Kelly's Bright, Lighthearted Boudoir Portraits
Kelly didn’t want her boudoir portraits to feel too serious. When I met her last summer to plan a pre-wedding session, her first request was that she wanted her portraits to feel “true to her”: lighthearted, happy, full of life.
So we planned her day around channeling that vibe. I asked her what music captured the feeling she wanted and she knew right away “Anything Taylor Swift!”
When she arrived in the studio, we pressed play on a Taylor Swift playlist and settled in to chat while Kelsey from The Hair Badassery did Kelly’s hair and makeup. One of the things that most struck me about Kelly is how comfortable she is with herself, while she wasn’t necessarily experienced with being in front of a camera she trusted herself to “get in the groove” of being photographed and trusted me to capture great portraits.
An example of posing
One of the most important things I discuss with boudoir folks before they come into the studio is how they want their portraits to feel. Why? I use posing, direction and composition to create and enhance that feeling in your portraits. If you’re like, “Um what does that mean?” then these three photos of Kelly are a great example (just click each photo to see it larger).
In these three portraits of her by the window the first, with her looking down at her shoulder, is intimate and sexy but I captured her soft smile and lots of white space around her to keep it from feeling too serious. The second captures her big, friendly laugh and I made sure to include lots of happy, bright, reflective light in the frame, so the portrait feels very candid - like she happened to see something funny out the window. The third closeup could have felt the most serious, and if that was the vibe we wanted to capture I might have posed Kelly gazing off into the open window, but instead I chose to keep this lighthearted by capturing the moment where she almost looks like she’s having a small, happy moment to herself
Kelly's lighthearted style
Kelly brought wardrobe pieces also contributed to the lighthearted feeling: her flowy pink babydoll, the pop of color in her blue nightie, the movement in this drapey sweater and an epic bustier and garter set to balance it out with a fun, dramatic look.
Kelly, thank you for bringing your friendly, bubbly self into the studio. I so loved creating these lighthearted portraits that are so true to you! And listening to Taylor Swift all day long. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!
