The Boudoir Experience and Why You DON'T Need It

The Boudoir Experience and Why You DON'T Need It

(This is pulled from a Facebook post I shared in my private Facebook group a loooong time ago, but I thought it would make a good blog post and is still something I think about all of the time.)

Let's talk about the boudoir EXPERIENCE... and how you DON'T need it.

Ooooh baby, this is a long one.

Soooo, I take HUGE pride in the experience I offer my clients. I am constantly doing my best think of ways to make it easier, better, more memorable and all-around more AMAZING for you! Like, I want to blow you away with all the details and the experience you get. At least that's my goal! (and I'd love to hear any ideas you have as well - feel free to comment and email me!!)

But each session is different - tailored to each client's needs and I LOVE it. But that also makes your experience with me more expensive.

I'm just like ANY business in the service industry... there's always someone who will do it for you cheaper. Or you can do it on your own. I mean, who hasn't tried taking their own at-home boudoir photos!?! haha!!

There are a million photographers out there to fit everyone's needs, which is really awesome actually! But will you get the same quality? No. Will you do more work to plan/figure things out on your end? Oooh yes! (ex. printing your own boudoir photos can be mortifying.) Will you get the same overall experience? Not at all.

I believe the boudoir experience is one that every woman should have. Most definitely. But it's a luxury service.. it's not something you NEED.

Just like getting your nails done. Or your hair colored. Or eyelash extensions. Or going out to eat. Or daily coffee at Starbucks. Or a new car. Or going to concerts. Or another pair of shoes. Or your car washed. Or a facial. Or the newest phone. Or new makeup. Or even home decor. I can keep going, but you get the idea!

I get my hair colored/cut = over $2400/year. Each lasts me about 4 weeks.
I get my nails done (chronic nail biter) = over $1000/year. Each lasts me about 4 weeks.
I go out to eat at least 1x a week = over $1600/year. Each lasts me maybe 12 hours.

My point is, I spend a lot of money on these things (even if they don't last me very long... not nearly as long as a boudoir experience and photos will last) because I WANT them, but not because I NEED them. But I invest in things like these because I value how they make me FEEL, and the whole experience I get!

Example: I used Nail Salon A for years. Every 3 weeks I'd go in and get my nails done. They'd always do a pretty good job, but every time I'd come in they'd ask me if it was my first time there. I didn't feel very valued, but more like just another paycheck. I decided to try Nail Salon B. They do equally as good of a job. They remembered my name the 2nd time I came in.

Or! My boyfriend and I love Mexican food. There's A LOT of places to get Mexican food. Most of it tastes pretttty similar. Why do we have our favorite spot? We like the atmosphere and service! We get the whole experience!

It has been on my heart for a while to talk about this. Honestly, I often feel guilty about the prices I have to charge to create this experience. I get told I'm too expensive. Sometimes directly, sometimes I can just tell what people are feeling. (Super-empath over here!!) But I know my clients CHOOSE ME because they value the experience and quality I give them. They don't HAVE to choose me, but they see the value in the experience I offer and save up their hard-earned money in order to have it! Like WOW!! I see you, girl and am SOOO, so grateful for you.

So to all of my past, present and future clients, and even you women and help my business grow by sharing this group with your friends, commenting/liking the posts, etc - YOU. ARE. AMAZING. Thank you for valuing what I do!!! I COULD NOT continue giving this (life-changing, empowering, girl-power) experience to other women without you! You're seriously the BEST!!!

If you made it this far, I'd love to know - what's something that you know is expensive, but you find value in it and buy it anyway?!!!

Interested in learning more about about my boudoir sessions? Fill out the form below and if you don’t hear back in the next 72 hours, check your junk mail ;)

Boudoir Photoshoot Day: What to Expect

Boudoir Photoshoot Day:
What to Expect

For anxious people like me, knowing what to expect (at least a little bit) is SO helpful for taking the nerves down a little. This is probably even MORE important when it comes to a day that is already filled with nerves, like a boudoir session! So let’s talk about what to expect!

Start time: 10am

We usually start our day around 10am, either at the hair salon or at our photoshoot location. I try to not be too early, because the hairstylist could have another appointment. If we’re meeting at the photoshoot location, we’re typically meeting at 10am, not starting hair and makeup then. Hair and makeup can last 1 to 1.5 hours on average, and we are just sitting and chatting about your upcoming session, our lives, etc. If we’re on location already, I have snacks and drink ready for us. Midway through or at the end, the hairstylist and makeup artist will ask you if you have any changes to your “look.” PLEASE tell them if you do - they WANT you to love how you look!

