The term boudoir is a French word, originating from the 18th century. It was used to describe a woman’s bedroom or private room.
Many people consider it is a great wedding gift for their significant other. There are few factor to consider when starting with boudoir photography.
The History of Boudoir
Paintings of women have been popular since the Renaissance. One of my favorite paintings is Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, ” The Odalisque.” It is an example of how boudoir photography evolved into what it is today.
It captures the strength in her physical form. And also the empowerment she creates with her emotional glance over her shoulder.
In general, these paintings were done in ornate backgrounds focusing on implied nudes. It might have changed in how it is presented. But it still maintains the same roots.
Artists understand that emotion is more important than expression. The expression is in the physical attributes of the client’s face. But the emotional side of boudoir is more important. It lays in how the viewer interprets these expressions.
Posing a woman or man in a boudoir setting can become quite static. The emotional side has to be present.
Boudoir Over the Years
The boudoir industry combined with photography in the 1920s when Albert Arthur Allen created nude images of women. At the time, this type of photography was illegal, Throughout the decades, boudoir photography was dominant until the mid-1970s, when boudoir photography caught the fancy of major publications.
Photographs were replacing drawings in these publications. Many started to consider boudoir photos as artistic pieces and others starting thinking as pornographic.
Today men and women started accepting the boudoir photography. People like it for its artistic representation and not for the sexual ideas behind it. Many clients come in with the idea that it is a gift for a fiancé or anniversary.
But when they leave, the gift becomes secondary. Clients gain new confidence thanks to accepting their bodies. Boudoir shoots are an excellent booster for self-esteem.
In general, boudoir photography has focused on the female body. But in recent years, male and couples boudoir sessions are becoming popular too.