Generally my clients and I go to a hotel somewhere in Denver to take boudoir photos, but every once in a while I get a client that wants to do their session at their own home, which I love doing! In my humble opinion, it makes the photos even that much more personal and adds a unique flavor to the images that isn’t as easily accomplished in a hotel room.
There are definite advantages, from my perspective, about working in a hotel room. First of all, there is generally great natural light from the windows which is directional and easily manipulated for a natural & clean look that lends itself to my particular style of boudoir photography. Secondly, the rooms are always clean and clutter free, which makes it easy to produce images that are all about the client and, for the most part, free from distracting elements. Finally, most hotel rooms are decorated simply and depending on the taste of my clients, it’s usually pretty easy to find a hotel that will lend itself to either a classic or a modern atmosphere.
That said, there are also disadvantages to hotel rooms. Number one, there aren’t a lot of background options given the space available to work with. While it’s great to have a nice big bed to use, depending on which hotel is chosen, oftentimes there isn’t much more to work with in terms of furniture. Sometimes the rooms have a bathtub (another great element to incorporate), but not always. And sometimes, depending on availability, the rooms either don’t have a great view at all or they are facing a direction that, depending on the time of day, doesn’t have ideal available light. Lastly, it’s an additional cost.
Working at a clients home also has it’s advantages and disadvantages. More often than not, I am not able to visit the home before the session, so I am going into the session “blind” in terms of the usable spaces. Most of my clients don’t really know what I am looking for when it comes to light or what is going to work well or what won’t. Often times clutter in the home can be problematic when it comes to backgrounds too. That said, being a professional photographer, I am almost always able to overcome lighting challenges and choose locations within the home that will work great for what I am hoping to accomplish with the images. And finally, it’s free!
If you are thinking about doing a boudoir session in your home I would recommend a couple of things. First, make sure that you have good natural and available light (ie. windows!) Secondly, clear away the clutter from counter-tops, bed stands, tables, etc. Less is more when it comes to boudoir photos (no pun intended!) And, if possible, send a few photos to your photographer so that they can get an idea of the space available. They don’t need to be high quality or professional, cell phone photos are totally fine. And last but not least, make sure your significant other won’t be dropping by unexpectedly. You wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise! 😉
The last boudoir session I did at a clients home was absolutely awesome and I loved incorporating the elements of her real life into the images. I had amazing light to work with as there were lots of windows, and we were able to move around the house and use a lot of different spaces. Take a look and see for yourself…[oqeygallery id=296]