I’m excited, the new boudoir photography network will be ready to launch in a few weeks. Here is a sneak peak at what the new site will look like. If you are a photographer and are interested in joining, go to the contact section on the site and request to be added. I’ll be in Vegas for WPPI if any of you are going to be there I would love to meet you. send me an email from the web site and I’ll give you my cell number so we can meet up.
I wasn’t quit sure what to call this post. I received a comment from a photographer who was looking for ideas of ways to set up a boudoir set in his small studio. I thought I would pass along a few things I’ve found along the way that worked for me. Here are photos of my studio space.
This is a close up of the bed set I often use. It is inexpensive to change the bedspread color to get a different look. I keep several different colors in the closet along with matching pillows. The headboard was originally $600 at big lots but went on sale for $200 because of the scratches and dents which I fixed with a little stain. I don’t use the foot board or side rails but I have them in case I ever set this bed up in a permanent location and no longer need to move it about. I lean the head board up against the wall for now.
The wall paper behind the bed is actually fabric from an online discount fabric store www.newtoto.com I think I paid under $6 a yard and it is 54″ material. I attached it to the wall with my husbands staple gun. I can pull it off at any time with very, very little damage to the wall. The second photo shows a pull back of the studio.
Another product I’ve found to be invaluable is the curtain track. www.curtain-tracks.com under $60 for an 8′ section with carriers. I would think twice before buying this from a studio supply store or you will pay much more. You can place these tracks against a wall to hide it, or use them as room dividers like I do in this photo. buy your material from one of the online fabric stores and you have an inexpensive backdrop to hide what ever you need to cover up.
The bed I got free from an add on Craig’s list www.craigslist.com every city has a Craig’s list. The bed is on a frame with wheels that I can push around the studio. This head board was a cheapo from a place like walmart. My husband built L shaped leg brackets on it to hold it up. I can use this headboard for a more modern look. Not the best photo set up in this example but you get the idea. You can have two or three different looking headboards you can push around the studio and get out of your way, while using one bed on wheels. My studio is about 28′x18′ in this area. That includes the kitchen you see in the background. This was an in-law apartment attached to my house I took over as a studio. Many of the boudoir photos on my web site www.robinowen.com were taken in the studio. If you visit the site you can see how many different looks I can get out of a small space.
If you don’t have much room and a bed is impractical use a blow up air bed on the floor. Cover it with lots of pretty bedspreads and pillows, have the bedspread or sheets come out to cover some of the floor if you have an ugly floor. These photos were take no an air mattress. Remember you will have to bring your lights down lower. 
It has come to my attention that many people don’t know what Boudoir photography is. They may know what type of photos they want but they are not sure what key words they should search when they are looking for a photographer on the internet. I don’t know who the first photographer was that started calling it boudoir but the name has stuck and it is catching on. The hope is that soon everyone will know the term. Boudoir encompasses many different types of photography including couples and men not just women. It can also include erotic fantasy types of shoots. Got handcuffs? Don’t be afraid to bring um to the shoot! LOL it all depends on what you and your photographer are comfortable with. Don’t be afraid to ask if you want something a bit out of the ordinary! Often the photographer will see it as a chance to do something different and get artistic with it. Feel free to spread the word about this beautiful forum of photography, go ahead and post about it on your blog, facebook page or twitter. Photographers are trying to get the word out about what boudoir is, we can use all the help we can get! Remember a good place to search for boudoir photographers in your area is to check out www.boudoirphotographynetwork.com there you will find some of the best boudoir photographers in the country listed by state.
This past week I spent some time turning a storage room into a new shooting space for the boudoir studio. I didn’t want to go with the popular pink design most people are going with these days so I decided on a sexy jewel tones with animal prints. I’m happy with the results. The whole room cost me under $400. I bought the rug on sale for $49 at Ross, the vanity was $250 from Craig’s list, curtains were under $50 also from Ross, and paint was $24.00. I added a few things I already had in the studio to pull it all together. If I wasn’t a photographer I would have loved to have gone into interior design. 
Before…
After!!!
Many photographers have a hard time coming up with the initial photographs to start their website boudoir galleries. Clients often don’t feel comfortable giving you the rights to post their photos in public. While that is perfectly understandable, it can at times be frustrating for the photographer. There is nothing worse than having an amazing image you’re not able to show off. So how do the rest of us manage to obtain photos we are able to post? There are several ways. Approach women you know and ask them if they would be interested in posing for your portfolio, in exchange for a DVD of the files. This worked well for me. Some of my very first boudoir photo shoots were of my nieces. Both made beautiful models and they were more than excited to exchange modeling for free photos. Here are a few of those first boudoir images from that shoot. The photos are very mild and show nothing more than you would see at any public beach or swimming pool. Lovely boudoir can be very discreet and tasteful.
