The Illuminate Boudoir experience for outdoor sessions

intentional, affirming, impeccable

After you are booked for your session, the Illuminate Boudoir outdoor session experience starts with a pre-session planning call before your photoshoot. We’ll talk through your ideas and vision for a session and plan out a photoshoot that captures what you want to remember about this chapter of life. We’ll also talk through some logistics that pertain to outdoor boudoir sessions, like weather backup plans or how to make sure you feel safe/comfortable if we’re taking pictures in a public space.

Outdoor boudoir sessions get scheduled a little bit differently than my indoor studio sessions — instead of a perfectly dependable timeline and a controlled space, the session and planning is a little bit more fluid and organic!

Here’s how it works: when we book your session, we’ll plan out your location, choose a photoshoot date, and a block out a large window of time like from 2-8pm for example). And then a couple days out from your session, I’ll touch base to pick an exact starting time based on the weather and light/clouds.

The day of your photoshoot, we’ll meet up as planned and make our way through the session! We’ll spend a couple hours taking pictures — most of my boudoir clients incorporate 2-3 outfits/looks. Sometimes the actual session takes a bit longer if we are walking/hiking between locations, so we’ll plan plenty of time to adventure! After the photoshoot, we’ll part ways for the day.

We’ll meet up again a week or two later for your portrait reveal appointment to see your portraits! You’ll have approximately 60 final, edited portraits to choose from. I’ll send you home with your digital images that night, and your printed album or box will arrive 1-2 months later! You will be amazed at how much your portraits come to life when they are printed - it’s truly magical to hold your portraits in your hands.

“I cannot express enough appreciation for the intentionality with which you cultivated this experience.

My heart unfurled, my spirit sprouted, and I felt sunshine on my skin.”

- C

Take a closer look at my outdoor boudoir photoshoot experience

Before your photoshoot

Booking & planning your session

Click here to learn how to book a boudoir session — it walks you through what to do if you are ready to get something booked now, or if you have questions first.

The Illuminate Boudoir photoshoot experience starts with a planning call sometime before your session day. We’ll talk through your ideas and vision for a session and plan out a photoshoot that captures what you want to remember about this chapter of life.

We’ll also plan out your outdoor photoshoot location, choose a photoshoot date, and a block out a large window of time to reserve for your session (for example, from 2-8pm for an afternoon/sunset session) — and we’ll pick a more exact starting time the week of your photoshoot.

Once you’re booked for your photoshoot, I’ll send you a link to my “client toolkit” — it has all of my session planning resources guides in one place. And, I’m here for you every step of the way so you can reach out any time with questions, ideas, concerns, etc — I’m here for it all.

the week of your session

Finalize our plans!

The week of your session, I’ll be paying attention to the weather, sunlight, cloud cover, etc. A couple days out from your session, I’ll touch base with you to pick an exact starting time based on the weather and light, and we’ll make sure that we have a planned meeting place for your photoshoot.

photoshoot day

Empowering photoshoot

The day of your photoshoot, we’ll meet up as planned and make our way through the session! We’ll spend a couple hours taking pictures — most of my outdoor boudoir clients wear 2-3 outfits/looks for their session. A “look” can be a lingerie set, everyday clothing, or could be an implied nude/topless look wrapped in a sheet.

I find that two hours is the perfect amount of time to include lots of variety while taking things at a relaxed, easy pace so you never feel rushed. Sometimes the actual session takes a bit longer if we are walking/hiking between locations, so we’ll plan plenty of time to adventure! After the photoshoot, we’ll part ways for the day.

I’m an expert at posing and will completely guide you through the session - I’ll even demonstrate poses for you! You'll leave feeling proud and amazing.

Want to share your experience with a bestie?

If you would like, you are welcome to bring one encouraging friend along to your boudoir session day — for some clients, it helps them feel more calm/grounded or adds an extra layer of fun to the day. Make sure to choose someone who will help you feel positive, safe, and celebrated - and platonic friends only please (no romantic or sexual partners).

I also have some clients who find that having a friend along makes them feel more nervous during the photoshoot because they’re being watched while they pose. If you think you’d have a harder time focusing on yourself, then I encourage you to come solo and make the day just about you. The choice is totally up to you!

1-2 weeks after your session

See your portraits

After your photoshoot, I’ll review all the pictures we took at your photoshoot and choose the final portraits - about 60 final images. I’ll edit each picture with my natural editing style (read more about that here) and get them ready for you to see. I print off a dozen or so pictures from throughout your session and set them on my studio shelves, and I’ll prepare a slideshow with all 60 of the final portraits for you to watch!

One or two weeks after your photoshoot, we’ll meet back up for your portrait reveal. If you’re a client local to the Twin Cities, you’ll come meet me at my studio in Minneapolis, but if you live out of town we can always meet up virtually on zoom.

At your portrait reveal, first we’ll head to my studio shelves so you can see the dozen printed images that I’ve prepared for you — it’ll take you right back to all the magical feelings from the photoshoot.

Then we’ll sit together and watch a slideshow with all 60 of the final images. It’s so special to see it come together! It’s an emotional moment and different for everyone — some folks feel really euphoric, some folks get really sentimental, others feel very proud, and it’s also normal for it to feel like a bit of sensory overload! It’s a unique experience to see so many pictures of yourself and can feel like a lot to take in, but I have a calm and intentional process to look through all of your pictures, and I find that as we explore them together, you’ll settle into a really grounded place where you have a sense for all of your pictures and which ones mean the most to you.

Then, together we’ll plan out your order! My clients are keeping their portraits in either a storytelling album (to tell the story of this chapter of life) or an heirloom box (with a stack of pictures inside), and you’ll get the matching digital images from your order as well.

after your portrait reveal

Taking home your portraits

I’ll be able to send you home with the digital images after your Portrait Reveal, and your printed art will arrive a month or two later!

For clients local to the Twin Cities, I like to have orders all arrive to my studio first so that I can inspect them and make sure that they are perfect, and then we’ll arrange a time for you come to the studio to pick up your order. For out-of-town clients, I can arrange shipping directly to you!

Holding your final art in your hands is the final step of the boudoir process, and it’s such a magical moment - it’s absolutely magical to see how your photographs come to life in their printed album or box.

Explore printed boudoir art