Here’s two images for you to consider. One light, airy, almost dreamy black and white shot, the other a cross processed, colour, more contrasty one. Which would you choose?

It’s a tough call. Lets have a look at each one and decide. You can click the images above for a larger view.

Firstly, the black and white image. It’s lovely, soft, gentle natural light which shows off the skin beautifully. It has almost dream like qualities, a little bit of film grain to give it that timeless feel, and the black and white processing has through removal of colour focussed our attention on the shape and form of the face.

Now the colour one. It’s more contrasty than the black and white one, and has been cross processed to give it a more contemporary fashion feel. The shadows are darker and define the shape of the face and body beautifully, and the eyes are extremely vivid and piercing. The colour in the image separates the model nicely from the background and brings out the texture in the jacket.

So, which would you prefer? The soft, romantic, timeless black and white image, or the modern, snappy, more fashionesque colour one?

With elmboudoir you don’t need to choose. Why not have both? Both of the above images were just two of many from the same shoot. We’ll do a mixture of black and white, colour, cross processed, sepia toned, vintage, fashion, lingerie and much more all in the same shoot. You’ll end up with a variety of different styles of image, not just one, and that’s what makes us different.

Boudoir photography is all about you! It’s about capturing amazing, jaw dropping images of you looking your absolute best. Because of this we think it’s important that the images actually look like you!

This sounds like a bit of a strange thing to say, but too often we see images of very beautiful ladies that have just been ‘processed’ that little bit too much. There are strange colour shifts, un-natural skin, too much smoothening, no shadow detail and blown highlights. Sometimes the eyes are over saturated and look a little scary, other times there’s a little too much post production glow and blurring added.

And the main culprit? Photoshop!

Photoshop is without question the industry leader in imaging software. It’s the daddy of them all, and it’s incredible what you can do with it if you have a couple of decades free to study it in detail. But there’s a problem with Photoshop. And that is when do you stop!

Without the basics being right there is little point in taking the shot. You can’t make a poorly thought out image a good one by using Photoshop, as if it doesn’t work at the time of capture then it never will. We like to get it right in camera. We’re not huge fans of Photoshop filters and plug-ins, we prefer to spend a little more time getting our lighting right with properly calibrated equipment, and we find that more often that not when we open up the image for the first time on our computers we pretty much have it nailed.

Here’s a selection of images to show you what we mean. Some have been converted to black and white, some cross processed, some have had skin smoothening techniques utilised and others have had glows and soft focus added. Some are taken in natural light, some with studio lighting, but the point is that they still look real and they still look like you. There’s still detail in the skin, there’s still a natural progression from highlights to shadow, the eyes look natural and the overall feel of the image is one of natural beauty, not computer generated glamour.

Most studios these days offer a ‘Photoshopping’ service, but the best examples of this are when you can’t actually tell that Photoshop has been used. All you see is a beautiful image of a beautiful lady, and that’s just how it should be.

It’s important to us that our customers receive a good variety of images from their boudoir shoot. We don’t mean that they receive fifty versions of the same style, we mean a variety of different poses, clothing and lighting set up within the same session.

For this reason we think it’s important to not shoot in a studio. This may surprise you, but often shooting in a studio tends to benefit the photographer more than the customer. The studio is always set up, there’s no travelling involved, the customer comes to them, the lighting kit is in a number of pre-determined settings and because of this the photographer can go through half a dozen shoots per day. It makes good business sense, but it doesn’t lead to particularly inspiring images.

We also don’t photograph at the customers home. We get better results if we take our customers somewhere really special as we find that this inspires them and gives them confidence. It takes them away from their normal routine to somewhere fresh and new, and you can see the effect of this in the final images.

For these two reasons we always shoot on location.

Shooting on location changes everything. From a photographers point of view it’s much more work. A venue needs to be sourced and a suitable room booked. A good make-up artist and hairdresser who are happy to travel to the venue need to be organised, and as each location is different the lighting needs to be carefully considered for each shot.

But it’s worth it, and that’s because of the completely different style of images you come home with. You don’t end up with a selection of photographs that all look the same, or that look the same as the photographers previous twenty customers photoshoots do.

The boutique hotels that we shoot in have individually styled rooms. Typically we work with three different hotels in the area, giving us a total of 120 potential bedrooms, or 120 different ‘studios’ if you like, all with individual characteristics. We’ve access to natural light and studio lights, bedrooms, suites, bathrooms, chairs, settees, tables, window ledges, beds and more – and they are all of beautiful quality in lovely locations. An added bonus is that customers can enjoy the leisure facilities afterwards to wind down after the excitement of their photoshoot.

