The Week Before Your Boudoir Photo Shoot: How to Prepare

Wondering the best way to prepare for your upcoming boudoir photo shoot?

Here are my top tips for preparing the week before your shoot:

7 days before your shoot: Drink plenty of water and gently stretch out your muscles.

Stretch, hydrate, and moisturize! Drinking plenty of water helps make your muscles more flexible, and it is going to reduce bloating and even plump and clear up your skin. It can even help you feel less tired! Under-eye bags? We don’t know her!

A boudoir session is a serious workout! I know it doesn’t seem that way, but holding the poses can really engage muscles that you don’t use very often! This can lead to sore and achy muscles the day after your shoot. The best way to avoid this is by starting to stretch prior to your session (a month before would be even better!) and drinking tons of water! The sooner you start these practices, and the longer you use them prior to your session, the better you will feel after! It doesn’t hurt to run yourself a nice, hot bubble bath after your session too!

Please AVOID trying any new skincare products or changing your skincare routine at this time. If you have a skin reaction, it will likely not have time to heal before your session.

5 days before: Get your roots touched up and wax (if you do).

Got roots? Now is the time to get those touched up! Five days before your session is a great time for a color refresh, but I don’t suggest trying a whole new hairstyle or wildly different color than you are used to.

What about “hair down there”? Natural is totally fine, shaving or waxing is also perfectly acceptable. However, trying something new in sensitive areas can sometimes cause a reaction like ingrown hairs, rashes, or red rash bumps. I suggest doing whatever you normally do! If waxing, 5 or so days before your shoot is normally ideal to reduce any prevailing redness or bumps.

2 days before: Get a fresh manicure (at a salon or diy) and shave and moisturize.

When you are thinking about your nails for your photo shoot- don’t think too hard! Sometimes simple and clean is the best! However, if you want your personality to shine, make sure you will love whatever color you choose 5 or even 15 years down the road! Natural nails are perfectly fine for your shoot, as long as they are well-maintained and clean. For colored nails, I suggest soft, neutral, or jewel tone colors.

If you prefer to shave, do so the night before your session to calm down any inflammation and make sure to moisturize your skin.

The day before: Layout and pack your outfits and accessories. Also, get plenty of rest!

It’s the day before and we’re so excited to have you in the studio! You’ve been planning out your outfits for weeks and now is the time to get them together. Layout each outfit separately so you can make sure you have all the pieces. Don’t forget the jewelry or accessories like stockings and shoes. If anything needs to be steamed or ironed, now is the time to do that. If you would like a copy of our packing list, visit our What to Wear blog post: https://michelleburroughs.com/what-to-wear-to-your-boudoir-photo-shoot/

Lastly, get plenty of rest the night before your shoot and wear loose fitting clothing to your session to prevent lines on your skin. Drinking lots of water helps with this too. Now get ready to have some fun!

5 Reasons Why You Need Professional Headshots

personal-branding-photo-shoots-in-michigan

We live in a visual world of streaming movies, social media like Instagram and TikTok, and even dating apps. Images are an essential part of both our personal and professional lives, especially when creating a brand for your own business or your professional career.

That is why professional headshots are so important. Whether it’s creating a strong avatar for your social media profiles or putting a face to your name for potential clients and employers, a headshot can give you the extra push you need to secure that client for your business or put you ahead of the other candidates for your dream job.

You want to look professional.

If you’re trying to promote your own business, a great headshot that showcases your demeanor and professionalism can keep people on your site long enough to make a purchase or sign up for your services. People have to know and trust you to want to do business with you. When it comes to your website, you have a very limited amount of time to make a strong enough first impression to intrigue potential clients, so you have to impress!

You’ll use it EVERYWHERE.

Thinking you won’t use your headshot often so a simple cell phone snap will work just fine? Think again. If you’re promoting your own business, you’ll need a headshot for every place you post content or information online. That includes Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media, as well as your own website and blog and any sites where you contribute as a guest. People want to put a face to a name, and if you’re promoting yourself or your company, you want that face to look professional and skilled in your field.

You want to tell a story.

Whether you’re looking for the next step up in your career or seeking new clients for your business, your headshot is the quickest way to tell the story of who you are and what you can do. A professional photographer can help your expertise and personality shine through your images. They’ll also help you choose a location that suits your field and the look you desire for your personal brand.

You want to make a strong introduction.

Any potential employer or client will check you out online before contacting you, so you want to represent yourself as intelligent, dedicated, and skilled. But you also want to be approachable, so it’s important to give prospects an idea of your personality and make sure you’re more than just a name in their eyes.

A professional headshot can help you do all these things and will serve as your introduction to everyone in your field, from potential clients to business partners to employers. To keep that introduction positive, you need a headshot that shows off how polished and professional you are while still feeling approachable. If you go with a selfie or a blurry cropped group photo, what impression does that give? If you don’t care about the impression you create, why would other people care about working with you?

You care about investing in your future.

Professional headshots are a financial investment, but they’re also an advancement in your career or business. Not only do they make you look good to future clients or employers, but a high-quality headshot can also give you confidence in your own abilities. Others will see you as strong and well put-together, and you can start to see yourself that way as well!

When it comes to furthering your career or promoting your business, professional headshots are definitely worth the cost! They offer a major return on your investment by helping you to get clients, land your dream job, or help you find new professional opportunities.

3 Examples of Spooky Halloween Photo Shoots

Dark Beauty Witch Themed Photo Shoot (2)

Autumn is my favorite time of the year for outdoor photo shoots. Here in Michigan the leaves change to gorgeous, warm colors as the days get colder. Most times it gets too cold to do real boudoir shoots close to Halloween, but this year we had some wonderful warm weather until late in the month so we took advantage of that and got some great spooky photos outside. I also decorated the studio inside for some fun, dark fantasy photo shoots as well. Read below for my top tips and suggestions to make the most out of your spooky Halloween photo shoots.

