Indoor or Outdoor Boudoir? Which session is right for you!
I always get this conundrum with new clients, “do I want to shoot indoor or outdoor!?”
Ultimately, the answer is: both, duh.
But I know we can’t all double down on a session and have that heightened investment. It’s such a hard choice, but I’m going to lead you through some questions you can ask yourself that will hopefully help you decide which session is right for you!
Is this your first time in front of the camera?
If this is your first time in front of the camera, especially your first time doing boudoir, I would highly recommend starting your journey with an indoor session. Myself, or whichever boudoir photographer you choose to entrust, will be able to have much more control over the lighting, environment, privacy, and mood. Therefore they will be able to give you that much more of their undivided attention. You’ll be able to fully sink into the experience without the distraction of bugs, dirt, worry about your wardrobe, or the possibility of hikers stumbling onto your shoot (this is RARE, but if you choose to shoot anywhere that isn’t a private backyard, a very real possibility).
Have you done an indoor/outdoor session before?
This should be an obvious question, but if your last shoot was an indoor boudoir session and you want to try something different – than perhaps shooting outdoor is that fresh new look you should try! Vice versa, if you’ve done a lot of outdoor shoots, maybe trying indoor would be fun.
What mood are you going for?
Are you mostly saving really dark and moody photos of babes in window-sils, or door-frames? It can be difficult to achieve a truly dark and moody backlit look outdoors. You can definitely come close, but it still very ethereal over-all. If you’re mood board for your shoot is leaning towards a certain aesthetic, it may be leading you towards your decision. And, this leads me to my next point!
Have you started a mood board?
Pinterest is your best friend when deciding what look you want to achieve in your session! While every photographer dreads their clients coming in and demanding a recreation of a specific Pinterest photo/pose, it can be super helpful when trying to find inspiration or a general tone for your shoot!
What’s your style?
If your wardrobe for your shoot is 7” heels and the newest set from Agent Provacateur, maybe outside isn’t the best fit for you. But dang, would that outfit look smoking indoors! Your personal style and preferences will help guide you towards what shoot is best suited for you!
Do you have a location in your mind that you just can’t stop dreaming about?
If you can’t stop day dreaming about a shoot at your favourite forest grove, or somewhere really special to you, that may be a sign that your meant to take your boudie session to the wilderness. Of course, not all locations are good for boudoir – we need to be mindful of other people and your privacy and safety. If you have a location in mind for an outdoor shoot it’s best to do some research and run it past your boudoir photographer!
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That’s it! I hope these questions will help guide you on your decision making process. Now, of course, a boudoir blog post wouldn’t be complete without a boudoir session! These photos were taken with fellow local photographer Riske Boudoir. We had so much fun working together outdoors, and I can’t wait to make more outdoor magic this summer!
