Boudoir Digest: The Latest Trends in a Burgeoning Genre

The Boudoir Cookbook
As interest in boudoir photography continues to grow, more and more photographers are either adding it to their business model or specializing in just boudoir. 

Jen Rozenbaum, who I often like to dub the “Queen of Boudoir,” is the perfect role model—she started shooting boudoir, and only boudoir, about five years ago and has never looked back. With her “Shamelessly Feminine” business mantra at the forefront, Rozenbaum dares her clients to shed their clothes in order to shed their inhibitions. Now she’s out with her first book, Boudoir Photography Cookbook: 60 Recipes for Tempting Photos (Amherst Media); the first printing sold out in its first week (at press time, the book was going to its second printing.)

Photo © Jen Rozenbaum

Rozenbaum presents 60 essential skills to help you fine-tune every aspect of your boudoir shoot, beginning with defining the genre and its subgenres, highlighting various posing strategies for a sexy, sultry look, as well as discussing some of her favorite lighting sources, setups and wardrobe items that enhance a subject’s assets.   

Says Rozenbaum of the medium, “Boudoir is fun. I love it, it makes me happy and it fills my soul. I want to help other photographers starting out to feel the same way by taking the recipes in my book, fiddling with the style and look, and making it their own.”

The Boudoir Art Frame Collection, from Jonathan Penney
Jonathan Penney Master Printmakers recently launched a line of boudoir-specific custom frames, prints and mats. Says New Jersey-based boudoir photographer Cate Scaglione (who has been shooting boudoir since 2010), “Jonathan and I collaborated together on this to find the right esthetics to suit boudoir photographers,” she explains, blushing over the fact that Penney named the line after her to thank her for curating the collection.

Photo © Cate Scaglione/Courtesy Jonathan Penney

“Cate’s fine-art approach to contemporary boudoir photography is reflected in each assembly,” says Penney, “and is specifically designed to showcase the artistic side of your boudoir work and provide ready-to-hang personal art for your customer’s home. Showcasing the romantic human form in grand display, from fine-art nudes to contemporary intimate portraits, there’s a combination to match every taste and décor.”

Part of the thought process behind the collection, adds Scaglione, is that “Jonathan is now seeing a growing trend of boudoir images coming out of the ‘secret drawer’ and onto clients walls as art elements of home décor and interior design. This collection helps suit those needs and simplifies the job for photographers.” 

Mystic Boudoir
Mystic Seminars came to life in Mystic, Connecticut, in 2005 when founder Walter Van Dusen decided to create “a gathering for wedding photographers to share and network.” 

Anyone who has attended knows it’s a fantastic networking and learning experience, and now Van Dusen is doing it all over again, this time with boudoir and the help of Brianna Phelan, to bring us Mystic Boudoir. 

The “Boudoir Only” conference will be held on January 11 and 12, 2016 in Portland, Oregon, succeeded by the original wedding conference on January 13 to 15. Van Dusen and Phelan have an impressive roster of speakers lined up, including Ryan Muirhead, Jen Rozenbaum, Ewan and Brianna Phelan of The Last Forty Percent, Denise Birdsong and more. 

Says Van Dusen: “If attendees are interested in attending just boudoir talks, they can do that. If they are interested in attending wedding and portrait speakers, they can sign up for that. And if they want to go to all five days, they can do that, too.”

AIBP and PHILOSOPHIE boudoir

Formed in 2010, the Association of International Boudoir Photographers (AIBP) is the only membership-based boudoir organization in the world, with both new and award-winning established photographers spread out across six continents.

Says founder and photographer Erin Zahradka (Z-Pics.com, Boulder, CO), who is also a contributor to the Huffington Post, “We like to think of ourselves as a higher-end boutique organization [with a membership base of 315 and growing] and not a forum of thousands.” 

She continues, “Before Facebook forums became active there was really no boudoir-specific information or support out there. I belonged to other valuable professional organizations that really offered terrific benefits and support, but nothing was boudoir-specific.” 

Photo © Anna Johnson/Boudoir Ego

After meeting fellow boudoir shooters Cate Scaglione (Life As Fine Art, NJ) and Jesus Bernardo Nieves (Be Boudoir, Puerto Rico), she says she began to see the benefits of “uniting us all as a genre to support each other.”

AIBP membership includes a Members-Only forum, mentoring programs twice yearly, inclusion in its bi-annual magazine PHILOSOPHIE boudoir, a retreat (November 2015) and much more. Says Zahradka, “The best way to learn this business is through a supportive community where you can ask questions, bounce ideas and share images—safely and privately. Then practice, practice, practice before you start charging real clients.” 

Photos © Cate Scaglione

Trending Now: Top 5 Boudoir Looks for 2015
Though timeless, classic lingerie looks are here to stay, boudoir photographers have seen some interesting wardrobe trends both inside and outside the studio… 

1. Bondage-inspired lingerie. It’s black, it’s strappy, it’s a bit dark and it’s very structured with underwire and rigid textiles. Fifty Shades of Grey has really made our culture more receptive to adventurously styled lingerie, which was previously a bit taboo. Retailers are now offering high-end couture spin-offs from the popular book and movie.

2. Jewel tones. Taking a hint from the runway, lingerie is switching up its palette with unexpected jewel tones like teal, navy, emerald, electric blue, sapphire and purple. We’re seeing a lot of vibrant colors across boudoir sessions, beyond the basic black and white. It’s getting a little bolder. Shooting multiple palettes is a great way to increase sales, with more variety to choose from. 

3. Playful florals and whimsical daywear. Outdoor boudoir is growing in popularity but sometimes requires a daytime-to-bedtime “transitional” look. Flirty florals and flowy, short nightgowns can double as whimsical daywear or lingerie sets that are no less conservative than a cute bathing suit.     

4. Cotton chic. The understated look of a no frills, cotton t-shirt look has made a big impact this year. We’re seeing a lot of clients requesting to wear plain white bottoms and men’s undershirts. The resulting images focus on the client’s pose and expression, not on the wardrobe. 

5. Bohemian boudoir. With retailers like Anthropologie and Free People influencing the 20-to-30-something set, many clients are looking for an eclectic, urban-bohemian look, with a sensual yet effortless appeal.

—Cate Scaglione

RELATED LINKS

Hip Action: Boudoir Posing Tricks from Jen Rozenbaum

What Is Boudoir? The Boudoir Photography Empowerment Movement