The venues we use are spread over the region, so whether you are in Newcastle, Northumberland, Durham, Sunderland or even a little further afield there’s a venue within reasonable travelling distance.

But doesn’t this work out more expensive? Surely booking a room at a luxurious location isn’t cheap and will add to the cost of the package? Actually, no. The costs are far less than the ongoing costs of maintaining a studio, paying rent, rates, electricity etc, so generally it works out being better value for the customer. Visit our main website and compare prices for yourself.

We think it’s important to bear this in mind when searching for your perfect boudoir shoot. Look at the whole package, look at what you get for your money not just in terms of images but in also in terms of variety. Don’t think that you need to be photographed in a certain way to hide your ‘imperfections’ – that’s simply not true. Careful use of pose, clothing and lighting means that you can be photographed in many different ways, and simply hiding you in shadow is just the easy way out, and to us simply isn’t good enough. In our sample gallery below half of the images involve more clothing rather than less, but are still well lit and very sensual.

This gallery contains a variety of styles all taken in the same two hour session.Typically you’ll take home between thirty and forty full resolution images in at least half a dozen different themes in the location we choose.

In the end though, it’s the images that you take home that matter. Ultimately, that’s what you’ll have in years to come to remember the day, and this should be the main factor that influences your choice of photographer.

Note that we have permission to publish sample images from this shoot, in all cases images remain strictly confidential unless we are told otherwise by our customers.

At elmboudoir we’ve got lighting kit – and plenty of it!

We’ve got mains powered flash heads, continuous lighting, portable flash, lighting stands, softboxes, umbrellas, snoots, barn doors, gobo’s, reflectors, gels, grids, spill-kills, backdrops, in fact you name it – it’s in the  kit bag somewhere.

There’s a lot of gear there, and it cost us a lot of money, but in a perfect world given the choice we’d probably use none of it – natural light is in our opinion one of the most beautiful ways to photograph boudoir, and we like to include it in every boudoir shoot that we do.

This is why we don’t use a single studio but prefer to shoot on location. Some studios are equipped with large, north facing windows which provide a lovely, soft natural illumination. Most are not, and it’s a question worth asking when deciding who to choose for your shoot.

When we organise a venue for our shoots we always make sure that there’s going to be an opportunity to take at least some of the images in natural daylight. The venues we choose typically have lovely spacious bedrooms, lavishly furnished and beautifully decorated, but also with a number of large windows giving us this option. Boudoir isn’t just about low key lighting with lots of shadows, it’s also about soft, clean images that show off natural beauty, and if you want this then natural daylight is possibly the best option you could choose.

Generally speaking, the larger the light source, and the closer the subject is to that light source, then the softer and more flattering the light. For example, imagine a 6ft by 4ft window – fairly typical in the venues we shoot at. Provided that this window is not south facing and in full glare of the sun you have a huge diffused light source of 24 sq ft. Anybody sat close to this will be subject to the most beautiful, even, soft light, and often all that’s needed is a reflector to fill a few shadows in. Now studio flash is good, and you can add lots of modifiers to soften this light, but it can never really replicate natural daylight – there’s no substitute for the real thing.

So, what we do is basically give you a selection of both. We’ll take some lovely naturally lit images for you, we’ll also take some that mix natural light with our studio lights, and then we’ll take some moodier, low key ones with the room darkened and the studio lights throwing just enough illumination into the scene to give a warm, soft effect.

This gives great variety for your final set of images – a mixture of styles and light sources rather than just a single set of images that all look pretty much the same. Browse through our gallery on our main website to see what we mean.

One thing that we’re always keen to do is come up with new ideas for our photoshoots. We want to provide something that’s a little bit different, where some thought has gone into the image.

There are always the ‘standard shots’ in boudoir. These include a woman on her front on the bed, perhaps kneeling with hands on the hips, maybe on her back with her legs straight up leaning on a wall, or how about lounging seductively on a settee of some description?

These can all make beautiful images, there’s no question of that, so naturally we’ll include some of them in our portfolio, but it isn’t good enough to do the same thing for each shoot, or to be content with something that every other photographer in the country is coming out with. Every time we plan a session we’re always trying to think of something we can do that’s just a little bit different, something that will help us stand above others in our field.

