Why Boudoir Coterie?
How to choose a boudoir photographer
I know this might sound strange but I highly recomend shopping around for the perfect boudoir photographer that fits your needs. Here are the things to look for in order of importance.
- Like the images and style of the photographer. If their gallery isn’t full of images you love or doesn’t have samples of the look you are going for, then keep looking. Don’t hire a photographer in hopes of them shooting a completely different look than they present in a gallery. Neither of you will be happy.
- To me this is just as important as #1: Like the photographer. Speak with the photographer, read their blog and info about them. If you don’t feel comfortable with the photographer then it will show through your images and the results will be less than flattering. I tend to be a bit of a smart ass and a *wee* bit sarcastic. I like to laugh and make my clients laugh but that isn’t for everyone and that’s perfectly fine.
- Read reviews. There are many places to find reviews about a business, Yelp, Google and Facebook pages. Take some time and read through them. Pay attention to any negatives(there’s a lot of wackydoodles out there) but the same goes for the positives, do they seem legit?
- What is the photographers specialty? In this market of photographer saturation please be careful of the photographer who shoots “everything”. The likely hood of actually specializing in the know how of photographing women drops significantly when a photographer doesn’t have an area of expertise. Boudoir Coterie ONLY photographs women. That is it, nothing else. It’s what I love to shoot and why I am good at what I do.
- Price. Yes, this is last on the list and should NOT be what you base your decision on. Boudoir photography can be an amazing experience but it can also be a very bad and sometimes a damaging one. “Cheap” is not a word you want to describe your experience with. It’s one thing to find a Groupon photographer for family photos but going discount for images where you may actually be naked might not be in your best interest. This isn’t always the case but more times than not there are very important “client beware” reasons why a photographer has cheap prices. That old saying, if it sounds to good to be true…
It's normal to be nervous and have questions
It all starts by contacting us!
There are so many reason to book a portrait session but the #1 reason should always be YOU. It’s fun, it’s pampering, and it will leave you feeling amazing!
95% of our clients have never been in front of a camera for a professional shoot like this and even more have never done so in their skivvies! I know, shocking, right!? Ha! You are not alone about being nervous, anxious and excited. You may also have a LOT of questions and we are here to help answer them all. The confidence to actually contact us is the first step and it’s a big one, but I promise you it’s not as hard as you think.
P.S. You do NOT need to lose 10lbs or listen to any other negative talk in your head! You will look amazing just as you are, I promise.
Booking
What happens next?
Once you are ready to take the next step you will be contacted for a phone consultation. This will happen whether you book online or through me personally. We’ll chat and make all the necessary arrangements, like choosing your session date and deciding on a day for a wardrobe consultation should you decide to have one(they are complimentary and are a great way to get rid of the “what should I wear” fears). As soon as your retainer is paid and the contract signed, I’m yours! Haha. Then the fun of planning your session begins. I will even provide you with a short questionnaire to help customize your session. This is usually where the nerves are temporarily replaced by the excitement of your shoot. It only gets better from here.
Simply show up ready to have fun.
Your Shoot
The morning of your session is actually pretty easy; roll out of bed, brush your teeth, wash your face and Voila! all set to go. You’ll show up at a private and lovely San Jose Studio, we will beautify you and get your session all planned out. Once we are ready to begin, I will go through a bit about posing and things I will be asking you to do through the session. Pretty much, it’s just me bossing you around, but in a nice way, besides, you’ll forgive me when you see how amazingly gorgeous you look!
Once your session is through, you’ll have the rest of the day to feel amazing while I get to work on your images. Within two weeks we will plan your reveal at which time you will be presented with a gallery of stunning images and you’ll get to choose which images you would like showcased in your product selection. It’s really that easy!
Privacy
Your images will be kept private.
I rely on my clients to to allow me to use images to show potential clients my work as I do not work with models. However, your images are completely private unless you sign a model release form stating which mages I may use.
This is why I sometimes go through dry spells of not having new images to show. Your privacy is extremely important. I work with doctors, lawyers, teachers and many other professions where images are for “your eyes only” so please be assured that I take this seriously. Although I do whine and pout a little to have so many gorgeous clients that I cannot share. This is normal and I get over it.