Boudoir photography should be about evoking confidence, promoting self-love and capturing the individual beauty of your client.  Boudoir is not even really about achieving that look of “sexiness”.  Sure – your client is probably going to show up looking hot AF and totally stunning in their lingerie, but the true success in a great Boudoir shoot should be felt much deeper than that. 

The better your client feels about themself, the more she raves about you, recommends you to others, and the happier everyone is with the results. 

From my experience over the years, finding and having a handful of flattering posing prompts up my sleeve is the simplest and most effective way to improve my images and client satisfaction.  I try to have several different options that work for a vast variety of scenarios, clients and photoshoots. 

So what makes a good pose?

• Flattering to your client – first and foremost your focus should be on making your client look their best! Showcase their individual beauty in a way that is unique to them

• Conveys the vibe and feel you are going for- what look are you trying to achieve? Sexy, Vogue, Playful? 

• Creates interest and makes the viewer want to see more

There are so many great poses that work, but I wanted to share my top 5 favourite posing prompts that you can use at practically any Boudoir photoshoot to create a variety of different looks that will work

Posing guide: legs

This posing tip can be used on any surface of your choosing: beds, floors, couches, you name it. 

Ask your model to lean on her arm while she stretches her legs out.  Asking her to place her top leg on top of her bottom leg is a great way to emphasize and accentuate her feminine curves. When laying down, the leg closest to the camera should be higher than the one furthest from the camera.  Also, asking your client to lift her leg up ever-so slightly can also create a small, yet super flattering bend in the hips. 

Here are some images that you can use as reference or inspiration for different ways to pose the legs

Posing guide: arms

The placement of arms can make such an incredible difference when it comes to either accentuating or blocking the shape of your model.  I find they are often the hardest to pose authentically during a photoshoot.  I like to think of there being two different styles for posing arms: placing them away from the body, or closer to the body.  A variation of both is also possible, and I recommend a combination of all three to give diversity to your images. You will find that posing your clients arms within the lines of their body will mimic and accentuate her natural body shape.  Be careful not to block the body while doing this but focus rather on accentuating the natural shape. 

See how in this photograph the models arms accentuate her gorgeous, feminine curves? 

Posing your clients arms away from their body allows us to see her shape without blocking it.   By keeping the models arms away from her torso, we see her gorgeous stomach and stunning curves. 

Here are a few of my favourite ways to pose the arms – 

Posing guide: hands

Fingers and hands can be so awkward to pose.  

I like to give my client something to do or hold with their hands so that it feels and looks authentic while photographing them. Keeping their hands occupied can be as simple as asking your model to comb their fingers through their hair, softly move the curtains, grab the sheets, or pull on a piece of clothing or jewellery.  

This allows your client to feel more comfortable, and most importantly look more comfortable, too. 

Here are some of my favourite ways to style hands and fingers in photographs. 

Posing guide: hips

One of the hottest tips I have ever learnt in Boudoir photography has to do with one simple movement.  When it comes to posing the hips: ask your model to push them away from the camera. 

This easy trick is a perfect way to define and accentuate the stomach area, elongates your model’s torso and creates a flattering angle that, I swear, will work on any client. 

Tip – the only time I prompt my client to push their hips TOWARDS the camera is during a derriere shot from behind, which, in this case – works wonderfully to have them push their booty toward the lens, as opposed to away from it.

Posing guide: back

An arched back is a perfect way to achieve the illusion of curves.  Depending on the flexibility of your client – ask them to lay on a bed or on the floor and arch their back. 

Back arches are incredibly sexy because they leave your client the most exposed, with nothing blocking the chest or neck area. Asking your client to pop her booty at the same time as arching the back can also create the look of a smaller waistline.