The shot on this blog post is an example of this. We’ve wanted to do a ‘reflection in the mirror’ type of shot for a while now. We’ve tried it a couple of times, and the results were very nice, but it’s a tricky one to get absolutely right. The idea is that the reflection shows the front of our model, sometimes topless, sometimes in lingerie, but by photographing with a very narrow depth of focus we can blur the reflection. The viewer knows that the subject isn’t wearing much, and can see her torso in the reflection, but she’s concealed by the lack of focus. It takes a lot of thought, not just technically in the lighting and the posing (the pose has to look good from two angles), but you also have to look hard at what you see in the reflection other than the subject. Finally, the composition of the subject and her reflection in relation to each other has to be well balanced.

The trick is the lighting. The subject must be appropriately lit, but so must her reflection. The background needs to be dark in both areas of the image so that she stands out against it. We need to use controlled directional lighting. This allows us to be very accurate in where light does and doesn’t fall, and by diffusing this light we get a lovely soft, flattering image.

We took a series of images in this set, but the one here is my favourite. The expression of our subject is just perfect, there’s a hint of innocence in the pose and the reflection shows enough, but conceals enough too.

There are many ways to take a beautiful boudoir image.

You can choose a selection of lingerie, perhaps silk, maybe some lace, or you could choose a favourite dress. Maybe you would go for a partners football shirt, or alternatively be adventurous and pick out that ‘Moulin Rouge’ style basque!

I believe you can take a beautiful image with all these things, it just takes a little thought, a little subtleness and above all a constant reminder that what we are photographing here is beauty.

One thing that’s always worth considering though when choosing your outfit is being photographed in less rather than more. Initial reactions to this are varied – some absolutely love the idea, others are naturally a little apprehensive, but in reality being photographed wearing next to nothing can be less revealing, classier and more gentle than being photographed in the full on fancy lingerie!

Take the example on this page. It’s not about what she’s wearing, as what little she does have on is knocked out of focus anyway. It’s not a particularly revealing image either, it isn’t overtly sexual and it certainly isn’t crass. It’s not trying to make a statement, it isn’t trying to empower, it’s simply a beautifully image.

If photographed well you find that implied topless or nude shots (like the one here) actually draw attention to the face and eyes rather than the fact that she’s practically naked. It can be done in a gentle, sympathetic and classy way, so although it takes a little confidence to do, it’s a style that’s certainly worth considering.

Looking for something different to do for a hen day? If you’re up for a day of pampering in a luxury venue combined with an amazing boudoir photoshoot then we might have just the thing.

Here’s how it works. You all arrive at one of the luxurious spa venues we work with, have a drink and perhaps a quick bite to eat, and then we whisk you and your hens off to the hairdresser. After this you’re all taken to have makeup applied by a team of qualified makeup artists, and then we all meet up in one of the luxurious suites.

You’ve all brought with you a selection of your favourite outfits and lingerie, we have a chat about what we’re going to do, crack open some champagne, make a start on the chocolates and then you all star in your very own boudoir photoshoot.

We’ll take some shots of each of you individually in a variet of outfits and poses, and as a grand finale we’ll produce a final sequence of images of all of you together. This is usually a theme of some kind, our personal favourite is the poker game but it can be anything you like really. The idea is to produce a sexy but fun image of the bride with her friends, showing a little of the wild site of a hen night out. Of course you don’t need to go as far as the ladies in our sample shot above did – as ever where you draw the line is completely your decision and you’re always in control.

Once your photoshoot has finished you are free to use the leisure facilities of the venue, or alternatively as you are all looking amazing after your hair and makeup application you could head straight out onto the town!

Hen day shoots are best suited to groups of at least four ladies. Sounds like fun? Contact us if you would like to find out more!

We’ve held off posting this one until after Christmas – we’d have hated to risk spoiling the surprise!

One of our customers had the fantastic idea of commissioning us to produce a calendar for them as a Christmas gift to their partner. This presents us with a challenge because ideally you need to have a completely different looking image for each month of the year. This isn’t a problem, but in order to keep the costs competitive we need to try to do this in as reasonable a time as possible.

We took thirteen different ideas for shots, using different outfits and different locations. We shot on two different days, each shoot lasting around 2 hours, and on each day we had a different suite at the beautiful Seaham Hall. We found that this worked better than attempting one long shoot, as fatigue can start to set in. Within these two rooms there were plenty of options to use for backgrounds, so combine this with different combinations of clothing (and some without!) we came back with a lovely selection of images.

