Her boudoir shoot took place in that stunning North London venue I was posting about a little while back. It’s such a lovely and unique space – full of gorgeous furniture and lush natural light – so it’s always a treat to work there.
This blue lingerie set is lovely, it really suits a feminine backdrop like this one and coordinated well with the style of the room. If you’re a fan you can get your own at Boux Avenue. I particularly like these softer colours paired with nude heels. Black always feels too heavy in the end.
Beautiful hair and makeup courtesy of Gemma and Debbie. We went super smoky which I wouldn’t recommend for everyone, but I think Cat pulls it off:)
A little edge to this one. Let’s face it, this bed is amazing but a tufted powder pink headboard isn’t for everyone.
Cat was our last shoot of the day. We lost the sun pretty quickly, so it was the perfect opportunity to create a moody, darker atmosphere using my fancy new lights (ProFoto B1 Location Kit for the photographers out there). Maybe I’m just lazy, but not having to worry about cables and cords has been revolutionary.
Mixing flash and ambient here, because we all know I love a chandelier;)
Something a little softer for our last look. I am in loooooooooooooove with this wall beading.
This red lace lingerie is from Ann Summers. I know they have a dodgy reputation, but you really can find some lovely, affordable pieces in there. Just be careful, it’s hit or miss. The above black and white and feather set is also from Ann Summers.
How gorg is Cat’s face here? Stunner.
A moody black and white to finish the day. Thanks for a great shoot ladies:)
She’s celebrating a big birthday this year, and her boudoir session was a treat to herself.
We started the day with this strappy black bodysuit, which I loved. I’ve never seen one with that great plunging drape at the front.
I wish I could remember where she said she found it. If you want something similar for your own shoot let me know and I’ll ask.
You certainly don’t have to have a fancy bed for a boudoir session, but I do love this one:)
So pretty.
The leg show is in town.
C looks so calm and serene here – see, nothing scary at all!
Heavenly.
If you’re a Mum like C, you might want to take note of her wardrobe. She’s not a huge fan of her stomach, and she did a brilliant job selecting wardrobe that covers the areas that she’s not so keen on.
I think boudoir wardrobe (and boudoir posing in general) is all about playing to your strengths. My motto is this: let’s highlight your best bits and downplay anything you’re not fond of. Unless you think your legs are crap but the are, in fact, freakingamazing. In that case, I’ll be documenting just how wrong you’ve been;)
le doors
You can’t go wrong with an all black look like this. Get the stockings too, it really pulls the outfit together.
A messy updo, Louboutins, and a big smile. Win win win.
Hazy afternoon sun. If only it had been as warm outside as this image suggests.
Another bodysuit, this one with sequins!
Just lovely.
A tried and true classic…
…and this stunner to finish off the day.
C, it was SO lovely to finally do this! Here’s to a happy, healthy, beautiful next decade:)
Today on the blog, a few of my favourite stills created during Scarlet’s boudoir video session.
Honestly, this face?!
We tried to have some fun with expressions on this shoot,
and Scarlet totally nailed it. This was only her 2nd photo shoot (ever), but you’d never know it.
Sarah did such a lovely job on Scarlet’s makeup. Individual lashes take ages but they do look incredible.
I love this bodysuit too – lots of black on black detail.
ahhhh
I just loved this shoot!
I’m still working on Scarlet’s video. We shot two videos actually, because – why not? Also, stills from our proper boudoir shoot are coming soon too. Stay tuned!
I know it’s not the most obvious choice, but I’m a big fan of shape wear pieces in lieu of lingerie. It does such a great job of showing off your shape while also providing lots of coverage and support. Jade is wearing simple black knickers (shape wear, high waisted) and a long sleeve cottony-lycra black top. I think the understated effect is really nice because it’s a blank canvas for her killer shape and gorgeous face.
