10 Tips for the Perfect Boudoir Photo Shoot

Found this interesting read at bonafidebride. Couldn't have said it better mahself!

Alright, ladies. Here it is... the white elephant in the room, and I'm going to post about it. I'm talking about the 'B' word. (No, not that 'B' word.) Boudoir shoots. Also known as your future husband's wildest dreams, come true. The fact that you are even considering a boudoir shoot would probably make your man salivate at the mouth like Pavlov's dog if he knew, but we'll keep it on the hush because these things make awesome surprises. Best. Wedding gift. Ever.

Before you read any of this, do yourself a favor and find a great boudoir photographer, stat. Make the most of your appointment. This starts way before you arrive, so let's not fool ourselves, here. Here is our advice:

1. Be comfortable in your own body. I'm sure many photographers would agree, this is the most important of them all. Eat right, exercise, and be happy. Love the life you live. Don't think for one minute that this is awkward for your photographer... it's just another workday, for him/her.

2. Get there early. Nothing is worse than stress, and trust me, it'll be written all over your face when you show up to your session sweaty and out of breath after running down Fifth Avenue to get there. Give yourself plenty of time. When scheduling the shoot in the first place, ask your photographer what time of day will give them the best lighting, depending on your chosen location.

3. Wear loose clothing to the shoot. The last thing you want are sports bra lines or EWBL (that's 'elastic waist band line', for you acronym novices). Again... getting there early gives you time for these lines to fade.

4. Eat smart, and drink lots of water in the weeks leading up to your photo shoot. Eating the right foods and drinking lots of water will give you a healthy glow from the inside out. You'll look better, you'll feel better... This is a no-brainer.

5. Bring lots of outfit options. At least five. Minimum. And shoes. Bring clothing for different moods, so that you're guaranteed to feel good in something, depending on what mood you're in that day. Bring something sweet and innocent, bring something a little racy... Make the most of your time! 

6. Watch the hair!  If you're doing your hair and makeup before the shoot (we highly recommend it... and why not? You'll feel pretty!), arrive in a button-down shirt so you don't mess up your gorgeous 'do.

7. Wear a gel deodorant. Not the chalky white stuff, 'cause that ain't sexay.

8. Play music during the shoot. A lot of great boudoir photographers do this anyway, without question. This is something to ask beforehand, and if your photographer doesn't bring music, bring your own!

9. Find pictures and poses you like, first. Have an idea of what to do when you go in there. If your photographer gives you further direction, listen up! They know best, and you'll thank them later when you see how awesome that really awkward-feeling pose looks, in the end.

10. If your nerves get the best of you, bring a friend. No, not in the room during the shoot... because that may be weird! Have someone come with you and wait in the hotel lobby. If your photographer has a problem with you walking there with someone... think twice about doing the shoot with them in the first place.

Bonus tip: If you don't want facial/bodily hair in your photos, then remove it prior to the shoot! Super HD cameras pick up the finest of strands. This is particularly unflattering on the face. The number of mono-brows and moustaches I have had to edit in Photoshop..... 

Courtesy: bonafidebride

Birthday, engagement, and family visits

Quite a bit of news I have to share today! Last Thursday was my 29th birthday - that's right, this is the last year of my twenties *sad face* but I am also now engaged to my previously mentioned super awesome wonderful boyfriend Luke *happy happy face!* Wedding plans are already afoot and we are hoping to be married by the end of the year. I told him I didn't want to be a 30 year old bride (petty, I know) so we've got less than a year now. If weddings are your thing and you want to follow plans as they unfold, check out our wedding site where I will be posting details as things get organised.

Anyway, onto photography. This entry is also about my family who are visiting for a few days from Sydney and overseas. My cousin was kind enough to sit for a portrait session in our guest room. This was the perfect opportunity for me to practise applying make-up on someone else's face, and giving direction for poses. It wasn't easy trying to direct in French. There are actions and parts of the body that I just don't know how to say. So there was a lot of, "Do what I do, like this. More like this. Oui."

The images are something a little bit different than what I've described in previous posts. Rather than dark, shadowy images in a blacked out studio, I used natural light coming in through the window to get a brighter, more colourful and natural look. I would've used a reflector if I had one handy, but I don't mind the shadows so much. The focus of this shoot was more about applying the make-up and directing the model (albeit in broken French!) to look the way I envisioned, then capturing that with my camera. She did a great job. Didn't get camera shy or anything. It started off as a fun dress up type of thing, then she really got into it!