We produced a completely bespoke one-off 13 page A3 portrait calendar (one image per month plus a cover) with the images filling the entire page. The show stopper though had to be the ‘December’ shot – where our subject presented themselves complete with Santa hat in full matching lingerie! We’re not normally ones for pin-up style photoshoots, but this was an awful lot of fun, and something that the lucky recipient will have to look at for the whole year.

It’s not too late to get a calendar produced, so if you like the sound of it then get in touch.

So what do you want from your boudoir shoot? What are your reasons for paying a photographer to produce intimate images of you? What style of images are you looking for, and why?

These are questions we ask all of our potential customers. We want to understand them, we need to know what they are expecting from us and what kind of result they are hoping for.

Every photographer has their own opinion on what constitutes a good boudoir image, and there’s a lot of photographers out there doing this, and therefore a lot of opinions. Here’s our take on it from feedback we’ve received from a wide range of ladies.

We think that a lot of boudoir is simply marketed too sexually. Of course it’s an intimate subject, but we’ve found that pretty much without exception our customers look for the subtle rather than the overt. A lot of promotion on the web announce boudoir as a liberating experience, and even on TV it’s portrayed in a very ‘Girl Power’ kind of way, and a sure fire method to build confidence and change you forever! It’s all about showing a bit of attitude, coming out of your shell and showing the world what you can do.

Apparently.

Well, we agree that the above points can play a role, but is this all that it’s about? There’s a huge element here that’s been completely missed. Sometimes our customers aren’t particularly confident, more often than not they aren’t doing it to be liberated, and in their usual day to day lives they don’t have a lot of attitude. So why try to bring this out in a photoshoot when sometimes it simply isn’t who they really are? All you end up with is a series of images of somebody not really comfortable in what they are doing.

To us it’s all about capturing the personality of the individual in a sensitive, subtle, sexy and above all stylish way. How we do this is different with every single person we photograph, but we firmly believe that you can’t apply the same logic to everyone. You can’t ask an individual to role play someone they are not and then expect to produce a good image, it just isn’t going to happen unless you’re working with an experienced model. You need to photograph the person that they are, you need to capture who they are, or whats the point?

So, before you book your photoshoot just ask yourself what you want to get from it all. Is it simply an image of you in your undies that your partner will like, or is it something more – something that captures your true personality in an intimate yet subtle way.

I’ve heard it said before that a woman can take a better, more sensual image of another woman because, unlike men, they understand them more and can connect with them better.

In this day and age it’s not that often I hear it, but incredibly some people still hold this opinion. Is it really the case? Does it honestly come down to what gender you are, and it’s this which determines whether you can carry out a task? I don’t think so! You may think I’m biased because I’m a man, but I don’t for a second think that I can take a better image of a man because I’m one, so I honestly don’t see how it works the other way.

Take the image on the right for example. Was it taken by a man or a woman? It could be either, because at elmboudoir we have both, but can you really tell?

The thing with good boudoir photography is that it should appeal to an audience across both sexes. There is little point in creating an image that only appeals to a female audience, as boudoir is more often than not a gift to a male. On the other hand it’s simply not appropriate to have an end result that a man thinks is super sexy but a woman thinks is cheap and tacky. There is a balance, there’s definitely a style that satisfies both, and it’s never a compromise – it’s simply a classy, elegant, well taken photograph which both sexes can truly appreciate, and if they don’t then its failed.

At elmboudoir we always have myself and my female assistant / stylist at a photoshoot. This gives us a unique perspective, and allows us to make a judgement call from both sides rather than just one. We know that our images are going to appeal to both as we have both involved from the outset. It really works!

We photograph beauty, and beauty is something that both a man and a woman can appreciate. Some of the biggest fans of my work are women, I always make a point of regularly showing my portfolio work (never from a client’s personal photoshoot though) to a select few for constructive criticism, and the feedback has always been extremely positive. I don’t accept that men and women are as different as some people make out. We have more in common than you think!

I do completely accept though that some women may find the prospect of being photographed in such in intimate scenario by a man a little daunting, and I think that in these cases a woman may find that a female photographer is the best way forward for them. It’s our responsibility though to reassure and build trust with our customers, so when the day of the photoshoot comes along we’re all relaxed and can focus on the job in hand.

Ultimately, the final image is how we should all be judged. Look through a number of photographers portfolios and pay no attention to whether they are male or female. I honestly believe that you’ll find a fair mix in there of outstanding work by both, and the idea that one sex is somehow superior than the other is, to me at least, just not true in terms of photographic skills.

