Boudoir Photography
Your Most Frequently Asked Questions Answered
Answers to the most common questions women have about the Boudoir Experience and working with Argentina
What is Boudoir Photography?
The world "Boudoir" is the French word to describe the private chamber or bedroom of a lady. The word "photography" literally means "drawing with light".
When you put both words together, Boudoir Photography, it depicts the capture or drawing of images (of a woman) in the intimacy of a woman's private room.
A private room is a place free from judgement to be ourselves, relax and be able to express anyway we wish and fell safe doing it. So, when women decide to do a boudoir photo session, it means they want to capture in images their essence and beauty in a place that makes them feel relaxed, fulfilled, beautiful and safe.
Some might refer to Boudoir photography as lingerie photoshoots but that is more for models. Boudoir photography is for the average woman and it can be very classy and romantic or become more of an edgy boudoir photoshoot that includes nude boudoir images besides lingerie images.
Where are you located?
Art of Seduction Boudoir has two studios, one is in Chicago, IL and the other in Austin, TX.
Our Chicago Boudoir Studio is located in the Tri-Taylor neighborhood. Click here to a see map of our Chicago Boudoir Studio. We often get clients searching for boudoir photography in Milwaukee, Madison, Rockford and other cities in Illinois who end up traveling to us for their Boudoir Experience. Make this experience a weekend getaway and book your Chicago Boudoir Session with us!
Our second studio is in Austin, TX in the north of the city, close to Cedar Park and Round Rock. Click here to see a map of our Austin Boudoir Studio.
Many women searching for boudoir photography in San Antonio or Boudoir Photography in Houston find our website. So it is not uncommon to have ladies traveling from Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and other cities in Texas to do a Boudoir Shoot with us. Plan for a weekend getaway to Austin, TX
Both studios have street and private parking.
What do I wear for my Boudoir shoot?
Selecting the best lingerie for your boudoir photoshoot is very important and it can be the difference between a very successful boudoir shoot where you love the way you look and a very disappointing one that you just want to forget.
A woman's body, especially the one that has gone through pregnancy, weight fluctuations, surgeries, etc., needs a little help and that is the job of the sexy lingerie sets you bring to your shoot.
You need to select the best boudoir lingerie for your body type. If you have never shopped for sexy lingerie, this can be intimidating.
That is why I have created a curated Lingerie Guide with the 11 Essential pieces you can shop for depending on the body areas you need to address. It has a list of the best bra and panty set, how to pick the correct size bras, the different types of garter belt, the difference between stockings and thigh highs, the best lingerie for plus size women, bridal lingerie.
If you have a specific vision of the final images, like pinup photography or very edgy boudoir photography, the lingerie shopping process is key to give you that look.
You can bring more than lingerie to your photoshoot and in this Curated Lingerie Guide, I give you a list of ideas besides lingerie, to create your boudoir outfits. Also, I give you a list of recommended lingerie brands and lingerie boutiques in Chicago, Rockford, IL, Milwaukee, WI, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, TX as well as the best online lingerie stores to shop for great lingerie collections, bras, panties and sexy plus size lingerie.
Click here to download our Guide to buying lingerie.
Do you provide hair and makeup services?
Yes! Good hair and makeup is essential for any type of boudoir photoshoots and you don't have to go anywhere to get it, you will be treated like royalty at any of our private boudoir photography studios where our makeup artist will be waiting for you. She is open to hear any boudoir inspiration you might have to get you that look during your makeover.
All our clients will receive a professional makeover by one of our top boudoir makeup artists who are very skilled on applying makeup on women of all ages, skin types, eye shape and hair textures. You can be assured that you will be working with a skilled professional that will be experienced with your skin tone, get the perfect lash line and lip color for your boudoir photos. If you are a bride or have special events coming up, this is a great way to see how a type of makeup would look on your wedding day or special day. The hair stylist will make sure to style your hair to add volume for your boudoir shoot.
All you have to do arrive with a clean face and bring your makeup inspirational ideas or let one for a makeup artists transform you. Pinup photography requires a very specific type of makeup and our makeup artist is great at giving you this look. If you prefer more edgy boudoir photography, I recommend you for an intense smoky eye.
