Boudoir Photography Galleries

If you’re a keen amateur photographer, one of the best ways to learn your craft and improve is to look at photographs taken by other people. If you’re interested in boudoir photography, there are plenty of galleries you can look at online to get ideas for poses, lighting schemes, and camera settings.

When you look at boudoir photography galleries, pay attention first of all to how the model is lit. If you look at the light that is falling on the model, particularly on the face, then you should be able to work out roughly what light sources were used and their positioning. Don’t forget that soft light means a light source with a large surface area (such as a soft box or window), whereas hard light means a light source with a small surface area (such as a flash unit). Be sure to look at the model’s eyes if you can see them, as being round and reflective they will show what lights were used for the shot.

When you look at boudoir photography galleries you should also look at how the model is posed. The pose might not seem very complicated, but think about how you would explain the pose to someone else in order for them to replicate it. If you see a pose you particularly like, save the image or make a rough sketch of it so that you remember it for later. You can keep a file of these for reference when you do shoots of your own.

The last and in many ways least important part of reviewing boudoir photography galleries is to think about what camera settings were used. Is it a close-up (i.e. just the head-and-shoulders of the model), or is it a wider shot that shows more of the environment the model is in (this is more common in boudoir photography)? If it’s a close-up shot then the photography probably used a focal length of about 85mm or more; if it’s a wider shot then they it’s more likely they used a focal length in the order of 50mm or less.

Also, is the image sharp from front to back? If so then a smaller aperture (maybe f/8 or f/11) was probably used. If only a small portion of the image is in focus (e.g. the model’s face but not the background) then a wider aperture must have been used (f/5.6 or wider, depending on focal length).

As you look at more boudoir photography galleries, analyze the photos, and compare them with your own photos, you’ll gradually become better at recognizing how they were done, and at replicating the techniques that you like. This is a great way to improve.