So is it really a case of “Sorry Mario (Testino), Bob (Carlos Clarke), Patrick (Demarchelier), Steven (Meisel) and Peter (Lindbergh). You’re not really good enough, you see, you’re all men”.

Of course not. It’s not about what you are, it’s about who you are. It’s the eye of the photographer that makes the difference, not the gender, and you should bear this in mind when making your choice.

With boudoir photography we think it’s important to get it absolutely right. It’s something special, it’s not just a snapshot taken with little thought, it’s a set of sensual images taken of a lady looking her absolute finest.

At elmboudoir it’s always a team effort. Looking at images in our galleries online probably doesn’t give an impression of what goes on behind the scenes, but there’s a lot of work involved from a lot of talented people, and it all comes together beautifully.

First of all we have to give a mention to the venues we use. Our absolute favourites are Seaham Hall and Matfen Hall, and even just the fact that we are shooting in these fabulous locations gives the day a luxurious edge to it. These guys are used to looking after people, it’s just what they do, and from the moment our customers walk through the door they are treated like royalty.

Kerry from "The Perfect Base" applying makeup.

After tea and coffee in the drawing room and a chat about what we want to do in the photoshoot we’ll head up to the suite we have booked. Around five minutes after we get up there our hairdresser arrives and makes a start, closely followed by our makeup artist. Their brief is simply to make our customers look amazing, and we rely on their experience and expertise to deliver this.

Hair and makeup is a very important part of the whole experience, and we believe it should be included in every boudoir package. It’s not just about looking amazing, it’s also an exciting part of the day. It’s about being spoilt and pampered over, and about being given a whole new look from a professional. Most ladies apply their own makeup and style their own hair before they go for a night out, and it becomes routine. We find that the hairdressers and makeup artists we bring in use their experience, flair and imagination to take this to the next level. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a ladies jaw drop in amazement when she’s finally allowed to look in the mirror when her styling session is complete. It’s often quite an emotional experience for them.

We had the pleasure last week of working with Kerry from The Perfect Base, and asked her what her thoughts were on a professional makeup application for boudoir;

“Having your hair and makeup done by a professional is always a treat but seldom done. It is so important to look and feel great before stepping in front of a camera. When you are feeling relaxed and confident that you are looking your best it really shows in the photos. Makeup application for a photo shoot is slightly different to what you would do yourself on a daily basis, as what a camera lens sees can be completely different to the naked eye.”

The final result.

While all this is going on myself and my assistant Katherine are unpacking all of the lighting equipment and planning the shoot. We’re setting up lighting stands, attaching gels, assembling softboxes, test firing strobes and taking light meter readings. Because we’re all in the same suite while this is going on, and chatting together about all sorts of different things, we really build up a great rapport with our customers, so by the time we’re ready to start shooting we’re all comfortable, relaxed and ready to go.

Once our hairdresser and makeup artist  leave it’s all down to us, but what a great start they’ve given us. Our customers have great confidence in their appearance because they’ve never looked better. They are comfortable in their surroundings, and they are comfortable with their photographer and assistant. There’s a great element of trust there that’s developed over the last couple of hours, and it’s all of this that makes the difference between a good boudoir photoshoot and a great one.

So, I think what we’re saying is that if you’re going to do a boudoir shoot, you might as well do it properly. Our photoshoots are more than just a one hour photo session taken in your home where you have to do your hair and makeup yourself. If that’s what you want then we’re probably not the photographers for you. If you want to really enjoy it, make a day of it, be pampered, and take with you a collection of images that truly do show you at your best though, give us a call – you’ll not be disappointed!

Is it better to shoot on location, or to have the convenience of a photoshoot in your home? To us that’s easily answered. We always shoot on location, and there are three main reasons we do.

Firstly, whilst you may think that you’ll be more comfortable in your own home and surroundings for your photoshoot, feedback to us suggests that this isn’t the case. Organising a photoshoot on neutral ground can actually be less intimidating than inviting someone you don’t know that well into your personal living space.

Secondly, our customers like to make a day of it. Hair styling followed by makeup, a photoshoot, lunch and then an afternoon in a spa equates to a great day out, and there’s always the option to bring a friend along too.

Finally, the venues we use represent the height of luxury, and the suites we book for a shoot offer a huge variety of opportunities for different images, whilst still being in a single glamourous location and allowing us to work efficiently.

