Booking a Boudoir Shoot? Here's What You Need to Ask Yourself...

I am going to let you in on something: everything changed for me when I started sending out boudoir questionnaires before all of my boudoir sessions, and here’s why:

It gave my clients time to reflect, recognize their growth, and open up to me. I got an inside look at their worldview.

Ideally, after I book a client, I will email them this questionnaire before we meet for a zoom consultation session so I can get to know them a bit better, and make the most out of their zoom consult time. I also want to get these questions fleshed out to be able to save time for new ideas and questions.

If you are a potential boudoir client reading this, welcome!! Allow these questions to take you on a journey inside your future shoot, and always keep your boundaries in mind. Think about where you’re at with your body right now, and if you are not yet ready to get to a place of appreciation, let’s work towards a place of neutrality. You are so much more than your body. Boudoir can heal that rift between what we THINK we should look like, and having grace and joy for what we physically present. What matters is that you are here, thinking about documenting your physical presence, and that takes strength and courage and a whole lot of fun brainstorming, and I am elated that you are thinking about it. I hope the experience is everything you hoped for and more, and that you look at the photos afterwards and go “ok, damn. I see myself now. I am amazing.”

If you are a photographer reading this, I just want to say: your list of questions might look a lot different than this. You may want to take this and add or subtract to it, but overall I just want you to make it your own! Think about your boudoir sessions and how you want to get to know your clients. Keep in mind you want to value your clients time, as well.

Don’t forget you can always reach out to me if you’re in the greater Seattle area (I work everywhere from Bellevue to Port Orchard to Eastern Washington. I don’t mind traveling and I love meeting new people).

So! Without further ado, I give you my Boudoir Questionnaire!

You:

• What are your main goals with this boudoir session? What is the “why”?

• Any words of inspiration we can aim for when shooting?

• What are your favorite features about your body?

• Where would you say you are on the journey to self acceptance?

• Would you like to share something you are proud of that your body has done for you?

• Think about using this session as a way to get to know yourself and your body, even a healing opportunity. Are there any words of affirmations we can say while shooting? 

• Is there anything you want me to know about your journey with your gender or sexual identity? Do you want to explore those dynamics visually?

• Is there anything you want me to know about you and/or your body? Anything you want to highlight or hide in photos? Anything you want me to edit out? blemishes, stretch marks, scars?)

• Is there anything else you want me to know about you?

Questions about your style and aesthetic:

• Do you prefer a more even toned, softer aesthetic? Or a high-contrast, deep shadows, crispier aesthetic?

• Do you have any visuals you want to share that really encompass your style/vibe/look? Movies, music videos, abstract art, sculpture, a muse, etc?

• Are you drawn to any particular textures, materials, or elements? Ex: bubbles, paint, smoke, dirt, netting, saran wrap, honey, powder, water, light patterns, fire, leather, mirrors, wax, etc.

• Which past decade do you most relate to?

• If you could own any piece of art to display in your home, what would it be?

The shoot:

• What type of look/feel do you want to encompass? Boudoir is wonderfully broad, so we can go in a lot of different directions: moody/fun, pinup/realistic, day/night, indoor/outdoor etc. We can start narrowing down your boudoir style by putting together a mood board! (feel free to pin photos that aren’t even boudoir! If you like the vibe, put it in there. These visuals are so that I can get a better feel for your style and preferences.)

• Location: Do you want to shoot in your home or would you rather book an Airbnb or Photography Studio? If shooting at home, let's chat about locations within your home, backgrounds, bedding, curtains, etc... 

• Do you want to hire a hair and makeup artist?

• What is the date/time we are thinking of starting? Let’s make sure to factor in hair and makeup, setup time, and if we are going for a natural light look.

• What is your overall budget?

• Do you want to sign an optional model release? The photos and behind-the-scenes videos will be used in my marketing materials so that more people can see how a boudoir shoot with me works!
  
  

-Courtney

My first blog post!

Hellooooo internet! More specifically, hello to you reading this, I am glad you are here! I like to think of this corner of the internet as my personal photography diary, a little snapshot into me and my work. I’ll be sharing what I am up to recently, my photoshoots, art musings, and maybe even philosophical tangents (OK, definitely that last one. Ya girl gets DEEP into it.)

Currently summer is in full swing here in the Pacific Northwest, and it is HOT. I live in Issaquah, and luckily have access to cool woods and a creek, but these new heat waves are something else. I am taking this time to catch up on some bigger picture marketing goals and editing. I am anticipating that once late summer/early fall hits, I will be booking more and more. PNW late summers are GORGEOUS, and fall is absolutely breathtaking. Since this is my first full year as a full time photographer, I am learning the ebbs and flows and how to best prepare for them.

I have been a professional photographer for over 12 years now, but I have always had at least one other part time job, if not two part time jobs or a full time one as well as owning my own photography business. Being able to support myself and grow my photography business has always been a dream of mine, ever since I was in high school, and I feel very lucky to be on this path! My ultimate goal is to own my own photography studio where I can photograph portraits or rent it out to other photographers and artists for the day. Another goal of mine is to leap into online education, which I have started doing on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/courtneymartinart) and am really looking forward to where that takes me. I have a few other surprise goals that I am not quite ready to announce yet, but trust me, they’re gonna be BIG.

As always, my biggest goal is to provide authentically beautiful and fulfilling photography services to my wonderful clients, whether that be boudoir, branding, business headshots or other types of portraiture. Listening to and communicating with my clients, checking in and updating them, being transparent, making the booking process easier… these are things that I am constantly working on to include the best customer service possible into my business. I am, after all, an eternal barista and customer service employee at heart. ;)

Talk soon!

-Courtney