Do you photoshop my imperfections?
I am so proud to be able to make women look amazing straight out of the camera and before any digital enhancement is applied.
To achieve this, I get my clients camera-ready with professional hair and makeup, careful styling of lingerie to enhance and shape the body, original posing techniques to enhance a woman's assets and dissimulate body imperfections and lighting techniques to produce smooth and creamy skin tones that make things like tan lines, cellulite, stretch marks and expression lines almost disappear naturally.
My goal is that you LOVE YOU as you are, not a photoshopped version of you. You will see your images right after your boudoir shoot and you will be amazed at how good you look without ANY photoshop.
Photoshop is used ONLY to clean up the image, color correct, sharpen, remove distractions and fix outfit problems.
Visit our Before and After gallery to see examples of digital enhancement of our boudoir photos.
How much is a Boudoir Photoshoot and what kind of packages do you offer?
Our boudoir session fee is $495 as of January 1, 2022. That includes only your experience at the studio, professional hair and makeup and the photographer's talent to create your images.
After your session, you will review your images to purchase the ones you love and decide if you want an album, digital files or wall portraits.
Boudoir packages start at $1000 but hardly any Diva invests that amount because they just love too many images and decide to stretch their budget to get a package that fits their finances and many use our payment plan. On average, Divas invest between $2500 and $3500 in their boudoir package and most preserve their images in a beautiful Boudoir Album.
Do I need to go on a diet before my session?
You don’t need to go on a diet for your boudoir session unless you absolutely want to. I have poses and shooting techniques that will hide commonly problematic areas like the tummy and or a double chin, and will also make you look taller, longer, and leaner.
Any concerns you might have will be addressed with your lingerie, posing and lighting techniques and my thorough direction to make you look slimmer and your best in your pictures. I have a great lingerie guide to help you shop for the best lingerie for your body type, you can download our guide HERE.
Read this blog I wrote on the 7 essential tips to prepare for a successful boudoir photo shoot.
Do you photograph Plus Size girls?
I have photographed many plus-size Divas and you have nothing to worry about. In fact, You can read about how I became the most sought after plus size boudoir photographer in the Chicago metro area as well as Austin Texas and surrounding cities like San Antonio, Dallas and Houston in this Blog. I will take my time to work with you to create flattering images that work for YOU.
The key is to have amazing hair and makeup and that you get good lingerie outfits for your body type. Corsets are excellent for holding everything in place, and teddies are great for hiding the tummy area.
Take the time to look over our Boudoir Galleries to see some examples of our plus-size clients. I promise you, you will look very sexy in the different poses.
How do I pose for Boudoir Photos?
You don’t need to be a model; in fact, I almost never have models coming to the studio. I have photographed over 3000 women since 2007. Women of all ages and body types and have mastered the art of shaping a woman’s body to accentuate her assets and hide her flaws.
Don’t worry about posing; I will guide you through different poses that might be tiring at times, but all you have to do is follow my instructions, and they will look terrific. I will also work with your facial expressions to create sensual, sexy, and playful expressions. It’s not your job to come up with poses, but it is my job to make you look sexy and the best you’ve ever seen!
Who will be my photographer and who will be at the studio?
Argentina will be your photographer and besides the makeup artist, who is also a female, there will be nobody else at the studio unless you bring your husband or a girlfriend to accompany you.
You will have total privacy and if there is another session prior or after your session, there will be hardly any overlap.
What is your COVID policy?
All the staff at Art of Seduction is fully vaccinated. We do not require for you to wear a mask or to be vaccinated. We will protect ourselves with facemasks during your hair and makeup application and during your session and image viewing session if you make the request.
Will my images be made public in social media?
We protect our Divas privacy and will never use your images in any way without your consent.
You will be signing a model release to allow or to opt out from using your images for any marketing purpose social media post or in our website.
Your final images will be securely stored in a password protected gallery that only you and our production manager can access.
Please review our Privacy Policy and our Studio Policies to fully understand our commitment to protect your privacy and to provide the best customer service and fulfillment of products.