To show you what we mean take a look at the mini gallery below. Every one of these shots was taken in the same room at Seaham Hall (room 6 if you are interested!). In this room we have two separate areas – a living room and a bedroom split by an archway. The bedroom has a dressing table and the bed is lit by natural light via windows on two sides. There’s also a beautiful window ledge which lends itself perfectly to close up portraiture. The living room has a large bay window (on the first floor so more private), a big armchair, a number of smaller chairs, a table and a comfy settee.

There’s also a huge bathroom which in effect becomes a private dressing room, and if we get a bit hungry or thirsty then we just pick up the phone and room service comes to the rescue. It really is the best of both worlds!

Imagine then having this location at our disposal for your photoshoot, and combine it with an assortment of different outfits and photographic styles. There is the potential for a huge variety of shots, and it means that you’ll end up with a good mixture of images, not just a load that look the same. We apply this thinking to every photoshoot we do, and because every customer gets a CD of all the images in high resolution it’s the customer who ends up being the big winner.

What’s the best way to find out what your customers want? Simple! You ask them.

We should never assume that we know what’s best and that we’re always right. There’s a big danger in becoming complacent and assuming that we’re providing what potential customers would like to see, but how do we know for sure that we’re hitting the mark?

To help us discover the facts we launched our online questionnaire, and there’s been some interesting results submitted. So what have you told us? Well, for preferred styles of images it’s a pretty even split between ‘lingerie’ and ‘contemporary fashion’ styles. The ‘pin-up’ style received very few votes, which we’re quite pleased about as it’s not something that we really like to do.

For photoshoot locations every person who completed the questionnaire ticked the ‘luxury venue’ box, and they also said that they would like hairdressing and makeup services provided. When asked about what you would like to receive after the photoshoot every single completed questionnaire had a big tick next to the ‘CD of Images’ selection, with over three quarters also wanting a hardback book. Nobody was particularly interested in having a canvas print produced, which we don’t really find that surprising to be honest. It looks like three hours is the maximum that anybody wants to spend on a shoot, and the reasons for having a shoot done was for both a gift for a partner and also for themselves.

One thing we were quite pleased about was the results to the question asking whether you preferred a male or female photographer. The options were either ‘male’, ‘female’, ‘both’ or ‘no preference’, and the most votes by a long way were cast for ‘both’. This is something that we sincerely agree with, as having a man and a woman on set really helps us ensure that we produce fantastic images that appeal to everyone. After ‘both’ the preference was ‘no preference’.

It all makes for very interesting reading, and it’s great to hear what our potential customers would like to see on their own photoshoot.

Two very similar styles of photography, both about creating sensual images of a woman often wearing very little, but what’s the difference between glamour and boudoir, and which do I prefer, and why?

It’s a fine line between boudoir and glamour. Sometimes the only difference between the two is the look on the face, or a slight variance in the pose. Glamour photography covers a huge range of styles, right from the 40′s ‘film noir’ look through to the more blatant styles seen in the new range of ‘lads mags’ and on ‘Page 3′. Boudoir can cover similar ground, but generally stops short of actual nudity. Any nudity in Boudoir images is usually implied, and most of the time it’s all left to the imagination.

There is quite a large cross-over between the two styles though, and I wouldn’t like to label what we produce as either one or the other. Our photoshoots tend to produce a hybrid of boudoir / fashion / glamour, and I don’t want to be tied to producing any one of these styles. I think it’s important to just do what you do without constraints, but absolutely always focus on producing sensual, exciting, but above all classy images that appeal to a male and female audience. For us its always without exception about celebrating the female form, and never ever reducing a woman to being purely an object.

To a degree I think that the difference isn’t so much about the  image itself, but the purpose. Generally, glamour photography tends to be more commercial and possibly a little more provocative, and is often resold for distribution to a wider audience. The viewer can be the reader of a magazine, or the browser of a website, but there’s no personal relationship between the model and the viewer which by nature tends to make the model more of an object of desire. There isn’t an emotional connection there at all, it’s purely sexual.

The difference is that the photoshoots that we do at elmboudoir are taken for personal reasons. Whether our customer wants photographs taken in lingerie, in a fashion style, implied nude or more isn’t that important – the point is that they are being produced for personal reasons. This could be as a gift for a partner (and what a gift!), or just something that they want to do for their own self esteem. Either is as good a reason as the other.

