The Art of Boudoir Photography: How to Create Stunning Photographs of Women Paperback – December 16, 2012

Of the photography books I am going through, Christa Meola's "The art of boudoir photography" is one of the standouts.The author covers most aspects of the business of boudoir (and only boudoir) photography. If some suggestions or practices are universally applicable (professionalism, lighting), most of the book is very specific to this niche of hers.She starts by discussing the specificities of working with women, which she appropriately classifies in professional models, girls next door and the in-between category of muses (i.e. women who know how to move gracefully without necessarily being used to the camera) and point out how this niche is better manned by women photographers - unfortunately true.Follow three chapters about the mood: movement and poses to coach the model into, as well as storytelling in a single frame.After a few quick pages over equipment (without surprise), she wraps up the shoot proper with one chapter listing a few lighting recipes and one about the way to coach the shoot ("yes, that's good... gorgeous, raise the hand a little, good..." you get the drift).Then comes a chapter about post production (very basics of Lightroom and Photoshop), and Christa Meola closes the book with the description of a complete session from start to finish.I enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover. The tips are useful; the shots are technically very good, very tastefull; the poses Christa describes are obviously great and they are well described in a way that makes them useful.All in all a great set of poses, lighting tips etc. if.If you hire a professional make-up artist for the day,If you have a helping hand on the shoot,If your models are on the average naturally gorgeous,If you have access to beautiful Manhattan flats or Firenze gardens.Christa Meola's book features few pictures of quite curvy young ladies whose inner beauty is indeed revealed by Christa's lenses (see the back cover). However this is more the exception than the rule. Not to detract from the obvious mastery displayed by the author; however taking great pictures is easier when you have professional make-up, styling, hair-dressing, and frequently models.If you want more practical tips on how to flatter the less oh-so-obviously beautiful from the start, I would advise you have a look at Tammy Warnock's " Boudoir Photography ". As much Christa Meola's could nearly be a coffee table book (not if you have kids around - nudity abounds), as much Tammy Warnock focusses on how to suggest while hiding, how to adjust the clothes and pose the hands to hide trouble spots etc. with a very practical collection of suggestions.Finally, one small gripe: the one aspect of the boudoir photography business that is not explicitly dissected in its own chapter is marketing - however the astute reader would have noticed the obvious examples peppered throughout the book: every ten pages there is a mention of the author's website, her (expensive) online workshop or her blog. Marketing: not much theory, too much practice.All in all a complete book that pretty much covers the subject and features beautiful, tasteful photographs. Well worth the price, especially if you get requests for boudoir sessions.

I decided to check out this book since this is an area of photography that I would like to eventually go into. I have a shoot coming up soon that I still felt would benefit from this book.First, this book is not a guide on the running of such a business or any of the legal stuff.The book starts off by explaining how to build a relationship with your client. It teaches some essential skills to communicate with your client and has some great (very important) pointers for male photographers in building a relaxing environment for the client.As basic and common sense as some of it is, most of us photographers forget these tips and this book is designed to start you off on the right foot with the client.The book has great tips on how to make the client relaxed and what to do to shake off the nervousness.The next sections cover poses and how to create positive points of interest and how to hide areas of concern on the body. The tips here are very useful and are worth writing down.The following sections cover lighting and equipment. The focus of the book is not equipment but rather connecting with your client. Without a connection you have nothing.I think it is important to already have a good understanding of lighting and equipment before reading this book. It is really not a technical guide on the toys but rather a guide to what is important.I would highly recommend this book even to a portrait photographer because the people skills it teaches are essential.One thing that I did make note of is that most of the females in the sample photos, are of a smaller size.Yes a few shots are of some females of a bigger size but the majority of the book is medium to skinny women. The books does give pointers to help shoot heavier females but don't expect any lightbulb or magic moments of clarity to solve these types of issues. You will still struggle in some situations depending on the subjects stature.The book also covers a shoot from start to finish and has a small section on editing and retouching.This book is a great investment and the information is vital to anyone that wants to explore this area of photography.Buy the book and you will not be sorry.

I nervously have been awaiting the arrival of this book, terrified that it would be a load of fluff stretched out over 200 pages, and that all the positive reviews might just have been friends of the author. I am grateful to say that my fears were put to rest once I received and read this book. This book is not at all vague, it is actually a very detailed guide for the boudoir photographer.The person starting out in boudoir photography DEFINITELY needs this book, however I think it is also a good buy for the more experienced photographer like myself, as you will pick up tips and tricks to improve your photography and how to bring out the best in your clients. Christa has really shared so much information, some of which has taken me the last few years of making heaps of mistakes at shoots to work out. How amazing it would have been to have had this information earlier and cut that learning curve down!As I do specialise in this style of photography I am always wanting to find books that can help me become a better photographer and there are slim pickings on Amazon for good boudoir/glamour books which is what makes this book such a good buy. However as mentioned in a previous review there is no marketing/business information in here. It didn't bother me, as it is quite a thick book and I felt like for $25 I definitely got my money's worth, but for those who are interested in the business side of things be aware that it isn't covered in this book.Overall I'm pleased with my purchase and would definitely recommend this book.

Have read through briefly, this book has been on my wish list for a while, so decided to purchase with my xmas amazon gift vouchers. great case studies, do's and don'ts, fantastic images and poses, definitely a worthwhile purchase for anyone wanting to learn and understand more about this different type of portraiture photography genre.

it provide some good advises but mostly talking about the author's professional view. it's not a bad book but i expected more deep info for the price i paid

I agree with most of what the reviewers say but there are one or two issues that I would have like to have seen addressed. Firstly some of the models are professionals and even the "non models" are all slim and attractive. I would have liked to have seen more "ordinary" figures and how she dealt with them as not everyone we photograph is size 10.That said the advice was great and the information was very concise. Overall a very good buy if you want to progress with Boudoir photography.

Very practical book..........full of great tips and ideas...........read it before my first solo studio shoot and am glad I did.........the practical advice is best..........for example never using the words "let's start" rather let's try some lighting and/or composition shots .......thus easing both you and the model into the shoot.......the five root poses and variations of same mean that you have lots of material to work with and no "what shall I do next" moments.........thoroughly recommended

A decent practical guide on shooting different subjects. But the author repeatedly compared models and "real women." This implying models are somehow lesser. Intentionality not it's how it reads. Which I found unpleasant.