Questions for a Boudoir Photographer

Because of her great sense of humor and successful background in loss prevention – Joey Nicole knows how to help her clients have fun and see themselves in a new, confident light.

What got you started in boudoir? I’ve been in business for three-and-a-half years, specializing in wedding and boudoir. One of my brides actually asked me for a boudoir session. I had zero training – I had to do what I thought looked good.

That’s what kind of started my appetite for it. Then I went to a workshop in San Diego with photographers called the Boudoir Divas, who went over posing, lighting, how to set up a studio business. I came home and said to my husband, Jake, “we’re getting a studio.” And within a month we did.

Is there a creative process behind boudoir photography that is special - or is about manipulating light? There’s so many things. First, I have to analyze the client to find out what her sense of self is: is she comfortable in front of the camera? If not, what she’s nervous about?

How do you psychoanalyze someone you’ve just met? It’s hard because pretty much everyone books online. But I send them a pre-shoot questionnaire, which asks them about themselves: if they have any assets that they’re less comfortable with. Or if there’s  anything they’d like to show off. I don’t want to assume anything.

I also ask them about their music preferences and create a play list just for them ahead of time. Don’t tell my husband about how much money I spend on that...

What’s the process of the shoot like? So they come in, they hear their favorite music, I offer them a beverage. We talk again about what she likes; I open up some books, show her some of the photos that we’ve done and I ask her which poses she’s most drawn to. That lets me know if she’s more on the shy side or if she wants to feel seductive in these photos.

Click through our slide show to see a small sample of Joey Nicole's work:

So many times, you’ll talk to a photographer and they’ll tell to you about shutter speed and ISO and aperture and all these technical things, which are extremely important. But for me, it’s more about finding the right poses – highlighting the assets that she’s most proud of. I always tell my clients, "you don’t have to know a darn thing."

I’m not going to just point the camera at you and say “Okay, wow me.” I would turn and run if someone did that to me. I actually get on the ground or the chair or the sofa and I show them the pose that I want for the shot. Once they’re in the pose, I fine tune it. I move their hand or wrist, I tell them where to look with their eyes, I’ll tell them what to do with their mouth – whether they’re smiling or not – and usually within the first few minutes, they completely relax. And then it becomes really fun.

The ability for me to read my client is so incredibly important. 

How do you learn how to do that? I used to work in loss prevention. My job was reading people – their facial expressions and body language.  And I was good at it; I was catching crooks in the store. When I moved up into corporate, I learned the technical reasons behind why I was reading people this way. Now I can easily tell if someone is nervous with an idea or excited and it allows me to adapt the shoot based on that.

Sometimes if you push a client just a little bit, she’ll say, “I would have never thought to see myself that way.” A lot of my clients are used to running around in yoga gear. So to come in and strut around in some thigh-highs and garters is a totally different ball game. That said, everything I do is aimed to be something that you would show your kids or grandkids.

I looked it up: boudoir photography originally refers to a woman “pouting” in her bedroom or private sitting room. It’s not meant to be about photographing sex – not literally anyway. Well, I think some people go there. I would never push someone into something X-rated. Mainly because that makes me uncomfortable.

What types of photography do you like to do on your own time? Inanimate objects, scenery, detail shots. It’s a fun change of pace. And I like to take pictures of my dogs.

What kind? They’re little fur balls - part Bichon, part Shitzu, part Yorkie, named Sophie and Hitch. They’re my coworkers.

It seems like you stumbled into photography as a career. Is that right? I did. Everyone I knew  growing up was in sales, or finance or software. So, though I always enjoyed taking pictures, people would compliment my camera. They’d say, “Your camera must do a great job! What kind is it?” And I would always say: “gosh, this kind!” I didn’t realize that it was the person behind the camera that carried the vision until much later.

And at work, where I was on the business side of things, I saw these creative people doing what they did so passionately. I kind of envied them. I thought, I want to love my job that much. So I left the company...with no plan. (I don’t recommend that) and for Christmas, my husband bought me my first D-SLR camera. I was so intimidated.  I knew nothing of manual settings.

Then one of our nephews was born. My husband and I were at the hospital and we spent a lot of time in the waiting area. I saw those gorgeous black and whites of the babies on the walls, and I sort of elbowed Jake and I said: I can do that. So I spent the next two months solid just practicing on my nephews. I initially thought my business was going to be all babies and puppies. But then I tried weddings and I loved it.

Just for fun, if you could shoot in any location, what would it be? I’ve had this in my head for years. The land of Harry Potter.

Hogwarts? Or just anywhere in that world? Any setting in that magical universe. It’s magnificent. Since they opened up the Harry Potter theme park, I tell my husband, we’ve got to get there - that’s the closest I’m going to get to the Hollywood set.

Any artists or trends in particular that you look to for inspiration in your boudoir work now? I have a stack of Vanity Fair magazines in the studio.

The Boudoir Divas I studied with, they’re always trying to push the envelope, trying to create something closer to fashion shoots, which I love. When I first started photography – you know, babies and puppies – I realized I felt really confined in a studio setting. But with boudoir, now I can get really creative within this little nine-foot area.

Speaking of creativity, do you ever encourage clients to bring wardrobe and props? Yep. I had one client bring inline skates in because they were her husband’s favorite thing on earth. It was tricky for me to figure out how to incorporate those.

So I could bring in a crate of driftwood in and pose with it? [Laughs.] I love that example. 

That would be really fun because that changes things up for me – I’m not doing the same shoot on the same set; I have a challenge to work around.

I do ask people to tell me if they plan to bring a prop, because I kind of want to pre-approve it.  I had one client say she wanted to bring a stripper pole. I took a really deep breath and I just e-mailed her back and told her that wouldn’t work. So she brought a hat.

That’s a big shift. I’ve worked with a football helmet, too.

Here’s another one: what would you say if I wanted to bring in a pulled-pork sandwich (which is literally my boyfriend’s favorite thing ever)? That would be hilarious.

I have yet to incorporate a food shot, but it could be done so well. Some guys think there is something really sexy about a girl who likes to eat. We’d probably do that last because it would ruin the makeup. I would want to do something sort of funny, but also sexy with it...like take the biggest bite you could out of it.

Mmm. Barbecue sauce everywhere. Totally. Or like, lick the sauce off your hand, or something. There’s places you could go with that. I like your ideas.

Have you seen the recent cover of Rolling Stone magazine with the cast of True Blood on it? No.

Do you have a computer nearby? You have to see it. [She does an Internet search. A moment passes as it loads on her computer screen.]

Oh, dear God, the blood!

Is that image related at all to boudoir to photography in your opinion? No. The only tie is the lack of clothing. And in boudoir photography, women don’t have to wear lingerie. A girl can wear a dress, or anything. I had a client work with striped knee-high socks.

I had someone ask me once, when I was doing her engagement shoot, if photograph she and her fiancée together.  But I couldn’t. On the other hand, I was comfortable shooting a couple that are good friends of mine. There are lines everywhere and gray areas everywhere – and to me it just depends on what’s the point of it.

When a photo makes you think about something, that’s exciting. That’s to me a piece of art. But this is...well lit. It’s technically a great photo for a cover. But I would stick by my initial reaction, which was “Agh!”

It just makes me nauseous. •

Joey Nicole is hosting a special Open Studio Night on September 1, 6pm-8pm to help anyone who is interested learn more about boudoir photography. Oh! Chocolates, Girly Girl Wines and Zovo Lingerie will be there, showing you how to make the most of a boudoir shoot. Contact Joey for more information via her Web site.