Was boudoir always like that?

alaios · October 17, 2014

Hi all, I had a look on the flickr the other day (I just did a search on "boudoir") and I wanted to ask if "boudoir" was always like that. I thought that the idea is to make a composition (portrait type) that it emphasizes more the feminine part of the subject. When I browse "boudoir" shots though most of them look to be more focused "on implied nudity" . Was it always like that or the "market" forced the boudoir to get there? Regards Alex

jonh68 · October 17, 2014

Like anything in society, boundaries get pushed. It isn't forced on the market, it just happens.

alaios · October 17, 2014

true.. how it "started" though? Was it like that since te beginning?

Alex

Hackbone · October 17, 2014

This is what boudoir photography looks like when done by a pro. The music track is very, very grating.

http://rachelstephensphotography.com/lookie-iii/

alaios · October 17, 2014

Thanks I thought for some reason that boudoir was less "nude implied" and more feminine focused.
An example. Imagine of the scene
a woman dressed put her boots (in a nice feminine stance) and she sees the camera and throws a very big sweet smile (like she saw her beloved one and she felt really happy). This is not a typical portrait. I will flickr it and I will come back with what I had in mind

jmphotocraft · October 17, 2014

alaios wrote: »

Thanks I thought for some reason that boudoir was less "nude implied" and more feminine focused.
An example. Imagine of the scene
a woman dressed put her boots (in a nice feminine stance) and she sees the camera and throws a very big sweet smile (like she saw her beloved one and she felt really happy). This is not a typical portrait. I will flickr it and I will come back with what I had in mind

Well, boudoir means bedroom, so I wonder if you're thinking of another genre?

anonymouscuban · October 17, 2014

Here is what I think of boudoir....

It's the one spinoff of portraiture that attracts the most hacks. Lots of "guys with camera" that just want to take photos of near naked women. There are very few real professionals that are able to walk that line between tasteful sexiness and trashy soft porn. It's riddled with overcooked shots with really bad lighting and non-flattering angles and poses.

Can you tell how much I love it?

Bryce Wilson · October 17, 2014

Alex, there are SOME photographers that do this genre and do it well. Here are a couple of links to images that are what I feel is what the genre should be.

There are some NSFW images sprinkled among the images so beware.

http://theboudoircafe.com/#!/page/4935/sexy

alaios · October 18, 2014

Hi,
I google a bit and a found a few that somehow our close to what I thought boudoir might be... although these that I found do not stress enough for me the feminine component on each shot. I am giving some links just click randomly to one or two on these.. Although I have very specific compositions in mind... I only need a studio and a model :P

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mo_gu/14725142316/in/pool-feminine

https://www.flickr.com/photos/iralimon/14913941793/in/pool-feminine

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tobias_wien/11292848104/in/pool-sweetfemininebeauty

https://www.flickr.com/photos/84869864@N07/15558798141/in/pool-feminine

https://www.flickr.com/photos/22545218@N06/15486269561/in/pool-sweetfemininebeauty

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ulinea/10288370644/in/pool-feminine

jonh68 · October 18, 2014

Those are not really close to what boudoir photography is about.

divamum · October 18, 2014

I have no idea how searching "boudoir" picked up those shots you've linked, as they're not at all the genre as it is widely understood. Modern boudoir is typically lingerie shots - "ordinary women" dressed and posed as though they're Victoria's Secret models. Often lots of white backgrounds, natural light, shallow depth of field/artistic bokeh. What you have linked to is just portraits of women, IMO. Some of these are racier than others, but particularly the first dozen or so returns are what I think of as boudoir. "Tastefully sexy", lingerie, but not Sports Illustrated-type "sexy". "Soft" sexy rather than more aggressively so.

D3Sshooter · October 19, 2014

Boudoir Photography , magic and intimacy.
I get very often a bunch of questions concerning Boudoir & Lingerie photography. Some people think that it is about those Black and White Photographs of naked women with special lighting. Hmmm , no that is not what it is.

Well maybe they are pictures of half naked models that advertise something, Noops,those are product commercials in which the woman has the function of being a model, and the emphasis is on what she’s trying to sell.