That said, there are lots of shape wear options with more going on too – everything from jewel tone colours to silky fabrics and daring cuts. Another thing to keep in mind – if you struggle to find things in your bra size, shape wear usually has really inclusive sizing:) Big boobs welcome basically;)
For our next option, a strappy little number paired with a silk robe. This is a little more “bedroom” but still isn’t actually showing much skin. @sadafmakeupuk did such a beautiful job on Jade’s eyes here too.
This was (very) loosely inspired by France, if only because we shot it by the french doors and added pearls.
Jade loved these temple doors, and she wanted to try them as a backdrop for an edgy look. I love edgy, but it always makes me a little nervous – Â this sort of look can veer off into trashy in a heartbeat. However, I think we nailed it here. Love love these, and I’m actually contemplating faux leather trousers for myself now….maybe after some more squats lol!
Just a few more favourites from the day,
and we’ll finish with some black and whites because THOSE CURVES.
Jade, thank you doll, it was lovely working with you! Next time…kittens and cuteness:)
You guys….we’re nearly there! Just a few more days and then CHRISTMAS.
In the spirit of the season, here’s a few of my favourites from very festive boudoir photography session with Kat and her adorable pup.
I mean….come on. How can you not love these two?
No boys allowed at the studio, but we’ll make an exception for boy puppies.
These little clip-in reindeer antlers are genius. I’m wearing them right now actually.
An attempt at a Christmas light/bokeh background. I used a technique meant for photographing bottles of perfume, and I didn’t realise how much additional background space I’d need to photograph a human, so we ended up with just a few feet of space to use.
Still, it did *technically* work.
A few simple backlit frames.
That haaairrrrrr.
Kat always has the most incredible wardrobe.
If you’re not feeling the see-through bra, pasties are a great way to get a bit more coverage. There are lots of lovely options now, so if you’ve been put off by the tassle and the distinctly burlesque feel it’s worth a second look;)
I think this is my favourite image of the day. Maybe. Ralf is pretty cute…
Kat is incredibly fit at the moment because A) she’s amazing, and B) she’s doing lots of arial work and other circusy things. You can see a hint of her abs in this frame, even though we’ve flooded her with soft light.
My favourite chunky knit jumper makes another appearance.
It’s so cozy. If you like this look, you can borrow it for your shoot too.
My favourite little pup Ralf and his mummy.
Christmas kisses.
*swoon* Ralf likes eating socks off your feet. He’s not a fan of stairs, and he has exactly two speeds: mental or sleeping.
Nothing but bow;)
I’m so glad we did these – implied nudes get a bit of a bad reputation, but they can be really lovely if done well.
Kat did her own makeup for this shoot, and it’s a great example of an eye that works really well for boudoir shoots of all styles – it’s a bit smoky, but nothing too fake or heavy that will distract from a lovely face.
A bit more sultry for these.
We thought about lighting an actual fire, but it seemed too risky with a hyperactive pup in tow.
Finally, a fun idea I’ve been playing around with. Photoshop snow people, it’s amazing.
Kat, what can I say? It was so lovely to work with you again:)
Happy Holidays everyone. Thank you for a wonderful year, and I’ll see you on the other side!
I did some 1-1 training with an aspiring boudoir photographer a few weeks ago, and Jess was kind enough to come down for a shoot and help me teach some posing and direction tips.
I am in constant admiration of the women I meet doing this job, and Jess was certainly no exception. The more I learned about her the more impressed I was – she’s a mother, a cancer survivor, a tattoo artist, a horse lover, and just like all the rest of us, someone who sometimes struggles to call what looks back at her in the mirror beautiful. I know was hard for her to work up the nerve to do this, especially after a particularly challenging few years and lots of tough body changes, so it was a real honour to photograph her.
Like, honestly – it is not easy to be pregnant, to push a baby out of you-know-where, to deal with a diagnosis of cancer and the various operations, treatment, and the ridiculous amount of stress that accompanies that situation, to be a new mother, to loose the baby weight, etc etc etc. and then shortly after all of that, to say yes to yourself and your quiet hope of more self-confidence and reclaiming a teensy bit of your carefree self…by getting half naked in front of a stranger’s camera.
