am not a fan of the sessions in the studio. I am trying to find out how much it cost to rent a room for 2 hours so I can get ready there and get the photos done there. Problem is it has to be a nice hotel room. I am waiting for a response from the photographer about where one was shot.
@pbp1235: If you and @MARIE901 plan your sessions back-to-back, you could probably split the cost of a nice hotel room...Just a suggestion :)
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There is an amazing deal on my area's Groupon today for a boudoir shoot for only $39! Our anniversary is quickly approaching (5 months to go)! The only thing is that I am SO NERVOUS to do it. For those ladies that did the boudoir thing, were you nervous? How did you relax and take amazing pictures? What kind of outfits did you wear? What location was the photoshoot shot at? Any pictures that you might want to share? I need ideas and some courage to buy the groupon to do it for my hubby! Thanks, ladies!