Happy Anniversary! Plus, Top 10 Things to Do on a Boudoir Shoot

The Christa Meola Pictures Blog is 1 Year old!… yay! The first post I blogged last year was a Boudoir Shoot and focused on Top Tips on How to Feel Sexy while being Photographed.  It’s been such an amazing year of growth, and the blog has just exploded with visitors from all over.  Thank you for all of your comments, loyalty, support, and generosity.  I didn’t know how this blog would fly when I first started it, but I have to say, it’s been an amazing experience to share my work and life with all of you…   Many more exciting things to come this year, and I promise you: you will always be surprised at what’s blogged next!

Recently, I’ve been slammed shooting Boudoir for Valentine’s Day :)  and I’ve been swamped singing up photographers for my next Boudoir Workshop, “A Sexy Affair” on April 3rd and 4th! There are only a few spots left, so register soon!

In the meantime, here are my favorite Things to Do on a Boudoir Shoot – Enjoy!….

Top 10 Essential Things to Do on a Boudoir Shoot

1.     Have champagne and chocolate on hand
The champagne marks the shoot as a celebration and an Event.  It’s a toast to sexiness and relaxes everyone.  Chocolate is definitely a girl’s best friend and an excellent mood elevator, but more importantly, it’s the sugar rush needed after a few wardrobe changes and extreme posing… Hey, boudoir is hard work!

2.     Limit wardrobe changes
Outfits are fun, and variety is the name of the game!… However, wardrobe changes can quickly get out of hand.  Make sure your girl gets enough time to “vibe” in each one.  A nice selection of wardrobe changes can be simple:  just a thong and heels, a fantasy element, lingerie, or some dress up… Just remember: 5 different black bustiers is not variety.

3.     Chat like girlfriends – even if you’re a guy :)
While you’re both enjoying champagne and while she’s still in the hair & make-up chair… Yes, you want to tell her how much you love those shoes, chat about dating, last night’s escapade, tell her a self-deprecating story, etc.  and start playing with those outfits and getting really excited…

4.     Begin without fanfare
…Keep talking, drinking, and shooting while she’s still in the make-up chair and continue shooting before she even knows “the shoot” is starting.  I always say that I’m just doing lighting tests, or whatever.  Meanwhile, I’m really just giving her time to warm up and get used to a camera in the room while she’s half-naked ;)

5.     Demo the moves!
Show her the exact movement you want her to do.  This will take the performance pressure off of her.  Plus, she’ll see how ridiculous you look and won’t be shy about duplicating it :)

6.     Be high-energy!
Keep the energy high, and you’ll get fun, lively, sassy images!…   She will play off your energy, so bring it :)

7.     Be silly and playful
Keep the atmosphere silly and playful, so she will be bold and experiment with new and different things :)

8.     Talk talk talk!
Constantly reassure her… any moment of silence will cause her to doubt what she’s doing.  I provide a never-ending litany of “gorgeous, perfect, good – keep going… yes! that’s amazing… sooooo beautiful… ok, now flip your hair – perfect!  Yes, do it again… great!…

9.     Everything works “Great!”
– even if it doesn’t… You don’t want to kill the energy and make the poor girl embarrassed.  Most of what you guys do together may not work (that’s what’s awesome about editing!)  – but she doesn’t need to know that.  So say “GREAT!” but move on swiftly to something else when it’s not really working for ya.

10.     Call Her!
Give her a buzz later that evening to mention how much fun it was and how you took a sneak peek at the pics, which look amazing!!  Mention how bold and sexy she was… and how much fun you had.  Think about it: You saw her naked – she deserves a phone call afterwards :)

Happy shooting and Happy Vday!

xoxoxo!!

Christa