A guide to outdoor boudoir sessions

 

Intro

Outdoor boudoir is a bit of an oxymoron — for starters you’re literally not in a boudoir (bedroom)!

The spirit of expression and connection is absolutely still there though. This guide covers the unique benefits and challenges of shooting outdoors, and will give you everything you need to decide if an outdoor session makes sense for you — as well as tips on how to have the best time if you do.

Let’s get to it!

 

Can you do boudoir outside?

A good place to start — you definitely can! Boudoir is about expressing some true part of yourself, and if the idea of being outdoors is more exciting than being indoors, we can absolutely make that happen! 

 

Three positives of an outdoor boudoir session

One

It’s freeing! I’ve heard many times from women that there’s something awesome and primal about being in some sort of undress outdoors. It’s a way of connecting with nature that we don’t normally do. If you love hiking, if you love gardening or farming, if you love skinny dipping in alpine lakes or soaking in natural hot springs — odds are you’d dig a boudoir session outdoors. 

Two

Second: it simply makes for gorgeous, unique photos! Boudoir in general is already pretty rare and boudoir outdoors even more so. Here’s this chance to incorporate natural rock features, grasses, sand dunes, or trees into your photos — it reduces some pressure and makes it more, “Here’s me in this beautiful place” than just “Here’s me.”

And if you’ve already done boudoir in the past, here’s a great way to make some images that are completely different. 


Three

Shooting outdoors gives us tons of working space, tons of creative options to incorporate and improv with, and plenty of beautiful natural light. Physically and creatively, we’re not confined to a studio. Plus no studio rental fees (though there are often inexpensive photo permits to consider)!

 

And some challenges to consider

Trust

Frankly it takes trust to head into a secluded outdoor spot with a male photographer. Same for indoor spaces, but it’s different somehow. Vet your photographer! Read their testimonials, scour their portfolio, do a gut check over a video call, ask for references — any dude worth trusting will have no issue actively working to make sure you feel comfortable throughout. 


Privacy and etiquette

Not every beautiful outdoor location lends itself to a good boudoir session! A good spot also provides enough privacy from others to keep you feeling comfortable and free. It also should be accessible, with easy terrain that isn’t too far from parking to maximize the session time. 

So all we need is a gorgeous location that is super easy to get to, isn’t too far from where you live, and is completely private! Not easy to find all these pieces in Colorado, and that’s why I suggest a handful of scouted locations I know fit the bill. My experience in choosing locations comes from 7+ years helping couples elope outdoors. 

Another frank reality: there’s always a chance of encountering other people/hikers while we’re shooting. If the idea of someone glimpsing you is a dealbreaker, and it’s totally fine if it is, an indoor session is the best way to guarantee total privacy. 

If it’s not a dealbreaker: we mitigate with a good location, we’ll pause for you to cover up with a robe if necessary, and we’ll practice some etiquette by being especially mindful of families/kids. Our goal is to keep you, and anyone we might see, as comfortable as we reasonably can.

It’s important to keep in mind that boudoir sessions can really vary in outfit and tone — shooting outdoors doesn’t mean 10/10 spicy or fully nude all the time. 


The elements

No matter how well we plan for the above variables, the weather will always do what the weather’s gonna do. I’m very accustomed to pivoting and making backup plans from my wedding work — but just know that choosing an outdoor session is going to require some preparedness to adapt and possibly reschedule. We’ll pivot together. 

 

What to wear & bring to an outdoor boudoir session

Outfit

Really, anything you’d consider wearing (or not wearing) for an indoor session, you can wear outdoors.

Stuff you might want to bring

Besides the usual things you’d bring to a traditional boudoir session — things like makeup for touchups, hair ties, etc — there are some things unique to outdoor session that you might consider bringing along:

  • Shoes/sandals that are easy to slip on/off. Even though you’ll most likely be barefoot in photos, having some comfortable footwear you can throw on when we’re moving locations is incredibly helpful. When we begin shooting, you can just stash these behind a nearby rock, bush, tree, etc out of view. If we’re covering some good distance down a trail to get to the location, hiking boots are a good call. 

  • Similarly, a robe, jacket, or other covering is useful if someone walks by (or if you get chilly)

  • Baby wipes are great for removing dirt from your feet or body (not strictly necessary though)

  • Sunblock! And/or sun hat — great for photos if it fits the vibe, or great for travel to/from location

  • Water and snacks — also important for indoor sessions but doubly so here! 

  • A backpack or comfortable tote bag for carrying all of the above plus any additional outfit pieces! I’m happy to help carry stuff too. Just like your shoes/layers, we’ll stash this bag either near me or hide it behind something while we’re shooting.

 

Leave no trace

It’s important that we adhere to all 7 Leave No Trace principles during our session. At a minimum, that means staying on-trail or on durable surfaces, staying off of sensitive features, not picking wildflowers, and not leaving any glitter or tags or garbage behind.

The temptation to do anything for the shot is real, and we’re gonna work together to keep ourselves on the same page.

 

Closing

There we are! Some basics for anyone considering an outdoor boudoir session. 

Stoked about shooting outside? Check out some outdoor galleries and reach out!

 
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What do you wear for a boudoir session? A visual guide to the levels of boudoir photography

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What it’s like being photographed by me, a male boudoir photographer