PA Boudoir Studio | Susan’s Session | Shannon Hemauer Photography

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SUSAN’S BOUDOIR SESSION

Did you know there is a science behind photography, and most of that science has to do with light? And that there is ‘good quality’ light and ‘bad quality’ light when it comes to taking photographs?

When I take a client’s before photo, I purposely use ‘bad quality’ light because I want you to be able to see what a difference it makes when ‘good quality’ light is used. Why does this matter? Because most of the photos you look at of yourself—ya know, the ones that you convince yourself that you just cannot look good in a photo—were taken in bad lighting.

In Susan’s ‘before’ photo below, most of the light is coming from the ceiling lights above her (which causes shadows under the eyes), some light is behind her from the window to camera right, and some of it’s in front of her to the side, but off center to camera right. With this set up of lighting, there aren’t any catchlights in Susan’s eyes (the reflection of light that gives eyes that sparkle). In the ‘after’ photo, the studio light is camera left at chin level. There is also natural light coming in from behind her on either side of the bed through the windows, which wraps light around and and fills the scene with creamy light.

I’m amazed at how much smaller her eyes look in the ‘before’ photo compared to the ‘after’ photo. I made sure to use photos for the before/after image that have a similar fullness to the smile, because the size of the smile does affect how large the eyes look, too.

Image on Left is ‘Before’: Light is above/far to the side. Image on the Right is ‘After’: Light is directionalized toward her at eye level.

Yes, her having her eyebrows filled in and wearing false lashes do help define the eyes/make them look bigger, but it’s the lighting that really helps her baby blues shine.

The most important things with any photo session being successful is good lighting (regardless if it’s boudoir, newborn, wedding, senior). Good lighting can reduce the appearance of wrinkles, bags under the eyes, and cellulite.

When I’m setting up a shot, there are several factors I keep in mind:

Do I want lots of shadows or reduce shadows in the photo? Shadows define cheekbones and jawlines, but too dark and you lose detail in dark hair and fabric.
Position of the light to the client (Is it in front of her? To the side of her? Eye level?)
Distance of the light to the client. (Is it inches away or feet from her? This affects the light being a soft light or a hard light.)
Size of the light source (Is it a tiny light source or a large light source? Again, this helps determine if the light is soft or hard.)

There is truly a magic about lighting… I will often explain to a client as we’re doing the shot the ‘why’ behind my setup choices. By explaining the why, I am building trust with my client—the more the client trusts that I know what I’m doing, the faster she relaxes and has fun. And that equates to better photos of the client.

Behind the Scenes: Window light blocked out, with one constant light raised and pointing toward Susan. The lights on the mirror aren’t contributing to much of the light in the scene.

Woman wearing a corset purchased from Underneath It All in Camp Hill PA for a boudoir session with Shannon Hemauer Photography located in Carlisle PA. — Boudoir | Shannon Hemauer Photography

Woman wearing a purple teddy from Underneath it All in Camp Hill, PA, for her boudoir session with Shannon Hemauer Photography near Harrisburg PA. — Boudoir | Shannon Hemauer Photography

Woman wearing a sweater onesie for a boudoir session with Shannon Hemauer Photography near New Cumberland PA. — Boudoir | Shannon Hemauer Photography

Woman pulling up thigh highs while wearing a corset and garter belt from Underneath It All in Camp Hill PA for her boudoir session with Shannon Hemauer Photography near Mechanicsburg PA. — Boudoir | Shannon Hemauer Photography

Woman dancing in an outfit from Underneath It All in Camp Hill, PA for her boudoir session with Shannon Hemauer Photography in Carlisle PA. — Boudoir | Shannon Hemauer Photography

Woman wearing a purple teddy posing on a white rug for a boudoir session with Shannon Hemauer Photography located near York, PA. — Boudoir | Shannon Hemauer Photography

Woman standing in front of a mirror for her boudoir session while wearing an outfit from Underneath It All for a session with Shannon Hemauer Photography near Hershey PA. — Boudoir | Shannon Hemauer Photography

Woman laying a bed for a boudoir session with Shannon Hemauer Photography in Carlisle PA. — Boudoir | Shannon Hemauer Photography

Wanna come experience the magic yourself? Contact me today to discuss who you want to be photographed.

Thank you to Athena Benzel for helping Susan look her best with her hair and makeup, and to Dianna for assisting.

Until next time,

Shannon[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#887350″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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