Gothic and Glowing! ~ Boudoir Photography: Build Your Own Session ~ Vancouver, WA

Before we jump into today’s post, take just a minute to imagine the ultimate themed boudoir session…

To give you some ideas… Think a session with a vintage theme and retro hair, makeup, and styling! Or a session with a masquerade theme that features a mask as an accessory to a sexy satin slip dress!

Now that you have the idea for your themed shoot, think about how much a session like this might cost…

What may surprise you is that you can have a beautiful themed session on a budget… and I promise, it truly is budget friendly!

After creating my recent “Build Your Own” Session special… I realized there was a need for an a la carte boudoir menu for my clients with varying budgets, so I made it happen. (To see these a la carte options for yourself, check out my consultation guide!) This new menu allows you to add extra studio sets and services to your boudoir experience, or you can choose to keep it minimal.

The best part? This menu keeps your session in budget without sacrificing ANY part of your theme or vision… which is exactly what we’ll be highlighting today!

My client originally reached out to me for information about something else, but she ended up booking one of my “Build Your Own” Boudoir Session slots. In her pre-session questionnaire, she mentioned that she loved goth styles that are darker, so I wanted to make sure we could highlight this type of style in her images!

When my client booked her session, I learned that she wanted to add on an extra studio set with hair and makeup services, too. The extra set and HMUA services were still very budget friendly, and I knew they’d help us take her gothic vision to the next level! I immediately started planning which decor could be used to create a themed session based on her personality and style…

On the day of the session, my client had her hair and makeup done by Emily Claire. Emily kept her eye makeup smoky but gave her face a lit-from-within glow… which was perfect for a gothic boudoir session!

The first set she chose was the bedroom set. The satin red sheets were a great choice, and they looked amazing with her reddish hair color! In most of the bedroom shots, you can clearly the see dark floral wallpaper behind the bed, which was a perfect backdrop for the darker aesthetics we were trying to capture. While shooting on the bed, we snapped some shots with her black outfit visible, but we captured some implied nudes, too.

When it was time to move to the living room set, I was so excited to use studio decor to bring the gothic vision to life! I pulled out some candles and glowing orbs, and then I arranged them in front of the living room mirror. I knew that these candles would add drama and flair, and they would create a beautiful contrast with my client’s dark look! She wore a lacy black dress with lingerie underneath, and this outfit was topped off with strappy black heels. Her look was VERY classy, looked incredible on camera with the candles, and went perfectly with the gothic theme!

If you’re interested in a stylized boudoir session, but you’re on a budget… have no worries! You can still have the themed shoot of your dreams, and this session proves it.

If you have any questions or think you’re ready to build your own session, all you have to do is click on the button below!