Each boudoir shoot is as different as the woman at its center. Your props, surroundings, and lingerie can all impact the outcome of your photos. But the poses you choose and why you choose them can have a profound effect on both your pictures and your experience with boudoir as a whole.
Whether you’re aiming for relaxed, suggestive, or downright risqué, below are some poses that can help you accomplish the boudoir shoot that’s perfect for you.
Go Classic
Just because you choose to do boudoir doesn’t mean you have to bare it all. Sometimes, seduction lurks in the whispered promise of what’s to come, desire springs from a bit of bashful flirting, and a flash of skin is all it takes to set the imagination running wild.
Lounge in Bed
You, sprawled in bed, wearing nothing but a white sheet. This is one of the simplest yet most striking poses on our list. It’s also a great starting point for your shoot. It allows you to have control of how much skin you put on display while you get comfortable with the set and your photographer.
And there’s a reason lazing about in bed is such an iconic boudoir pose. It hints at shared body heat, sweat cooling on skin, and those languid moments that follow good sex.
Create a Silhouette
Women’s rounded and sloping curves have been celebrated for millennia, and the lines of your body are no different. If you’re worried about the camera lens capturing some unflattering detail you’d like to hide, consider harnessing the evocative and timeless allure of your feminine shape through silhouette photography.
Striking a sinuous or supple pose while facing a brightly lit doorway or window will throw you body into shadow, exposing your sensuous outline without giving too much away.
Feed the Mystery
Traditionally, the boudoir was a room a lady would have all to herself – somewhere she could hide away, escape the prying eyes of outsiders, and invite private guests. You can invoke some of that mystery in your boudoir shoot by masking your identity or the parts of your body that you’d rather not have on display.
Here are a few enigmatic poses that will leave your partner intrigued and your secrets intact.
Focus on just one part of your body
Whether it’s your tantalizing breasts, full hips, or pouting lips, you most likely have an opinion on which part of your body is the most irresistible. So why not make that the centerpiece of your shoot? By putting your best features on display, you can keep others hidden away.
If you’d like your photos to be a bit more anonymous, a closeup of your arched back, long limbs, or lacy lingerie can keep your face out of focus or out of frame. On the other hand, an image of your sultry eyes and pouty lips can allow you to be sensual and tempting without revealing too much of your body.
Cover your chest
It may seem counterintuitive to cover up and play coy in a boudoir shoot. But there’s something alluring about vulnerability in the bedroom. Glancing over your shoulder, topless and with the long lines of your back on display, is incredibly seductive.
Equally erotic, you can simply hide your breasts with your arms crossed over your chest. You can also do this in a more creative fashion. Cover yourself with a bouquet of flowers, a well-loved instrument, or even your long, luscious hair.
Be Flexible and Creative
You don’t have to be a yoga, Pilates, or dance aficionada to show off your moves. Some simple poses perfectly accentuate the long lines and sensuous curves of your body. And the best part? Since the final product is a set of still images, you can be graceful and elegant – even if you don’t often feel this way in your day-to-day life.
If you don’t want to channel your inner acrobat, you can put your imagination to work instead. You might find that the most common of objects can provide you the perfect inspiration for a stunning shoot.
Arch your back
Nothing quite screams carnal delight like the image of a woman’s arched back. Your limbs can be taut and stretched with impending pleasure or soft and heavy with recent satisfaction. Either way, that curve in the small of your back holds a world of temptation.
You can try this pose on its own or incorporate it into another. For example, arching your back during a silhouette photo results in striking and unforgettable images.
Experiment with unlikely places
Some of the best boudoir photography takes familiar objects and uses them in unfamiliar ways. Find something you wouldn’t normally sit or lounge on and play around a bit.
A piano can be a surprising backdrop that lets you arrange your limbs in unexpected and evocative ways. Rather than serve food on your kitchen table, why not spread your body across it for your lover’s hungry gaze? You can even play with this paradox in the bathroom by sinking into a warm bath wearing pearls, a sheer white shirt, and some dark lingerie – or nothing at all – underneath.
Be Adventurous
Like many women, you may choose to do a boudoir photoshoot because it is exciting and bold. You can try on unfamiliar personas, explore the sensual potential of your body, and experiment with parts of yourself you may never have even encountered before.
Go outside
There are some things that should only take place behind closed doors, but being your sensual sexy self shouldn’t be one of them. Leaning against a balcony railing with a cup of coffee – your skin on display with the cityscape sprawling out behind you – hints at stolen moments and unexpected seduction.
You can make your shoot even more exciting by diving into the nature near where you live. Whether it’s a wooded area, a quiet beach, or a still lake, the contrast of your most exposed self and the wide-open world around you is sure to light the flame of desire in whoever you show your pictures to.
Invite your partner to your shoot
A growing number of couples are sharing the boudoir experience with each other. If you have someone who likes to watch or give direction in the bedroom, having the chance to visit you on set while you’re being photographed could be the ultimate thrill.
Some couples even decide to star together in a boudoir shoot. Laughing side by side in bed, taking part in a bit of intimate play, and striking suggestive poses all lead to some very steamy photographs that you both will come back to again and again.
Sensualize the Everyday
Still feel like none of these poses are right for you? Have no fear – you can turn the things you do every day into images brimming with desire. All you need to do is add a few elements to transform them from mundane to erotic.
Enjoy a cup of coffee in bed, sheets slipping from your bare body. Vacuum in a pair of stilettos and an open dressing gown. Or even sit in front of your laptop, nude except for the oversized shirt slipping from your shoulder and the pair of glasses perched on the tip of your nose. The strength of these poses is that they show that you can be tempting while emphasizing the intimacy of your secret, everyday self.
And best of all? They don’t require you to be anything but what you already are – sensual, sexy, and singularly desirable.