We don’t photograph boudoir, glamour, or whatever you might want to class it as for any reason other than to provide our customers with a stunning and very classy record of how amazing they can look, either for themselves or for a gift for someone special to them. We’re not interested in providing images to stock libraries, or running a photoshoot purely for commercial gain. For us it’s that personal aspect that makes the whole thing exciting, and knowing that we can provide our customers with something that literally takes their (and their partners) breath away is infinitely more rewarding.

Our quest to take interesting images that reflect the personality of our customers took a cool new twist recently.

Before a photoshoot we try to get to know our customer a little. We don’t just turn up on the day of a photoshoot and say ‘OK then, what have you brought, and what would you like to do?’. We pretty much have it all organised beforehand, and know exactly what we are wanting to achieve long before the camera and lights are switched on.

Our recent photoshoot at Seaham Hall is a good example of this. Our customer was a self confessed “bit of a mod”, with a very clearly defined look about her. Turning up expecting to shoot evening dresses and lingerie would have been completely inappropriate here. Rather than Versace and Gucci we were thinking Parkas, Harringtons and drainpipe jeans. Not much fancy lingerie here, much more leather jackets and stripes. Doing it any other way just wouldn’t have reflected the personality of our customer.

Having said all this, one thing we picked up on straight away was how pretty she was. We’ve said all along that a simple photograph of a beautiful lady who’s really at ease and involved in the photoshoot is infinitely better than a shot of her wearing clothing she’s not really comfortable in, feeling slightly disengaged from the whole process. We took a good mixture of shots, most of them with a real, retro fashion angle, but some of the simple portraits we got that day with all the bells and whistles removed are, I believe, some of our finest.

Here’s a selection from the day. Not your typical boudoir shoot, not your typical boudoir model, but simply beautiful results!

I’ve been thinking about this for a little while. I could do many things with my life, but taking photographs is now a huge part of it. I don’t do it because it’s lucrative and profitable – if that’s all it was about then I’d be a banker or an accountant. So what is it about photography, and in particular the boudoir sessions, that I really enjoy?

When I first became interested in photography over two decades ago I wanted to photograph landscapes. I’d seen amazing images in National Geographic magazine (which still print some of the finest images I’ve ever seen) and they really struck a chord with me. I pursued this for a while, and I did enjoy it, but there was something missing.

In the early days I think I preferred landscapes because they were convenient. There was no lighting set-up to worry about, and there were no people to direct. I’d get up early and head out to the hills, and I’d have peace, quiet and solitude. I did like this, but I’ve since realised that the thing about photography I like the best, the thing that really makes it exciting, is photographing people.

I think that the reason we take photographs is that we want to capture something that captures us. With our boudoir sessions we’re photographing something personal and intimate, and we have a responsibility to get it right. It’s an absolute privilege to photograph every single one of our customers, and I never forget this. With good boudoir photography the subject bares their soul more than anything else, and it’s this that we need to show if we’re to produce a truly engaging image.

For me, the reward of seeing a set of final images that have really captured something beautiful about a person comes a very close second to the ultimate prize of seeing their reaction when they are presented with the photographs for the first time. These images are something that will be looked back on for years to come, something that will raise a smile, give them confidence, inspire them and make them feel good about themselves.

That’s why I take photographs.

To the uninitiated, good boudoir photography can be tricky to get right – there’s a fine line between celebrating the female form and objectifying it.

We find that often some boudoir studios simply try too hard to make a sexy image, and end up producing something a bit tacky and insensitive. We follow the thinking that simple is always best.

When choosing items of clothing from your wardrobe for your boudoir shoot remember that the prime focus of the photograph is always you. What you are wearing should compliment the image but never be the focus. Don’t go over the top, keep things subtle and understated – you’ll be surprised at how amazing the results can be.

Often a pair of denims can be much sexier than an over the top lingerie set, it all depends on the pose, the lighting and the moment that we capture. We’re not saying that there’s no place for lingerie, because their certainly is. It’s just not the ‘be all and end all’ of a boudoir shoot, that’s all.

To us its about looking a little deeper and drawing out your personality in the images. It’s about a glint in the eye, a gentle smile, a little of what you can see but more about what you can’t.

Keep things simple and you can’t really go wrong!

One of the things that we think is important is that you get all the images from your boudoir shoot.

We don’t think it’s right that we may have some cracking shots of you but for one reason or another we don’t allow you to have them – so they sit, unloved, on a hard disk somewhere in elmboudoir HQ. There are many reasons why some photographers don’t issue a CD of images with each shoot, and I can honestly understand the reasoning behind it. After all, we have to make a living from this, and that involves charging for our services.