Photoshoot Time!

Once hair and makeup is done, we will head to the photoshoot location (unless we got ready there). You will have the address in an email I will have sent you a week before, along with the whole itinerary of the day including appointment times and addresses. Once we get to the location I’ll let you explore the space and lay out you outfits while I get the refreshments ready. Then we plan out which outfits you will wear at each part of the photoshoot, and I’ll usually have you start in the one you’re less nervous about. I tend to start the photoshoot with the easier poses, the less “awkward” and intimidating the better to get you warmed up. I know you’ll be nervous and feeling a little vulnerable in your outfit, so I’ll show you the back of my camera and hype you up along the way! (Usually after a few peeks from the back of the camera, clients are seeing what I’m seeing… that they look HOT!)

We do a lot of different poses, some way harder than others. If you’re not able to do the harder ones… GIRL! It’s not a big deal - we have, like 20 other poses to do still! We move rooms, try different poses and ideas. You can expect my brain to be CRAZY at this point, and although I feel like I’m all over the place because I have too many ideas, we have a lot of fun. I will also tell you the beginning to PLEASE take a break whenever you want to. My brain starts into “work mode” and has a hard time stopping, so if you take a break, I will, too! Win-win for both of us! So a few outfit changes, stretched-out-bodies, and lots of poses and laughs later, we will wrap up you photoshoot!

(Ashley’s sneak peek that I posted in my private, women-only Facebook group while she was getting her massage. Back-of-camera shot, below)

Massage

Your massage is usually scheduled 30 minutes to an hour after I estimate your photoshoot to end. I typically set alarms to keep us on schedule so we have the same amount of time for each outfit, but sometimes we run a few minutes behind (I’m really working on this)!! It depends on where your photoshoot is, but it typically only takes 15-20 minutes to get the spa. And if is your first time there, they’d like you to come a few minutes early to fill out paperwork. My goal is to get you there EARLY though so you have some time in the “waiting room” which is a dark, fire-lit room with water features and fireplace, cozy chairs and they serve you a drink of your choice. You’ll want to spend some time here, it’s so nice! The massage is 30 minutes long and feels SO good post-boudoir-photoshoot on your tired muscles. You can expect to feel a little sore the following day because of the weird yoga workout you did with me.

Food Time!

At this point, you’ll be very ready to eat! I’m still going to time after your massage is done, so you will have time to grab some food, decompress a little, think about how amazing you feel, run an errand or whatever. And you can meet me back at the photoshoot location about an hour after your massage (or at our designated meeting spot, if we’re not using an Airbnb).

Picture Reveal

It’s time to see your pictures!! If we’re NOT meeting back at the Airbnb, we will likely be in a Panera or coffee shop, in a booth or back corner, as private as a I can make it. But usually we will meet back at the Airbnb and I’ll either be wrapping up your photos or they’ll be up on the TV, ready to go! We will watch a slideshow of ALL your photos, unedited. Then we look through them all, one at a time, as many times as needed for you to decide which ones you want and how you want them printed. We compare similar images so you don’t get too many that look the same. We will look at album cover fabric options, talk about editing requests, any wall art you want and what size, if you want a title on your album, etc. This process takes about 2 hours on average, but will depend on how decisive you are.

Finish Up

The photoshoot day is officially done! It usually lasts around 8 hours if you’re wanting to see your photos the same day. You can expect to be pretty dang tired at this point… or maybe that’s just me! I personally wouldn’t make concrete plans or any appointments at a certain time on your photoshoot day, just in case things end up taking longer than planned. If you don’t set a time, you COULD still go out with friends or your partner to celebrate (and you’ll likely still be looking cute) as long as they don’t mind being “on call” for whenever you’re done, or maybe you just have a chill night with a hot bath or shower - you definitely earned it!!

Interested in learning more about about my boudoir sessions? Fill out the form below and if you don’t hear back in the next 72 hours, check your junk mail ;)

Model Calls, Mini Sessions & Regular Boudoir Sessions: What's the Difference?

Model Calls, Mini Sessions & Regular Boudoir Sessions:
What's the Difference?

Today I’m going to break down what a model call is vs. regular non-promo boudoir session vs. mini session is!
Here’s the quick version:

Regular Boudoir Session

• Booked for any available date

• Full price

• Do not include digital files, albums or any products

• Around 2 hours of shoot time

• Images are NOT required to be shared publicly

• Can be any theme, no requirements

• 2-3 outfit changes

• One-on-one, with time to try new ideas!

