Boudoir; often mis spelt as buodoir, budoir, bodoir, boudior is a branch off of portrait photography but the image gives a more sensual and sexy feel than traditional portraiture. It doesn’t have to mean lingerie, high heels, stockings or full nudity. It can be whatever you need it to be and taken to a level of comfort that you have. If lingerie is your jam then I’m happy to photograph you in it. But if you just want to dip a toe into boudoir you might feel comfortable wearing our in studio white shirt instead which covers you up entirely, or using a white sheet to keep yourself more hidden. There are so many ways to incorporate boudoir into your photo sessions. So I thought I’d let you know what boudoir at Donna Duke-Llande Photography looks like:

1. It’s a way to feel empowered and to appreciate your feminine form. They did it in the Greek and Roman days, and it’s time to bring that appreciation back for all female body types.

2. It’s something that’s done just for you. It’s an incredible feeling knowing that you’ve done something out of your comfort zone, and while you might gift the image to a partner we all know it’s really something for you.

3. It’s about being a bit more sensual in the imagery than traditional portraits. It’s about looking classy and creating something artistic that you will love.

4. It’s about showing a bit of skin, but how much depends on you. The pose is just as important as the outfit and actually a jumper with the shoulder pulled down can be boudoir and just as sexy as being fully nude or in an incredible lace bodysuit.

5. Your comfort is paramount and that’s why I work with an all female team who will make you feel comfortable throughout. We can close the set down if you prefer to just you and myself but rest assured your comfort always comes first.

6. Boudoir can be part of your photoshoot if you want to try it. It doesn’t have to be the whole session.

Some people are very personal about their make up, whether that’s because they like it to be exactly how they do it or as often is the case, they don’t wear much of it and don’t want to not be themselves in the portraits that are taken.

I completely understand that, and having a make up artist at your photoshoot is something I offer as a complimentary service.

You are never obligated to have to use one of my make up artists. So if you strongly feel that a make up artist wouldn’t be a great fit for you just let me know. As always every photoshoot is customised to your needs.

However, there are many benefits to having a make up artist on the day of your photoshoot, so if you are a little unsure here are 3 great reasons why you should use a professional make up artist for your portrait session:

1. Professional make up artists are highly trained and skilled when it comes to applying make up for photography. They are able to use high end products to help remove unflattering sharpness caused by the high spec quality of modern cameras. While there’s benefits to having sharp images we don’t necessarily want to see every facial detail in HD!

2. Normal everyday make up isn’t actually defined enough to be picked up on camera. So having your make up professionally applied can sometimes feel and look a bit heavy, but a make up artist isn’t preparing you for your everyday casual make up look, she’s preparing you for the strength of the lights and the way in which colour disappears quickly on camera. Even if it is a everyday causal look you’re going for you’ll need just a bit more definition then you’re used to to give the result you truly want.

3. Make up artists are specialists in what they do and can alter looks throughout a session meaning we can go from casual to glam easily. Hair up or hair down? With a make up artist present we can go for a variety of different styles. Having someone on hand to pamper you is also a great way to enjoy the full process.

When you book a portrait with me you will immediately be offered a make up artist at your session. This will enable you to truly relax on the morning of your portrait session and fully embrace the process.

My current in house make up artists are:

Emma from Emma Ford Make Up

Holly from Carter Hair and Make Up

Sarah from Sarah Catherall Make Up