First, what is Boudoir Photography? The French word “Boudoir” is a word used to describe a ladies bathing or dressing room. It’s often closely associated with women’s Lingerie or intimate apparel, but can be used to describe men’s clothing as well.

In terms of photography it is often used to describe a specific photographic genre where men, women, and sometimes couples are photographed in sensual or alluring clothing and poses. boudoir photography is not a new form of photography. In fact many of the early Hollywood stars were photographed in a boudoir style. Today this has become a popular gift giving trend for a number of occasions. Some of the most common occasions include brides gifts to the groom on their honeymoon night, or as an anniversary gift for long running relationships. It’s a great form of self expression but it can be intimidating. Here are some photographs that would typically be called Boudoir Photography.

So to answer the second question. In today’s world of photography, the words “Glamour” and “Boudoir” are often used interchangeably. Many photographers do not do not make a distinction between those two words when describing a photographic style. However, one could make the argument that Glamour photos are sexy in a more conservative way. They are more about a mood and a feeling of beauty than their boudoir counterpart. Here are a few examples that embody more of a glamour feel.

I hope this helps clear up some confusion on the subject. I want to stress, no matter what you call it, Glamour or Boudoir, you are always in control of the style of photographs you choose to pose for. Be it more of a conservative sexy or something more spicy, it’s up to you to decide what your comfort level and communicate that to your photographer.
Thanks!

However I am pleased to announce that with some encouragement from my fans my artistic endeavors are now available as fine art prints. I have started this gallery off with a number of landscapes, cityscapes and destination photos from my world travels. Check them out and be sure to let me know what you think of them. Prints begin as low as $20.00.

There are many more to come so please check back often and thank you for your support!

Here at CnvStudios we thought that a new year should come with a new look. So today we rolled out a new look to our site. It’s bold and beautiful… We hope that you enjoy it!

In the upcoming months we will be sharing more photography, more often. We hope that you will join us as often as you can to see our further Misadventures in Photography! Thanks for being a fan!

If the backlight comes from a natural light source It can be very difficult to compensate for. Particularly when the light source is constantly changing. In many cases, too much backlighting can ruin an entire series of shots.

Sometimes you just have to embrace it. Mold it. Use it to create a mood or a particular style of shot. Which is exactly what I did in this series of shots of Mo Stones.

The camera was set to an ISO 400, f4, and 1/160 for the shutter speed. The natural light coming in from the window was very intense but because of the white walls and ceiling it was very soft. The walls acted as a great fill light and eliminated any harsh shadows. I set a single key light with a large softbox to the left of the camera. Which gave me enough light to eliminate the shadows created by the back light. Yes I know the whites are blown out… that’s exactly the look we were going for.

Enjoy! As always comments are encouraged and appreciated!

However… I get asked so often how I get my photos to look so good out of the camera. Well, the real answer is… Photoshop. Duh, duh, duhhhhhh!!! That’s right! Photoshop! It is an essential tool for the photographer’s digital workflow. If a photographer says he/she doesn’t use Photoshop he is either lying or he/she is not getting the full potential out of the shot. Ansel Adams once said “We must remember that a photograph can hold just as much as we put into it, and no one has ever approached the full possibilities of the medium.”. He also said “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”.

I believe both of those statements to be true. In my opinion a photograph is never done. There is always an improvement to be made no matter the subject. Now I don’t subscribe to the idea that you should make fundamental changes to the subject, like changing the shape of a face or a nose. I don’t play that! However, blemish touch up and minor adjustments to clothing or backgrounds is sometimes a must.

I offer you one of my older shots of the beautiful Jantzen Rees. The photo looks great in full color and untouched. However, I felt that a little blemish touchup, darkening the edges and punching up the highlights in key areas would help lead the eye to the focal point better.

The color change, I will admit, is a matter of taste. I prefer the sepia like tone over the colored version because it adds a vintage and almost intimate feel to the shot. You can disagree with me, that’s the beauty of all art, interpretation! Click the image for a larger view.

I used primarily one light on her shoot. I like the challenges that using only one light gives me. So I tend to do it often.

It was a large softbox that was sitting just to the left of the camera. For you photo-philes that are wondering, it metered at f6.3, I used a 1/80th of a second shutter and and ISO of 200. I also used a 36 inch white reflector just to her right to soften the shadows.

Take a look and tell me what you think of the shots.

So It’s time to share some of the great images that I’ve been creating in the last few weeks. This session is of the beautiful Monique Hayward. We had a great photo shoot and we got some great images in the process. Here’s just a couple of them, I hope you enjoy!

This series of photos is from the same shoot, but with a more modern twist and style!

Keri is a local model that was expanding her portfolio at the time that we did this shoot. She has a great look, is super laid back and totally fun to work with. I think every photographer that has worked with her would say the same.

Comments are always welcome and appreciated!

Many people often assume that glamour photography is what you see in modern men’s magazines. While that type of photography does fall in the category of glamour that’s not where it ends… nor where it began. Glamour photography started in the mid to late 1920’s and was inspired, in part by silent movies. A photographer by the name of George Hurell pioneered the look and went on to create ”Hollywood’s Golden Era of Portraiture”. These portraits were often lit with as many as 6 lights and have a very distinctive hair light. That’s the light that caused a models hair to have that super bright glow.

In honor of Glamour’s beginnings I would like to share a couple of 20’s inspired portraits of Keri Gillen. I didn’t initially set out to create a 20’s style portrait, nor are these a true 20’s style. In these portraits I have done something very different from the 20’s style. Primarily in my decision to use only one light. That’s right, one light. I chose one light softened with a large sofbox to make the subjects face more dramatic and to force the shadows to turn to a crushing black. I tried to keep the overall feel of the 20’s portraiture while putting my own spin on it. I often choose to light my subjects with one light because I feel it gives the shots a little bit more drama. Tell me what you think of them, and don’t be shy.