We can laugh and joke about it being a silly photo shoot in your knickers all day long, but the truth is that saying yes to a boudoir shoot is an act of pure courage. I cannot TELL you how much I admire and respect the women who show up in my inbox and at my door.
This work matters. Maybe not to everyone, but it mattered to Jess and it matters to me.
Window light is my absolute fav.
She absolutely killed this pose. You know what else killed? My back. Teaching boudoir posing for two days straight is no joke.
On the right, the classic S curve.
Jess did her own makeup for the shoot, and I think it looks lovely.
In fact, between the tattoos, the hair, and the eyeliner, it felt like we had Amy Winehouse in our midst.
A few simple bed poses up next.
On short notice, Jess bought some of those stick on false nails. They seemed great at first, but we’d lost a few by this point and more kept popping off every few minutes. I tried them once too, and they wouldn’t stick on my fingers very long either. Take it from us: avoid them for your photo shoot/important event/life in general. You had one job nails. One job.
As part of the training, we shot late into the day to practice low light techniques. Silhouettes like this one are a godsend if it starts raining cats and dogs mid-shoot.
Love this.
Legs for daaays. And big shoes. Double win.
Finally, just a few more dark and mysterious bed shots to finish the day.
Jess, thanks so much for your bravery and your patience. Lovely to meet you and work with you:)
We started simply, just classic black cotton basics and a white wall.
Makeup artist Sadaf created a beautiful brown smoky eye for this look, paired with absolutely perfect dewey skin. If a classic black smokey eye sounds daunting, this softer version is a lot easier to pull off and still photographs really well.
Just hanging out in my curtains again. If you’ve shot with me, you know why this is funny;)
This summer haze…I’m always so sad to see it go.
Look two. We ended up going for an “English Rose” sort of feel. Sara’s lingerie was the perfect shade of pink, so we used that as inspiration for her lip and cheek colour. Tia, our hairdresser extraordinaire, suggested a casual, fun top knot and everything came together quickly from there.
I tend to prefer almost everything in colour these days, but here are a few black and white frames anyway.
This faaaace. My quest to learn studio lighting continues, but I’m pretty proud of these.
And more proud of these, because CHANDELIER. Sara probably thought I was a complete idiot, as the wider view of these images is a total mess – me squeezed into a tiny hallway, loads of net curtains hanging over too-small lights in a too-small space, and random bits of equipment clipped and taped in place. OH, and me hand holding a ghetto fill light in my left hand while trying to focus and shoot with my right. Luckily, I surrendered my pride long ago hahaha! WHATEVER IT TAKES girls, I will get the shot.
A little old school film stock and texture to finish.
Sara, thanks again for a lovely shoot! Sadaf and Tia, props to both of you for doing such a great job (as always), it was such a pleasure to have you both on set. Until next time!
On the blog today, a few of my favourite frames from my recent shoot with Sophie:)
We wanted to go for an Old Hollywood feel, and Gemma did a fantastic job creating Sophie’s hair and makeup look to suit.
Oh hello! How gorgeous does Sophie look here?! I generally prefer images with a strong red lip in colour, but here’s a side by side so you can make up your own mind.
Props to Gemma for hand holding a light to help me get this shot:)
Mysterious is as mysterious does…
I wanted to try a slightly desaturated look for this set too, and I quite like how it turned out.
I think this look lends itself to vintage styling. If only I had an old war plane…
Sophie is wearing a simple high street lingerie set here, and nude suede heels, so it’s an easy one to copy if you’re a fan.
Next up, exactly the same set with different lighting.
I’m not actually sure which setup I like better. I like both for different reasons.
We switched to an understated lip and smokey eye for our second look.
A simple updo here, and a nice little pop of light to show off those cheekbones.
One obligatory image on the bed…
…and we finished up with this adorable, casual jumper look (also super easy to pull off for your own shoot).