But that’s exactly my point. You get what you pay for, and you pay us to take sensational images of you. We think that the fairest way to price our services is to charge for the work we do, and not to present a low initial cost and then force customers to spend more than they wanted by top-loading print prices.

A CD of all the images? In high resolution?

Well, all right then, this isn’t strictly true – but let me explain why.

In a typical boudoir shoot we’ll fill around three 4GB memory cards. At the file sizes our equipment produces that’s around 450 images. These images include test shots, and bracketed exposures. This is where we expose for the reading our light meter gives us, but then underexpose the next shot, and then overexpose the shot after. Some people think that with digital this isn’t important as you can compensate for it in Photoshop, but I’m afraid that’s just the way we’ve been brought up. We work hard to make sure that we absolutely nail it in camera.

We also then take a few shots of the same pose, then move around a little and take some more, then adjust the lighting and take some more, and so on. Once we have all the images we take them back to HQ and import them onto our computers (we use Mac Pro’s with Adobes excellent ‘Lightroom’ software for this). We then go through the images via Lightrooms ‘Library’ module, and quickly label the images as either ‘rejects’ or ‘picks’. The ‘picks’ are the ones we’re interested in, and these are the ones where the exposure is absolutely spot on, the composition balanced and your eyes are open! These images are all as near to perfect as we can get them, and if there is even the slightest flaw then I’m afraid it’s rejected.

This usually cuts the choice right down from 450+ to around 60. For the chosen final images we treat each on it’s own merits, and they are individually developed, never in batches. Some will be converted to mono, others cross processed. Most will be selectively sharpened and there’ll be some dodging and burning going on too. It’s just like what we used to do in the old days in the darkroom, only today it’s a digital workflow.

It’s these final images that you get on a CD, in full resolution, with no restrictions on what you do with them. The copyright remains ours, but we give you permission to basically use them as you want. You can take them somewhere else to get them printed if you like, or we can help you. It makes no difference to us, because our fair pricing structure works out best for everyone involved.

UPDATE

You still get all the final images in high resolution, but we now no longer offer images on a CD as standard, though if you would prefer us still to do this then it’s no problem. Our preferred method of delivery is now a digital download. It’s quick, easy and more secure so it’s better all round for everyone.

We shoot boudoir in lots of luxurious, exotic venues, but I have to admit that at the moment my favourite one has to be Seaham Hall.

And the reasons? Well, if you need to ask then it’s probably because you haven’t been! From the moment you arrive you realise that you are somewhere special. We always give ourselves ten luxurious minutes to have a coffee in the beautifully elegant bar and just take in the incredible surroundings before starting with the days work.

Once we arrive in the room we have pre-booked for the shoot and start to set the lighting up we get quite excited – you simply couldn’t ask for a better venue for the sheer variety of shots and poses.

In our suite there are beautiful full length windows with diffusing blinds, fabulous big armchairs and settees, a separate section containing a dressing table and mirror, a short settee and a huge bed, which you get access to through a lovely archway. The wallpaper is classy yet not overpowering, and even though the rooms tend to be south facing there is always the option somewhere to avoid the harsh direct sunlight if you’re lucky enough to be there on a bright day. We simply couldn’t ask for anything more.

We’re looking forward very much to working more at Seaham Hall, we’re in middle of organising a full day package where you (plus a friend if you like) arrive in the morning, have hair and makeup sorted, experience a full boudoir photoshoot, take lunch and then relax in the amazing world class leisure facilities for the rest of the day.

We use Seaham Hall as our preferred venue for our boudoir shoots now – we’re happy to use somewhere closer to you if you like, but personally we’re all about quality and we like to use the best.

In crisp white sheets – how we did it:

A boudoir shoot usually features a bed, and one of the best ways to photograph a lady on a bed is to photograph her in the bed! No clothing, no lingerie, no jewellery, nothing but a beautiful woman in crisp white sheets.

The trick here is to keep the white sheets white, not grey, whilst still exposing correctly for the skin tones. We were looking for a sharp, contrasty pure black and white image here, so we used the studio lights.

We attached a softbox to both of the flash heads which gave us a lovely soft light, and placed one flash to the right of the model, and another in front of her, but on one third of the power. This was to fill in some of the shadows, but not destroy them completely. The background was lit by natural light from a window on the left of the frame.

The power of the studio lights allowed us to create an image with contrast in the folds of the sheets, but the softboxes meant that there were no harsh shadows on the model’s skin. The finishing touch was the funky square wallpaper in the background!