10 Years of Shooting Boudoir: A Walk Down Memory Lane
I’ve been shooting exclusively boudoir for a decade this month! So I thought it would be fun to do a “walk down memory lane” series, to look at where I started, how I got into boudoir, and my future plans.
Today, we’ll start at the beginning.
Let’s Start at the Beginning: 2013
In 2013, my husband gave me a “nice camera*” to take photos of our boys—it was a Nikon D3400, an entry-level camera. It came with a zoom kit lens, and all I knew how to do at the time was put the camera on auto, use the pop-up flash, and push the button to capture (an often blurry) photo. After owning the camera for about two weeks, I decided on a whim to learn how to shoot manually, read a ton about the “Exposure Triangle,” and tried to use our boys as my test subjects. But, only being two and three years old at the time, they didn’t sit still long enough for me to think through my settings, so I reached out to a close friend and asked if I could take photos of her daughter.
*It’s not the camera that gives you nice photos—it’s the photographer’s skill set.
I didn’t know what I was doing then—in the photo above, I now know that the sun was too high and gave her unflattering shadows under her eyes, there were no catchlights in her eyes, and a random clothesline pole was in the background. BUT! I was able to play with the manual settings, which was my goal. In 2013, I was proud of this photo. (Now I look at it, and I think, ‘AWW She’s in college now.’)
That photo shoot was a lot of fun, so much so that I decided to challenge myself: for the rest of 2013, I was going to shoot a different genre each month to learn how to use my camera in manual mode.
First genre: an early-morning couple’s session at Pinchot State Park. By this point, I had learned more about lighting and knew about the “Golden Hour,” when light is considered the most flattering. (Notice, no unflattering shadows now. Can you see why I love lighting??!!) But check out her hand placement! Such a rookie mistake to have her clasp her hands like that. (Thankfully, they are such a cute couple and you don’t focus on her hands.)
Followed by a family portrait session with a former coworker, her sister, and their momma. I don’t recall the inspiration for this image and why they all look so serious… we’ve always joked it’s their “girl band” album cover.
A maternity session for a friend in early summer…
…followed by a lifestyle newborn session for her baby girl a few months later.
In the fall, a senior high school session, where I started implementing some posing directions (but not to the level I do today.)
And finally, another attempt at getting photos of my boys for our Christmas card (these are three of my all-time favorites of them!)
By December 2013, I was still using that entry-level camera, learning how to master the Exposure Triangle, and shooting with natural light and a reflector. I was just playing, having fun, no thought that I’d make a career out of photography.
Boudoir: It Stole My Heart in 2014
I don’t remember how I knew about boudoir—in 2014, it wasn’t as widely known as in 2024. But somehow, I knew of it, it intrigued me, and I decided this would be the last genre I’d try shooting (as I had no desire to shoot weddings). Back then, I had the hardest time finding a friend who would model for me in lingerie, but thankfully, a coworker’s sister-in-law was an aspiring model and she agreed to be my subject. (I now lovingly call her my muse.)
It was this session that made my heart S.I.N.G. and changed the direction of my career. I found my passion.
Kelly came to my house on a cold, cloudy January morning in 2014, and I remember being concerned about her hands—a photographer I’ve admired for years, Sue Bryce, said you can tell how good a photographer is by the hands: Do they look stiff/unnatural? Do they add to the story or distract from the image? I desperately wanted Kelly’s hands to look great, and honestly, this is where her modeling experience helped me—between my posing direction and her understanding of how to move for the camera, this session turned out unbelievably awesome. And I still was only shooting with my Nikon and a reflector, and we shot in my home’s formal dining room and in our guest room ontop of a futon.
What was it about boudoir that I found different from the other genes I had photographed? I loved that I could use shadows! I loved that Kelly didn’t need to look at the camera for every shot or that I could do a ‘mystery shot’ and still tell a story. It was fun to figure out ways to incorporate props—a lollipop, a book, a hat—or put focus on a beautiful piece of jewelry or highlight the strength of her back.