Model Call Boudoir Session

• Booked for specific dates in a month

• Slightly discounted price (not free)

• Do not include digital files, albums or any products

• Around 2 hours of shoot time

• Images are USUALLY required to be shared publicly

• Specific theme or location usually required for part of the session

• 2-3 outfit changes

• One-on-one, with time to try new ideas!

Mini Session

• Booked for one specific date

• Discounted price

• Usually include a few digital files with the option to purchase more

• Typically last 10-20 minutes

• Images are NOT required to be shared publicly

• Are one specific theme and “look.”

• No outfit changes

• Very fast-paced, booked back-to-back with other clients. No time to try new poses/etc.

(examples from the Wing Mini & Flower Top Mini sessions I’ve done)

And to break it down a little bit!

Booking Dates
Regular boudoir sessions can be booked for any dates throughout the year that I have available. Boudoir Model Calls are usually booked within a specific month or 2, on specific dates. Sometimes ONE specific date if I’m trying to fill it after a cancelation. Mini Sessions are one specific date.

Pricing Differences
Regular boudoir sessions are full priced of course. Boudoir Model Calls are slightly discounted because either I’m trying to fill up an non-booked month or fill a cancellation date, or I’m wanting to try a specific idea or theme and would like some more images. So they’re discounted in exchange for letting me use the client’s images publicly to advertise, etc. Model Calls and Regular Sessions are almost the same pricing, the only difference being the model call is usually a 50% payment for the “session fee” (for example: $300 for model call vs. $600 for regular session) and the 50% payment is credited onto the client’s photo order. (Still following the example above: so if they decide to purchase Collection 2 of their images, I’d take $300 off of their total for that purchase.) Mini session pricing varies on what the specific session is, but usually are a flat rate around $300.

What’s Included?
What’s included in a regular boudoir session vs. a model call is exactly the same. They include a pre-session consultation (aka our coffee date), outfit styling and advice, professional hair and makeup, spray tan, and a massage. The photos are purchased separately during a same-day “ordering session” which is when my client’s get to see their photos for the first time! The same day!! (It’s awesome!) At that time, we go through their images together and they decide how many photos they want, and if they want an album, wall art, digital files or all of the above. Mini sessions include just the photoshoot a usually 2-3 digital files. I send an online gallery of all their images within a few days an they have a few days to choose their favorites, and can also choose to purchase more pictures at that time. No hair, makeup, consultation, massage, spray tan or outfit help is included for mini sessions.

Photoshoot Length
Photoshoots are the same length of time for regular boudoir and model call sessions. The days are all laid out exactly the same. The shoot time is around 2 hours, and the full day (including seeing and choosing photos) is around 8 hours. Mini sessions are usually 10-20 minutes in length and start exactly at the client’s choosen appointment time and end exactly at that 10-20 minute mark… or maybe a minute earlier to accommodate changing of clients.

Sharing of Your Images
If you book a regular boudoir session, YOU choose if you want your images shared or not. And you can change your mind at any point. If you book a model call, the first requirement is usually you MUST share your images from that photoshoot, which is why the photoshoot is discounted. Since the model call is 25% a specific theme that the client signed up for and 75% a regular session of their choosing, I will only require that the images that fit my theme for tht model call have to be able to be shared publicly. For example, any full chest nudity photos that we take during a model call, I don’t require to be shared. Mini session photos do NOT need to be shared either.

Specific Requirements
I sort of mentioned this above, but regular boudoir sessions can be anything you want. You are not required to wear anything specific, look a certain way, let me try any specific theme, etc. Model calls DO have a specific theme requirement. It may be that you have to be over 40 years old, it may be that you have to wear one “cozy” outfit, it may be that we use a specific location, it may be that we use a specific prop, or that you have tattoos. Mini sessions are not something I do very often, but when I’m inspired, want to try something new and think a lot of women would want to try it, I do them! They are themed and your session is based around that theme. Some recent mini session themes I’ve had are: Angel Wings (using my giant wings prop), Flower Top (using fake flower to cover your top instead of a bra) and Neon (using colorful lights for fun effects).

Outfit Changes
This one is pretty straight forward. Regular session clients can do up to 3 outfits, which would include the sheet as an outfit if they wanted to do that. Model call clients can do the same, unless it’s a model call for a specific outfit. Then one of their outfits has to fit that model call requirement. Mini sessions are only 1 outfit.