What's in a name?

The past few days I have been pondering what to call my business. Do I stay with 'Behind The Veil Portraits'? Or should I go by my own name and call it something simple, like 'Portraits By Jowita'?

As much as I would like the recognition for the photos I take, I know that nobody can pronounce my name when they first see it. Portraits by who? Jowayta? Jowhyta? Jaweta? And other such variations. My name is pronounced 'Yovita' by the way. Yes, nothing like the way it's spelt. I love my name, but boy has it been frustrating. My name was never pronounced correctly during role call in the first few weeks of a school year. The only time it was ever EVER pronounced correctly was in Year 11 Art, because my teacher was Polish. I nearly fell over in shock! Now, as an adult, when meeting new people, I can't ever say my name only once. I have to say it about five times and people still can't remember it or pronounce it correctly. Is it really that hard??

Anyway, this brings me to a story I heard recently. A friend of a friend said that, after much job searching and with little success, she decided to make her own way in the world and look for work overseas. She realised she could not sit around and wait for the world to change for her, or for the opportunity to just fall in her lap. She needed to change herself and her way of thinking to be happy, and go out and take action. This kind of made me rethink my whole view on my business. Here I was thinking that my name is my name. People just need to get used to it. It's not that hard to pronounce! But then I realised I am one of maybe three Jowitas in Australia (would love to meet them if they're out there!). Unless I become massively famous any time soon, people are just not going to bother with a name they don't 'get'. It doesn't make sense. Why is the J a Y??

As a business person, I realised I can't expect the world to change for me. It aint gonna happen. I am offering a service. It's not about me but about what I can do for my clients. For now, I will stick with Behind The Veil Portraits. But when I'm a superstar world renowned photographer, well, then we'll see...

Christmas goodies!

This technology thing is going off!! There have been a few surprises since my last post, which was before Christmas. I now have an iPad - so far, though, I have only used it to play Plants vs Zombies. I'm still getting my head around how the thing works for every day use.. I think I still prefer my laptop where I can navigate with ease and push real buttons on a real keyboard :P
BUT I have also become familiar with the Top Model Release app. This thing is an absolute gem! If you are photographing people and want to save some time on paperwork, this app is a real find! Your client fills it out, takes a selfie, signs it, then you sign it, and a copy of the agreement gets sent to the client's email as well as your email. I haven't been able to use it on a real person yet (still need models/volunteers) but I've had a play, and I just think it's fantastic. Can't wait to use it.
I want to offer hair and makeup with my portrait shoots, so I did some research and came across a website called Coastal Scents. They are a cosmetic company who ship from the US and they had a sale just before Christmas. I went nuts and ordered a whole bunch of stuff from them, and when I finally received it, it was like a DOUBLE CHRISTMAS! Their products are pretty top notch, especially for the price you pay! And it's perfect for what I need, just getting started and all. I bought a makeup brush set which I absolutely love, some concealer palettes, lip palettes, eye shadow palettes, etc. and I have had a play with those as well (on my own face - again, still need those models!). I will include a picture of the finished result, if I can find a decent one. But the products themselves have impressed me very much. Again, can't wait to use them on people other than me :P

Ok I might've gone a little crazy with the colours... and the foundation... but why not. That unimpressed look on my face is because someone (Luke) wasn't taking the photo properly :3

I have advertised for volunteers to have their photos taken in my studio. Have had one response in two days! Not bad. It's not easy, asking for complete strangers to volunteer to come into my studio, take their clothes off so I can take their photo, and put them online! But I completely trust in my ability to create images that are artistic, flattering, and just sexy and awesome. This is the hard part, the waiting, the not knowing. But I am still so excited!

Oh how could I forget! I also now have PHOTOSHOP CS6 - another Christmas gift for the studio, from my super amazing wonderful boyfriend. All I can say is wow! The last time I used Photoshop was... 2004? Yeah, ages ago. I am amazed what is possible with this software. I come home from work and am just glued to the computer, touching up faces, a nip here, a tuck there, whiter teeth, green hair, purple eyes...

I definitely got spoilt this Christmas, hope you did too. I can't wait to share the fruits of my labour with you all!