First Time Boudoir

[clarcorona]

This is my first time shooting Boudoir and would love an honest critique. This is a friend who just turned 53 and wanted to mark the occasion with some special photos. The shots were hit and miss with a lot of misses. She is a BBW and I wanted to accentuate her positives such as her emerald green eyes.

I can sit here and tear apart the pic but know hindsight is 20/20 and will be more mindful of certain things in the future... It was a stressful but fun experience.

After doing this I think I've fallen in love with Boudoir! It's something I hope to continue shooting and improving.

TIA!


Nervously awaiting your responses,

clarcorona

 

[Ilovemycam]

They are OK. Glad the older gals are still showing their stuff! Try a few more poses, don't be scared.

Good luck!

 

[tirediron]

C&C per req:

First and foremost I think you've done an excellent job of "hiding" her size; I really didn't notice anything, other than her obvious 'attributes'. Like so many things, the devil is in the details and despite it being an image of an attractive lady with ample bosom, the only thing I can see is the crooked lampshade in the background and the crumpled pillow against the headboard.
The after does an excellent job of showing off her eyes, but I'm not fond of the cropped arm, and to be honest, the position of her right hand makes me think that she's checking her breast for lumps. I like her expression, and I think given that she's wearing a nice bra, the hand really isn't necessary.

My suggestion would to see if you can do a re-shoot, and pay particular attention to the set-up; ensure the bed linens are smooth and 'made' looking; for the sheet that is being used as a drape, let that fall naturally and pull it down so that it appears to be draped rather than crumpled. Remove the picture on the wall and the lamp on the table. If you can, illuminate with a single, large SB close to the subject and just camera left (assuming the same shooting position).

This is a good start with a challenging subject; keep at it. Bourdoir is NOT an art that anyone nails on their first (or second, or third) attempt!

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[jwbryson1]

In addition to what John said, her skin appears a bit greenish and it looks like her body is "sinking" into the bed. I also think the image is a bit underexposed.

 

[Derrel]

I think the green eye coloration in the after is too intense. The skin smoothing is pretty good overall, with a minor problem on the breast/bra area in the after that could be done a bit better I think. The lamp in the back is annoying, for sure, but overall, it's a pleasant photo. I think you did an excellent job of draping the sheet over her, revealing just her upper-most parts. This has a 'realness' to it that I think is hurt a bit by the overly-green eye coloration, and maybe skin coloring that is just a little bit too yellow. I'd prefer a slightly cooler, paler skin coloration, in-between the original and the after in terms of color.

 

[Big Mike]

For your first time, this is great.

As mentioned, the hand (her right hand) cupping her breast like that seems odd...it just doesn't look natural. Of course, there are great poses where a lady uses the 'hand bra' to strategically cover herself...but that doesn't appear to be the case here, so the 'grab' doesn't seem to fit...if you know what I mean.

Her other hand (under her face) looks a lot more natural, but I'd have her turn it just a bit, so that the thin edge of it is toward the camera. You usually want to avoid having the back (wide side) of the hand toward the camera, as it becomes a big patch of bright skin that subtracts attention away from the face or other important areas. Posing hands is one of the harder things to do well...and we often forget about it when in the moment.

Also, I think the skin tones are a bit of an issue. I get that she's not a professional model without tan lines...but her upper chest has a lot more color than her lower chest, and her right forearm doesn't match anything else. Not a lot that you can do, people have tan lines...but smoothing that out in post, if you can, might help a little.

Without knowing what else you've tried, or what gear you have at your disposal...I'd suggest trying more dramatic lighting. This is very nice, soft side lighting...which does work here. But when I think of good boudoir (at least what I like), I think of dramatic lighting with amble amounts of shadow, to give an air of mystery.

 

[Granddad]

They are OK. Glad the older gals are still showing their stuff! Try a few more poses, don't be scared.

Good luck!

Older gals? I'd call her a younger gal! :lmao:

Lots of practice, clarcorona. Study the subject and read about lighting and complimentary poses for plus size ladies. Personally it's an area I'm not sure I want to venture into, I blush easily.

 

[clarcorona]

Thanks for all of the feedback!

The lighting is all window light. I don't own a lighting set up yet as I've been focusing more on dealing with and controlling natural light.

I used Portraiture to smooth her skin but given she's a bit freckly I didn't want to go overboard with it. I also attempted to patch over her upper chest area so alleviate redness. I'm not sure how else to fix the issue of skin splotches.

I vaguely see the greenish tint that's been discussed... I use my laptop for all post. Perhaps the eyes aren't showing up as saturated on my screen as they are on yours. I'm hoping my next purchase will be a calibrated screen.

Unfortunately, I missed the boat with her posing and the crop but since this shoot I've been looking at Sue Bryce's techniques and scouring over Boudoir photographers' sites. A lot only display their very best clientele/models but a few have plus size women as well.

Lampshades and I don't get along... I personally was the subject of 2 Boudoir shoots where the lampshades were askew. I should've made a mental note to look over the lampshade. My mind was going a million places while trying to make her feel comfortable. In the future I will look at the background a bit more thoroughly so that distracting pieces are either removed or fixed.

I want to move onto shooting models (My friends run when I suggest Boudoir) in the Boudoir setting but needed to make sure I was heading in the right direction with the basics. I will work on my techniques a bit more!


clarcorona

 

[Big Mike]

You might want to look up a former/retired member here, her handle was Photogoddess. (Tammy)
She now runs a photography company/studio that specializes in boudoir and she excels at plus sizes.

She's very friendly and I'd guess that she'd be willing to offer some advice.

Boudoir Photography - Plus Sizes To Petite In Southern California | Beautiful Pin Ups and Intimate Portraiture From True Blue Studios in Los Alamitos, CA.

 

[clarcorona]

I came across her site years ago and couldn't find it again.


Thanks Mike!

 

[PinkDoor]

There is a lot to be said for shoot from the best angel. Had you have been shooting from more upper right, shooting down - would have given a slimmer appearance, and smoothed out the neck area. Good job of having her face the natural light

 

[ktan7]

Truthfully, you can make anyone feel beautiful with boudoir photographs. You haven't achieved that here. Make your images convey emotions, sexiness and beauty.