What They’re Like
Regular and model call sessions are very similar in how they feel. They’re more relaxed and we have time to try new stuff like poses, outfits, ideas I have been wanting to try, etc. Mini sessions are meant for what I call “copy/paste” posing. We are on very limited time restraints and in order to get the most out of our time, I try to do the same posing in the same order for every client, so bringing props or wanting to try a specific pose are usually not encouraged, but I DO still try to accommodate (and it’s best if I know ahead of time)!!

I hope that helps everything make more sense and is informative! Did I miss anything?!

Interested in learning more about about my boudoir sessions? Fill out the form below and if you don’t hear back in the next 72 hours, check your junk mail ;)

No Boudoir Studio, No Problem

No Boudoir Studio, No Problem

Rental spaces I use to make my sessions unique.

I get asked ALL the time if I will ever have a boudoir studio, and the answer is - maybe. But I’m not sure I WANT one. I can see a TON of pros and cons with owning a studio. Pros being: full control of and comfortability in the space, any decor I want, a place to store my equipment and a great meeting space for myself and clients. Cons being: cost, building upkeep, always wanting to “change up” the space (aka. $$$), and it’d be the same exact aesthetic for every single client. That last one is the one that bugs me the most. I LOVE that my clients get to pick their own aesthetic for their photoshoot! And I’m going to show you some of my FAVORITE rental spaces in this blog post, so you can see what I’m talking about!!

Modern & Basic

This Airbnb is a client favorite. And mine too! I know the owner and LOVE working with her. The location is super easy. Setting up the space is minimal (some locations require more furniture/decor moving than others). The shower here is one of my favorites and I love the wood floors and simple decor and furniture. And the lighting is beautiful here! The second set of photos are some client photos taken at this location.

Industrial Black & White

This place is another photographer’s studio and is a DREAM to shoot in! The lighting is always perfect. I love the black and white color scheme. I love the floor to ceiling window space. And I really love when she hangs up the hammock swing! There are a few downsides to this space including no shower and we rent by the hour so there is a time limit. Also, when it’s decorated for Christmas, it’s a little harder to work around and the faux floor that is laid under the bed is pretty but is hard to hide where is ends in some photo angles. But we get creative and get amazing images!

Super Pink & Girly

The “Pretty Suite” is owned by Nikki of Pretty Lane in Cedar Rapids and is a show-stopper! Everyone who walks in is blown away about how dang cute everything is! I love how pink and girly it is, but also how moody and sultry the lighting can be. The only downside of this adorable space is it’s in Swisher, but so far everyone has been up for the drive. I mean, that bathtub makes everything worth it!

Vintage & Pops of Color

One of my most popular Airbnbs per client request! The pops of color, the velvet couch and purple chair, the 4-poster bed! And it photographs beautifully every single time. The location is super easy and the owners are awesome, too! The neutral wood floors are perfect, the clawfoot tub is PERFECTION for shower or bubble bath pictures and the upstairs skylight window makes for some unique and fun lighting!

Farmhouse & Feminine

I’ve sort of ordered these from most used to used less often. I’ve only used this Airbnb a handful of times because of the tricky timing (we can’t get in until noon or later), but I DO love using this location when I can. We’ve got a lot of bright and airy spaces, and one REALLY moody “dark” room. And they do have a basic shower space, but it’s nothing fancy! But it’s still an option! What I really love about this is it’s location and the 4-poster beds with all that light!

Minimalistic

This Airbnb is not the most often picked because it’s pictures really don’t make it’s case all too well. But I have photographed in it a few times and I really love the minimalistic soft vibes and that green velvet couch!! And I have yet to use the claw foot tub here, but I bet the shower pictures would be amazing! The room that sets this apart from the others is the dining room because it’s almost all white and empty, making it a perfect studio-esque shooting space.

Warm & Pretty

This last spot is another photographer’s studio that I’ve only used a few times, but would love to use again. The location is nice and there’s SO many couches in this place! I love the exposed brick wall, but also love that we can use the black wall or a studio backdrop for a different vibe. The cons would be that sometimes parking is hard and we’re on a per hour time limit… and I almost always end up pulling down the curtains lol!!

And of course I’ve used others but these are ones! But these are my current faves. Which one would you choose?!

Interested in learning more about about my boudoir sessions? Fill out the form below and if you don’t hear back in the next 72 hours, check your junk mail ;)