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By Roger Snyder


A lot of people are uncomfortable having their pictures taken. That is why photographers have to work so hard to get their subjects to relax and act naturally. If you are a professional photographer who has decided to expand your repertoire to include intimate photographic sessions, you have an even more difficult job. Creating successful boudoir photo shoots Columbus clients feel comfortable with starts with great communication.

Professionals who have been in this business awhile, suggest sending out a questionnaire before your shoot. You need answers to the question of what the clients wants to get out of her session and how she envisions the final product. You can ask what features she wants to emphasize, and what she plans for the photos once they are completed.

You should have a face to face meeting with your client prior to the shoot. Texting and emailing are fine, but in order to gain the client's trust and really open the lines of communication, you need to meet in person. You can go over the questionnaire, and ask if there any other questions. The day before the scheduled shoot, you might phone her just to touch base and let her know how much you are looking forward to working with her.

Clients often ask the photographer what kind of lingerie looks best in photos like this. The best answer is that the client should wear whatever makes her comfortable and what she feels good in. Sometimes women buy special outfits that are too risque or outside their comfort zone, for them. All this does is make them feel awkward and uncomfortable. That will come across in the photographs.

Without insulting your client, you might suggest that using a professional stylist for her hair and makeup could work to her benefit. It will also be helpful to you, with the lighting and posing. Using a stylist often reduces some of the anxiety clients feels about their appearance.

A professional stylist makes clients more confident about their appearances, and that translates into better pictures. If possible you should recommend that the stylist join you and your client for the pre-shoot meeting so you all can discuss the kinds of pictures you're going to take and the best way to style the client for them.

Once you get to the actual session, your client is probably going to be nervous and not know exactly what to do. You have to put her at ease. It may be necessary for you to demonstrate poses you're thinking about and get her thoughts about them. Giving the clients lots of encouragement and positive feedback is never a mistake.

Since you're the professional, and you are charging for your services, clients will expect you to have top of the line equipment and know how to use it. What you use will depend on the natural light and the amount of space you have to work with. A 50mm works well in small spaces and fast prime lenses let plenty of light in. Equipment bigger than that tends to distort the image, an unflattering look for the client.




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