Oh well then it must be those pictures of naked women ? Wrong again, you are thinking of erotic magazines. That is certainly not Boudoir.

Aha, then they must be pictures that show beautiful women in lingerie. Now we are getting a bit closer.

Boudoir photographs are not used to advertise lingerie. The emphasis is not on the lingerie but on the woman who’s wearing it. Lingerie is only a attribute.

Boudoir photography would be easiest to understand if we explain what the word boudoir means. “Boudoir is a room. A woman’s intimate space in which men are not welcome.”

It is a space a woman devotes only to herself, one that perhaps she only shares with a few other close girlfriends. How a woman spends her time in it, no one knows. And this is why the term boudoir is wrapped up with the veil of secrecy, the subject of stories and whispers, the object of male fantasies and desires.

Have you noticed that most women rarely show pictures of themselves in lingerie (if they have them), while at the same time, showing pictures of themselves in swimsuits is common practice, even though sometimes bikinis are more revealing than lingerie? That is because we equate lingerie with intimacy. It is only ours and no one else’s. In lingerie we are vulnerable, gentle and ourselves.

“Therefore, boudoir represents magic and intimacy.”

Mystique, mystery and intimacy are the first things on the list of what makes boudoir photography different.

People interpret information by how it is offered and presented to them. How it will be received depends on an individual’s own filters, which are defined by education, culture, media and bias. When it comes to boudoir photography, it is important to be mindful.

There are ways of showing a woman in lingerie in which at the forefront is the woman, rather than underwear.

With these photographs, she is someone one who decided to bare her soul.

“In boudoir photography, everything is irrelevant apart from the women herself. She’s all that matters. She is on the center stage, in the place where she deserves to be.”

First and foremost, it should be clear how much confidence the woman has in front of the photographer and it should be clear as to who and what this soul-baring woman is. It is the photographer’s responsibility to be mindful of these point throughout the photo shoot, and the viewer should be mindful of the photographer’s responsibility when viewing the final product..

The difference between boudoir photography and all of the other similar genres, is that boudoir is mostly mistaken for what it is really is. This is evident in situations where an inexperienced photographer takes a few photos of women in lingerie with pouted lips and focuses their attention and lens on the woman’s booty or breasts, with little effort to convey her personality or soul through the photograph. A photo of a woman in lingerie can be taken by anyone who has a camera, but boudoir photography cannot.

How to Choose the Right Lingerie

On the day of your shoot, don’t wear a tight-fitting bra, elastic panties, pantyhose or shoes that make your feet look like you’ve been on the battlefield when you take them off. If you love your body, there is no need to torture it. Otherwise, if you wear the above things, pay attention to how your body looks when you take them off! These traces remain on the body long after removing the clothes and it is almost impossible to remove traces even with image processing. Therefore, on the day of the shoot wear only underwear without seams, if you just have to wear them. At best, it is recommended that at the shoot you come without underwear. If you are scheduled for the shoot in the morning, get rid of everything that tightens the skin the night before. Sleep naked.

As for the actual boudoir shoot itself, there is no specific rule on what you should or should not wear. Choose lingerie that suits your body type and that makes you feel relaxed and sexy.

Photography by S Fouquaert

Models: Charline Debacker , Kelly Denauw.

Thanks for reading.

Steve

r3t1awr3yd · October 20, 2014

Hackbone wrote: »

This is what boudoir photography looks like when done by a pro. The music track is very, very grating.

http://rachelstephensphotography.com/lookie-iii/

WOW. When you start reading about the how and WHY she shoots this style, it makes it really easy to understand that this or more than just feeling sexy in half naked pictures. I'm not even into this style but reading about her perspective just made me want to read that much more. I hope all boudoir styled photographers can live up to such a great vision!

anonymouscuban · October 20, 2014

I guess I came off as a Boudoir hater. And I'm not. Actually, Boudoir is what really got me interested in lighting. There are just a lot of hacks in the genre but I guess there are in all genres of photography.

alaios · October 20, 2014

So happy to learn from you guys. Thanks a lot for your time you have spent answering to my question. I love "pushing" you, you have quite of essence to share

Was boudoir always like that?

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