I'm a photographer- weddings, boudoir and maternity

[CandyLeBonBon]

If anyone is interested, I'm happy to answer questions!

What kind of person books a session of being photographed smirking in a lace teddy or biting their thumb suggestively while semi-wrapped in a white sheet?

I used to know an fellow postgrad who used to show us all photos of his wife Rachelle who was back home in Texas, only the photos were of her nude but for a carefully-placed Stetson or in a white corset and wedding veil.

Lots of people book boudoir shoots - often women who are 40+ who are recently divorced or want a confidence boost. They rarely book them for their partners - most of the time women book them so that they can remind themselves that they're still attractive and to alleviate the feeling of invisibility I think?

and there's definitely no smirking or thumb biting!

Op can you make anyone look good? Like if they have tummy rolls, no jawline?

Yes. It's mostly about the. Names and position you shoot from and how you set up your lighting! I do use photoshop to add an editorial gloss to things but I try to avoid using photoshop to 'reshape' people because that feels a bit fake, and it's much more efficient to get it right 'in camera' rather than faff about for hours in post production. It's more authentic. I usually show clients shots from the back of the camera so they can see the 'raw' images as this helps to show them that the photo is genuinely them looking good rather than photoshop manipulation iyswim?

Angles not names!

What’s the most bizarre photo you’ve been asked to take?
I used to develop photos and had some really weird ones.

Ive been asked to do dog boudoir before! That's pretty bizarre!

And I get occasional requests for 'dudeoir' which I'm happy to do provided there is a chaperone present. Usually when I say that, they never come back to me.

What's the most difficult thing about wedding photos?

Which of the three types is hardest?

@muckandnettles

What's the most difficult thing about wedding photos?

The most difficult thing about wedding photography is managing expectations- everyone wants their photos to be Instagram or Pinterest worthy - what a lot of people fail to realise is that the beautiful magazine-worthy wedding images you see are often from styled shoots where the photographer has more control over positioning/lighting/posing etc.

In a live wedding you have to work with the environment and conditions l we're given

For example a bride wants a photo of the groom looking back at her as she walks up the aisle? This shot is often impossible to capture because other guests are in the way and you physically can't get into the position you need to be in to get that shot without disrupting the proceedings which is a massively obnoxious thing to do.

And often in churches we are told we can't photography during certain parts of the ceremony etc.

So a big part of my job is communicating with the couple to find a balance between what they want and what is practical/possible.

@TheDaydreamBelievers

Which of the three types is hardest?

I have been a wedding photographer for 10 years and boudoir/maternity for 7. They're both different but I think weddings are harder - you have to get it right, it's a long day, physically and mentally demanding and you're 'on show' all day so if things go wrong you have to still show your game face and do your best 'swan' impression whilst still making sure you deliver the service you've been paid for.

Dudeoir? Love it

The most extreme boudoir I did was for a woman who wanted to be photographed in bondage, rode to the bed, with her ball gag!

Tied, not rode!