None of the other genes had made my heart fill with joy… and I wanted to see if I did another boudoir session, would I have the same reaction.
FEBRUARY 2014
Kelly had a friend who was also playing around with being a model, so I asked her to model for me the following month, and we did a “cowgirl glam” session in the guest room on top of the futon.
As well as I shot Kelly again, this time as a bride-to-be theme (she’s wearing the veil and jacket I wore for my wedding.)
I knew right then and there: I was hooked on boudoir. I spent the next few weeks studying boudoir posing and lighting, absorbing as much as I could.
APRIL & MAY 2014
In April of 2014, I photographed Tara, another local model, in our guest bedroom. And I believe it was her session that I decided to start shooting professionally part-time—from May 2014 to June 2017, I shot two or three Sundays a month while working full time as a technical editor/writer.
Which brings me to my first real client, Alisha! You know that saying, ‘Fake it until you make it’? That’s precisely what I did for Alisha’s session—she had no idea she was my first client. I made her believe I knew what I was doing because I acted like I knew what I was doing. She’s the first woman I did a wardrobe consult with, but I didn’t do it for her—I was terrified she’d show up to her session wearing something unflattering and I’d have to figure out how to make it look good, so I met with her a few weeks before her session to discuss her wardrobe, and it was such a success in making us both feel confident about the wardrobe that I’ve done the wardrobe consult ever since.
Alisha and I had such a fun time at her session that she became my assistant for three years.
May is also when I first met Nath, the woman who became my lead stylist for eight years.
June-December 2014
For the rest of 2014, I was busy learning-learning-learning. Learning more about lighting, about posing, about connecting with clients. I was learning what my “voice” is in photographs—bright and airy comes naturally to me, although I love the look of dark and moody. I was learning my “why”—why do I want to shoot boudoir, why are women booking me, why do I want to be the best boudoir photographer? And I think those answers are still the same a decade later: I want to shoot boudoir to create art and empower women of all shapes, sizes, and beliefs; women book me because I can relate to their struggles, I see them, I hear them, and they feel safe with me; I want to be the best boudoir photographer because I am competitive and I want to be THE leading authority in this genre.
When you think boudoir, I want you to think of Shannon Hemauer Photography.
That was also the first year I started my “I BELIEVE Project“—I gift a boudoir or contemporary glamour session to women fighting cancer as my way of helping them feel feminine and beautiful, even if for a few hours. Over the years, it changed to be for any woman going through a tough time and needing a little pick me up. In addition to cancer survivors, I’ve photographed women for the project who were struggling with anxiety, a recovering heroin addict, and a teenage transgender girl. I haven’t done a Project shoot since COVID-19 shut everything down, and I think it’s time I reinstated it!
Holly, the first Project recipient, was diagnosed at 34 with breast cancer, which does NOT run in her family, and the only way she found out she had it—and this will give you chills—was during her yearly exam, her nurse was performing the standard breast exam and even though she didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary, this woman just had a feeling Holly needed to have further testing. The medical world tells us 34 is too young to have breast cancer, but something didn’t sit well with this nurse, so on pure instinct, she recommended Holly go get a mammogram. That nurse saved Holly’s life. (Talk about her SUPERPOWER!)
2024 SUMMARY
I haven’t looked at many of the photos I took in 2014 in several years, and I still love them. I’m amazed at how much I grew from that first fun session in 2013 of my friend’s daughter to Holly’s I BELIEVE Project session. And speaking of my friend’s daughter, I took prom photos of her last year. Both shots (2013 and 2023) are using natural light, but what a difference knowing what you’re doing makes with photography. (For her prom photos, the sun was lower in the sky, which creates a softer, more pleasing light.)
MY GIFT TO YOU: 10% OFF
To celebrate ten years of shooting boudoir, I’m offering 2024 clients 10% off* their Silver or Yellow Gold collection. Contact me today for details.
NEXT WEEK: 2015 REVIEW
Next week, I’ll look back at 2015.
Until then,
Shannon
*Cannot be combined with other discounts.
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