"I would like to create a gift for my husband. He has seen your boudoir photography and I am interested in creating a memory for him/us," O wrote when she filled out the contact form on our website.

When O and I spoke on the phone a few days later, O mentioned that they'd been talking about boudoir photography for several years and wanted it to be tastefully done. She's been working out at the gym now more than she ever has before, and she wanted this boudoir photography session to be both a celebration of her achievements and a unique gift for her husband. "Classy boudoir, elegant, dramatic, and relaxed," were the words O chose to describe her ideal boudoir photography. Most important was that she wanted the photographs to look natural, like she just happened to look at the camera, and that they portray her doing things that she would normally do in daily life.

When I asked her how she and her husband wanted to enjoy her classy boudoir photography day after day, she said she hadn't thought that far ahead yet. They had been focused more on thinking of fun poses than about what to do with the resulting images. "I would be OK with one or two tasteful lingerie shots on the bedroom wall, though if he [my husband] had his way, he'd plaster them all over the house and carry snapshots in his wallet!"

Ten days later, I had the opportunity to speak with O's husband on the phone and to get his perspective on her ideal boudoir photography. 

"She's almost 51 - has been lifting weights, and looks great. I want her to have a moment where her beauty is captured. I spent a lot of time researching boudoir photographers, reading reviews, and talking to other people who'd hired boudoir photographers for their wives... I also talked to a lot of other boudoir photographers who didn't want me involved. How do you feel about that?" he asked.

"I love when partners participate in the planning & design meeting and at the 'photo reveal'/ordering appointment!" I said.  "For the boudoir photography session itself, that's up to you and O; my question for the two of you would be if your presence would make her feel more or less comfortable." 

In the end, O's husband came with her to the planning & design meeting (and eventually to the 'photo reveal'/ordering appointment) and gave his input on what he wanted to see in her boudoir photography: uninterrupted lines... the lines of her biceps/abs... a photograph similar to one that her personal trainer has hanging in his gym of Marilyn Monroe lying on a bench lifting weights...  And the result of our brainstorming was the selection of three themes for O's boudoir photography: a weightlifting theme, a belly dancing theme going back to O's husband's ethnic roots, and a book/literary theme in our classy boudoir bedroom. Many of O's boudoir photos - especially the book-themed photographs - are simply too sexy to post online here, so you'll just have to imagine them!

Want elegant, dramatic, relaxed, and classy boudoir photography of your own?

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