An INFINI Boudoir Session Survival Guide for prospective clients, from a recent client "Tracy":

I recently had a boudoir photography session with Dario and I thought maybe I could help others by writing my thoughts down while they’re still fresh in my mind. I know I was incredibly nervous and had no idea what to expect. Maybe I can help others with that.

In the first place, if you’ve just booked yourself a session? You’ve just done yourself one of the biggest favors you’ll ever do. It will make you look at yourself in a whole new way. Just wait … you’ll see.

The first obstacle I came across was … what do I bring to wear?!? I’m not a girly‐girl and I hate shopping so I don’t have a lot of clothes. I have some decent work clothes but my after‐work attire is usually a man’s big shirt and a pair of sweat pants. As long as my underwear doesn’t have holes in it, I’m a happy camper and bedtime means throwing on an old football jersey. Not very photogenic. And let’s face it … these sessions are too expensive to consider buying new clothes too.

So I went digging. My significant other did a double‐take once upon seeing a photo of a woman wearing a suit jacket and nothing else. I’m sure you know what kind of look does it for your guy too. So that was a given. Then, because I usually hang around in a man’s shirt, I found one that was kind of filmy and brought that. A couple pairs of pretty underwear and a couple decent plunging bras and that was all I really needed. I felt bad that I didn’t have some sort of exotic lingerie but after seeing my pictures? I’m glad for what I was wearing … it was truly representative of me … not someone else. So that’s my first rule … be true to yourself and who you really are and what you really feel comfortable in. Depending upon how you wear it, just about anything can be sexy for pictures, I think.

The next hurdle was hair and make‐up. I’m not very good at those things either so I put myself in Kathy’s very capable hands. It seemed like it took forever. How could it possibly take that long to put a few swipes of make‐up on? The only directive I gave her was that I didn’t want to look highly made up … just be the best possible me that I could. But when she finally got done and I looked in the mirror? I was shocked … and scared! I thought for sure that someone was going to think I was channeling Tammy Faye Baker. But they kept assuring me that it would look perfectly natural in the pictures. Despite their reassurances, I was fully prepared to be disappointed when I saw my proofs. But no! It was perfect!

Maybe it did look like me on one of my better days and not my every day look … but there was no doubt that it was me … and not a Mary Kay fanatic. So rule #2 … trust Kathy.

Then we get to the posing. Much harder than it looks. Dario puts a lot of thought, effort, time and energy into getting it just right. He even invented a new phrase while I was there … “If it hurts, it works.” Some of those poses were downright uncomfortable and I thought they’d look it when the pictures were done. He kept telling me that it would end up looking natural and he was right … again.

But after viewing my pictures … I did learn something. The pictures I like the best are the ones that have me posed in a manner very similar to the way I’d ordinarily sit to watch TV or hold a conversation. So I kind of wish I’d gone more in that direction. For instance, I do office work. Maybe I could have brought my glasses into the picture or something, gone for the sexy secretary look. There was a bathtub there and I should have inquired about using it. I’m known for spending hours lounging in the bathtub. Here’s my suggestion in a nutshell … just as Kathy made me up to look natural and I wore clothes that were representative of my normal attire … perhaps you should try to have your poses build upon your real life situations.

One last thing. My very favorite picture has turned out to be one that was completely un‐posed. I was laughing at something (you’ll do a lot of that during your session!) and had my hand up by my mouth.

It’s a look you’d see me in 100 times a day … only I was looking better than ever, wearing my clothes in a sexy manner and otherwise posed to my best advantage. Just as I started out wanting … it is the best of my real self. I felt very awkward trying to move at all while he was posing and setting up the shots, so determined to be cooperative and get them just right but now I think that I should have relaxed a bit more.

To recap:

1. Wear what you’re comfortable in but make it sexy.

2. Trust Kathy. She’s a real artist with a make‐up brush.

3. Trust Dario. He sees things in his mind in ways you could never imagine.

4. Be yourself.

5. Last … relax and enjoy!

INFINI Boudoir
800-941-6640