Favorite Halloween Sets

Set #1: The Forest in the Fall

My favorite spot for spooky Halloween photo shoots is in the forest when the leaves are changing color and there is a lot of yellow, orange, or red in the trees. The most important thing when planning your photo shoot is to know where you are going to take photos. Having a vision in mind for the concept and styling will help you decide on your location. For me, the warm hues are such a bold background and really offset all the blacks of the typical spooky wardrobe.

Set #2: Modern Witch Aesthetic

This set is all about the Modern Witch look. Tarot cards and crystals mixed with some fun props make for a great witchy set. I love this wonderful take on an ancient tradition especially one that is so empowering for females.

Set #3: Halloween Haunted House

Cobwebs, skulls, candles and dark colors! That’s what makes a Haunted House look authentic! I love the classic horror movie look of moody lighting and dusty cobwebs in the corners.

Top 3 Planning Tips for Your Spooky Halloween Photo Shoots

TIP #1: Decide on Your Theme/Aesthetic FIRST

Which set you’re going to choose definitely depends on your theme or aesthetic. Some sets are great for multiple styles but some are more suited to a specific theme. I usually find creating a mood board helps in the initial planning process. I’ll choose colors, props, lighting patterns, and other inspiration to help me map out the theme.

TIP #2: Locate/Source Your Props

Halloween or spooky shoots are all about the props! Sometimes the clothing is also a prop depending on your theme. But my best tip is to make sure you can get your props if you’re shopping out of season! Once Halloween is over it can be difficult to find many of the items you might want to use in your shoot. I often make a plan of upcoming shoot ideas and get a whole bunch of items once Halloween rolls around. The day after Halloween is also a great time to grab stuff if you plan ahead!

TIP #3: Plan for Special Makeup

Many Halloween photo shoots themes require special makeup. Either something much darker or more intense (or even more gory!) than what you would wear to a normal photo shoot. With this in mind, you should plan to practice the style at least once before your actual photo shoot day. Another option is to hire a professional makeup artist to help you create the look you’re seeking. Just make sure to specify what you’re looking for! Some makeup artists may not have experience in more theatrical styles to suite your theme.

Did you find these tips helpful? Are you going to use these sets as inspiration when planning your next spooky Halloween boudoir shoot? What other suggestions do you have for someone planning their spooky photo shoot?

Interested in doing your own spooky Halloween photo shoot? Looking for a reason to wear your awesome costume more than one night a year? Message me to learn more!

Why I Photograph Boudoir

Why I Photograph Boudoir West Michigan Boudoir Photography Studio

I photograph boudoir because to me it’s the most beautiful and meaningful artistic form of photography. My mission as a boudoir photographer has always been to empower women to become more confident in themselves and to attract more positivity and affirmation into their daily lives. Empowering women by letting them take control of their own sexuality and bodies, master their sensuality, decide how they want to feel, how they want to look, and how they want to be seen, and learn to love themselves in an inclusive, judgement-free studio with a confidence-boosting experience. They should feel empowered, confident, excited, happy, beautiful in body and soul and spiritually-healed when they leave my studio. F*ck society’s standards and norms. I’m kicking the doors down and letting women free.⁠

My first boudoir experience was being photographed myself and that helped me to understand how important boudoir is. I spent a very long time hating on my body and not believing I was beautiful that stemmed from sexual abuse and a general lack of self-worth. Boudoir helped me to regain my confidence in myself and helped me begin a journey of healing and coming to love and appreciate my body rather than hating on it.

My assistant (and my mom!), Maria, was the perfect choice of boudoir photographer for me to come to understand what boudoir is all about. She was kind and complimentary throughout the entire shoot. If you’ve never met her, you don’t know how gentle she is and how cute and smiley. She’s the reason why I photograph boudoir and that atmosphere is one that I try to provide to every woman that comes into my studio, because it’s not easy to put yourself out there and be vulnerable. I want to create a safe space for every woman to come into herself and to open up and begin that journey towards self-love and confidence.

What makes you want to do a boudoir shoot? Send me an email from the Contact page, I’d love to chat with you!

Interested in learning more about a #MBPEmpower Boudoir Photo Shoot? Fill out the form below and I’ll send you all the info!

The Love Language of Touch for Your Boudoir Experience

Grand Rapids Michigan Boudoir Photography Studio | The Complete Boudoir Experience

Touch, taste, smell, feel. From walking into the studio, being pampered with hair and makeup, having a drink or eating chocolates, and getting into your lingerie – everything about the boudoir experience is tactile. Lingerie is made to entice: by sight, by touch, by feel. The color, the fit, the lace, the satin. Every piece of it is a sensual and tactile experience.

Throughout a boudoir photo shoot, you’re having fun, laughing and letting all of the nervousness fade away as excitement takes its place. You’re admiring, enjoying and loving on your own body. Feeling your hair and skin, playing with your lingerie or gripping fresh clean sheets and thick fur rugs. Relaxing and falling into the moment while creating beautiful photographs that you should be able to hold and touch and admire.

The end result, the remembrance of your experience needs to be as tactile as the boudoir experience itself. I offer albums with luxurious linen and acrylic and thick gorgeous pages to flip through, fun viewfinders to play with and laugh about, glossy metal wall art to hang on your walls and admire every time you walk past. The more time you spend touching something the more you fall in love with it. Don’t be afraid to fall in love with yourself and your sense of touch.

Email me today to learn more about a life-changing boudoir experience.