Boudoir Photography How To

Do you want to give boudoir photography a try but don't know where to start? If so, this three-minute beginners guide from the Patrick's Boudoir YouTube channel will set you on the path for success. And if you've ever made conventional full-body portrait you're already halfway there.

Patrick is an international award-winning portrait artist specializing in boudoir and nude photography with natural light. His tutorials are valuable for both newbies and more experienced shooters who haven't experimented with this particular genre. This episode is installment #15 in his weekly Boudoir Masterclass series.

Like other tutorials in Patrick's series, this one runs barely three minutes and enables you to achieve impressive results with the gear you already own, and it relies upon windowlight to illuminate the scene. As a beginner you're not expected to have access to professional models, so a spouse, friend or significant other will do just fine.

Patrick concentrates on simple poses for women of all body types, and it's your job to provide clear direction and instruction so the subject feels comfortable, understands your expectations, and becomes a cooperative partner during the session. Today it's all about an easy seated pose on the floor.

Effective storytelling skills are also part of the equation, as are the composition tips that Patrick provides. With this type of natural illumination it's also important you understand the best vantage point from which to shoot, and how to position your subject relative to a window to achieve a flattering effect with nice highlights and dramatic shadows

Patrick concludes the video with a helpful discussion of simple editing and retouching techniques so that your boudoir photographs will make and your model product. As a result, you'll feel much more confident in your next boudoir session.

If, as we suspect, this video gets your creative juices flowing be sure to visit Patrick's instructional YouTube channel where you'll find more great boudoir photography tips, along with past and future installments in his masterclass for beginners.

And speaking about beginners, we also suggest watching the tutorial we featured recently from an image-editing expert who demonstrates a post-processing guide with a b&w workflow for inexperienced Lightroom and Photoshop users.