Is the Gender of a Boudoir Photographer Important?

Ed Verosky, a photographer from Austin, Texas, commented, “Many female photographers play up the idea that their clients will be more comfortable with a woman as their boudoir photographer.”

I’ve seen those ads, too, and like a lot of ads, they say one thing and mean another. In this context, “more comfortable” is a marketing euphemism for “safer” that exploits fear—the fear that a male photographer is somehow, I don’t know, genetically incapable of treating a woman with dignity and respect while creating great boudoir images of her. Nonsense!

Look, at the end of the day, photography is not gender based, and women seeking boudoir images would do well to eliminate that criterion when choosing a photographer—make it about their reputation and their work!

That said, the essential ingredient for creating stunning and erotic boudoir images is not comfort, it’s tension. Yes, that kind of tension. And for the male boudoir photographer, this presents both the challenge and the opportunity to make contact with the client on a fundamentally different level, a level where, rather than denying it, both parties sense and exploit this tension to create great images. A word of caution, though: It would be foolhardy for anyone to assume this is easy, that you just somehow jump into it and know, intuitively, what to do or how to act. It takes time. Over the next few months, I’ll write much more about this, but the truth is, in the end, working at this level isn’t for everyone.

At whatever level a boudoir photographer decides to work, creating for their client an envelope of safety imbued with dignity and respect is essential—irrespective of the photographer’s gender.

Addendum:
I’ll be writing about the client-photographer interview process in a future post, but if you’re a women interviewing boudoir photographers now, make sure your requests include these: a list of past boudoir clients you may call; and samples of work from glamour to erotic, including before-and-after shots, preferably of more than one client.

PS: Today’s image: Melyssa in the Moment.

Comments

[opheliamber]

It's not just that the woman can feel more "comfortable" but that their significant other feels more comfortable too. I know that my husband would be furious if I had another man taking my pictures. I know a lot of women who that is a concern of theirs.

[WillT]

opheliamber,

Thank you for your comment.

I agree it is a concern, but it shouldn't be.

I've heard back from every woman I have photographed, and in each case the husband adored and cherished her boudoir images. Here are a few examples of what they write me:

• We both love them... we will cherish them forever.

• The expression on his face when receiving the book as a birthday gift made every ounce of work and effort worth it. The compliments he has given me since receiving his book are out of this world!

• Something about my husband seeing me through the eyes of another—seeing what the camera saw—changed the way he sees me. He has a whole new appreciation for me, and that’s the gift I never anticipated!

Of course, because Patty and I have always received references like these, doesn't mean that every other photographer has too. And that's why a woman must select her boudoir photographer with great care and without regard to gender.

At the very least she must request a list of past boudoir clients she may call as well as samples of work from glamour to erotic, including before-and-after shots, preferably of more than one client.

Will

[Orcatek Boudoir Photography]

I wrote a very similiar post on my blog explaining just what you say here. I also feel that the male/female relationship during the shoot works towards creating better images. My clients seem to agree.

[Originally posted Feb 24, 2009 at 4:15AM]