How to prepare for a boudoir photoshoot: the week-by-week guide

The single best thing you can do to prepare for a boudoir session is to not prepare too hard. The clients who walk in stressed, dehydrated, sleep-deprived, and over-spray-tanned consistently photograph less well than the ones who treated the week of the session as a slightly slower-than-normal week of their life. Boudoir is a portrait sitting, not a fitness shoot. Most of the work is done at the camera by the team in the room. Your job is to arrive rested and present.

That said, there are a few specific things worth doing in the four weeks leading up to your session. This is the version we send every client after they book.

Four weeks out

This is the window where the highest-leverage preparation happens.

Confirm your wardrobe direction. If you are bringing pieces that need to be ordered, order them now. New pieces take time to arrive, and you will want time to try them on, walk around in them, and confirm fit.

Schedule a hair color refresh if you need one. Hair photographs slightly differently than it does in person. A color appointment two to three weeks before the session gives the color time to settle and look natural. Last-minute color appointments in the week of the session occasionally look brassy or freshly-toned in a way that reads in photos.

Schedule waxing or any hair removal at least seven days out. Skin needs time to settle after waxing. A wax in the 24 to 48 hours before a session is a bad idea. A wax seven to ten days before is fine and gives skin time to recover.

Avoid new skincare products. This is not the week to try a new retinol, a new acid, a new active. New products break some skins out in the first two weeks of use. Save experiments for after.

Start hydrating, seriously. Hydrated skin photographs noticeably better than dehydrated skin. The difference is not subtle in close-up frames. Drink more water than usual for the four weeks leading up to the session.

Two weeks out

Try on every piece of wardrobe. Sit, stand, lie down, raise your arms. Move the way you imagine moving during the session. Replace pieces that do not fit.

Confirm your hair and makeup notes. If you have reference photos for your look, send them now. The artist will review and bring color references aligned with what you sent.

Skip aggressive workouts immediately before the session. Especially leg days if you bruise easily. Bruises on thighs are extremely difficult to retouch out cleanly.

Sleep more. Dark circles are the single most retouched feature in our work. Two consecutive nights of seven-plus hours of sleep before the session does more for your final images than any product you can buy.

One week out

Avoid tight clothing. Tight bras, tight underwear, tight socks, tight waistbands. They leave indentations that take twelve to twenty-four hours to fade. We have shot clients who arrived with sock lines visible all the way around the calf. They photograph.

No new haircuts the week of the session. A trim is fine. A new cut, a new style, a major color change is not. Give yourself two weeks minimum to live with a new look before you photograph in it.

Light exfoliation, no aggressive treatments. A gentle exfoliating wash twice in the week of the session is fine. Microdermabrasion, chemical peels, lasers, microneedling, and similar are not. Save them for after.

Get a manicure. Nails are visible in nearly every frame of a boudoir session. A manicure (and pedicure if you are showing feet) two to four days out is ideal. The polish has time to set without being chipped. Soft neutrals photograph well almost universally; deep reds and blacks photograph well in a more editorial direction.

The day before

Drink water all day, slow down on alcohol. A glass of wine the night before is fine. Three glasses of wine the night before is going to show in your skin.

Lay out your wardrobe. Iron or steam everything that needs it. Pack your bag the night before so the morning of is not stressful.

Eat a normal dinner. No restriction. Restriction the night before a session makes for sluggish mornings.

Set out everything you need for the morning. Coffee, snack, water bottle, the comfortable clothes you will wear to the studio. The fewer decisions in the morning, the more energy you have walking in.

Sleep. Set a bedtime. Even if you do not normally have one. Especially if you do not normally have one.

The morning of

Eat a real breakfast. Protein and complex carbs. You will be at the studio for four to five hours and you will not be running back to your car for a snack.

Skip your normal makeup routine. Come with a clean, moisturized face. The artist will start from there.

Wear loose, comfortable clothes to the studio. Soft pants, a loose top, slip-on shoes. Avoid anything with tight bands or seams that will press into skin.

Bring your bag, your wardrobe, and your jewelry. And the address of the studio in your phone. Most clients arrive 5 minutes early; we suggest 10.

Leave 10 extra minutes for the drive. Showing up rushed and apologetic burns 20 minutes of session calm. Showing up early gives you a coffee in hand while the artist starts.

What to do during the session

You will be directed for every frame. Listen, breathe out before the shutter clicks, do not try to "help" by interpreting the direction; just follow it. Most clients are nervous through the first ten minutes and forget the camera entirely by the third setup. Trust the process.

If a piece of direction does not work for your body, say so. We adjust. The session is collaborative.

After the session

Your reveal appointment is two to three weeks after your session. Between now and then, do not look at the previews from the back of the camera (we do not show them anyway). The full edit is what we want you to see, not the raw take.

When you arrive for your reveal, plan on 60 to 90 minutes. We project the gallery on a large screen, walk through it together, and design your album and product order. There is no minimum order. Most clients leave with a leather-bound album, a wall piece, and a digital bundle.

If you have a session coming up and a specific question this did not answer, write us. If you do not have a session yet and want to start one, the inquiry form is here.