Casual Boudoir Photography

Lilly came in for a special session with our male photographer Michael. The brief for this session was casual sexy, and the results speak for themselves! Lilly brought in a cosy white sweater for a cute rugged up look, a grey crop top, a black top and a white leotard. The focus was to pose Lilly in a way that complemented the outfits, but with a casual, unaware “girl next door” kind of style. The gorgeous hair and makeup for this shoot was done by local Gold Coast makeup artist Makeup by Mir.

Sometimes I get special requests for a male photographer, which may be surprising, but not uncommon at all. Some reasons for this are:

A) having a fear of being judged by another female seeing them in lingerie,

B) believing their confidence will get a bigger boost if they are receiving compliments on their looks by a male photographer during the shoot, or

C) wanting more of a “men’s magazine” style for their photos, which is commonly perceived to mostly be captured by male photographers.

Let’s address these points!

A. This was some very honest feedback I got from a client who specifically wanted a male photographer, and it surprised me. I would never ever judge another woman by her looks, and I think I would be in the wrong business if I did. In fact, I celebrate every woman’s bravery when stepping in front of the camera, and I would NEVER have a reason to judge a badass client who is confident enough to pose in their lingerie, no matter shape, size, stretch marks, etc. Another point I want to make on this is that as a professional, I don’t really LOOK at my clients in that way; I go into art mode and I’m so focused on seeing light and shadows, curves and lines. In saying this, I truly believe the same is true for most professional male photographers.

B. You may say this is the mentality of an insecure woman, and that may be the case for some. For others, being photographed (and subsequently admired and complimented) by a male photographer may simply be an experience that they prefer. Nothing wrong with either notion!

C. Stereotypically, the men’s magazine style is what men like to capture, and the “male gaze” is definitely a thing. Whether this style is more sexy, risque or old fashioned is up for personal opinion, just like the decision to get photos done in this style. However, don’t just assume that all male photographers will automatically lean towards this style. Boudoir photography is so widespread now, and styles are getting very individual and specialised.

So if you are a woman looking at booking a boudoir shoot, do your research based on the photographers’ own individual style, and don’t assume anything based on gender.