You could also post on your website or blog that you are looking for women to use as models in exchange for images. 
Another way to find willing models is to join one of the online modeling web sites that connect photographers, makeup artists and models, such as One Model Place and my favorite Model Mayhem. Usually the more experienced models do charge for their time, but I’ve also found beginners who took beautiful images and were willing to trade for prints or files on DVD. These are some of the girls I’ve gotten from Model Mayhem who I’ve traded prints with. The first, Josette Marie MM#1334509 and second, Athena C. MM#1272508, were both beautiful girls who were starting their portfolios and needed images. The more your work improves, the higher quality and more experienced models you will be able to attract. When you are looking through the model’s profiles keep in mind that many of them willing to trade for print will not have photos on their site showing their true potential because they are new and haven’t had the opportunity to work with a good photographer. You have to try and judge who would work well as a boudoir model, often times from very bad amateur photos they have posted on their sites, but there are gems out there waiting to be discovered! The two girls below in the first and second images made great models, although I would have never know it from the photos they had on their site at the time. Heather, in pink, did have more experience than the other two women but was still willing to trade me for images on DVD because she liked my work.
Remember if you do find a model willing to trade, treat them fairly, get their fully retouched images to them in a timely manner and give them credit for their work. If you are a man always act in a very professional manner and for your own protection NEVER shoot a boudoir session without a female assistant present at all times. I can not stress this strongly enough.
A few weeks ago I received a phone call form Joanna asking if I could shoot her small wedding ceremony, scheduled to take place at the St. Mary’s County court house. Two days later the location was changed to her beautiful home. These are a few of the bridal portraits I took of her, in of all places, her master bathroom! The light was key in my decision to shoot in that particular location in the house. Using a a shallow depth of field, I managed to pleasantly blur the background. I positioned myself in the tub and had her sit on the side of the tub. A large mirror on the on the wall reflected some of the light from the window back onto her, and added a bit of fill to the dark side of her face. These are some of the images we managed to capture in her bathroom that day.
Southern Maryland Wedding photographers, Robin Owen photography www.robinowen.com , www.boudoirphotographynetwork.com
I found that brides don’t always allow enough time for wedding photos on their wedding day. Many times they will underestimate the time it takes to create some of the more artistic photos they envision. Often they set aside an adequate amount of time for photos but underestimate how long it takes to get from the church to the reception. When you attempt to round up a wedding party and get them all into the limo, it never fails someone is missing. There are a million other little things that can eat up 15 or 20 minutes before you know it. That time has to be made up someplace and often it comes off the photography time. As a photographer there is not much we can do about it, except make you aware that unless you give us the time, we can’t do our job properly. So please, go over your time line with your photographer. Always allow more time than you think it is going to take to get from point A to point B. Throw in 10 or 15 minutes here and there throughout the day to cover delays. If you don’t need them, great you are ahead of schedule!
Robin Owen Photography Southern Maryland wedding photographer located in St. Mary’s County Maryland.
Have you gotten engaged over the holidays? Is your head spinning with thoughts of venues, music, Caterers, wedding invitations, wedding flowers and wedding favors? Well, don’t forget to book a photographer! Prime dates fill up quickly for photographers and if you plan on having a June wedding you should book early! Fall weddings are also very popular. Check out our new lower pricing for this year. Brides are having a difficult time financing their dream weddings and we decided to add a very generous package to our offerings This helps our brides plan an affordable weddings and still receive top quality wedding photography. Drop us an email and find out more about all our packages then pick the one that best fits your needs!
www.boudoirphotographynetwork.com is doing well and was listed on the first page of Google when people searched for boudoir photographers! I’m sure that listing will fluctuate but it was great to see us get to the top! San Diego is now full. No more photographers will be taken for that city. If you have been thinking about joining better hurry up!
I just wanted to say thank you so much for having us and showing the ropes on boudoir photography. I really enjoyed myself and think I really like it. I’m hoping to invest in some alien bees now and get to more practicing with my speedlight. I’d like to give my edited photos to Paige also when I have them ready, she was a GREAT model .
Thank you so much!
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Julie Socher
www.jsocher.com/blog
Hi Robin
Thanks so much for the workshop today! I really liked having the opportunity to shoot with studio lighting and the pocket wizards. I have been scared of lighting for a while now but I think today showed me it is really easier than trying to make natural light work when there isn’t enough.
My blog is www.jilljensenphotography.com
Thanks again
Jill
Those were two of the nice emails I received from the girls in yesterday’s boudoir photography class. I think everyone got plenty of practice posing the model and experimenting with the studio lights on their own so they can now go home, work with their lights and recreate what they did here in class. These are a few photos of our model Paige taken by Jill, Julie and myself. You can see more photos on their blogs. Thanks Paige you did a great job today!
If you are interested in taking a class, send me an email.
