How to Pick a Fantasy Boudoir Session Theme
Fantasy boudoir is the term we use to describe boudoir photo sessions that incorporate custom set design, body painting, special FX makeup, body taping, pressed flowers and more to bring a special vision to life.
From ethereal all the way to gore — the options with fantasy boudoir are endless. Especially when you have an amazing local hair and makeup team like ours.
Whether you have too many ideas to choose from or just want to have a unique experience but are not sure where to start, this blog will answer all your questions and guide you toward your dream fantasy boudoir experience!
I will highlight examples of past sessions along with tips on building your own theme so you can visualize and create your special fantasy boudoir session.
If you’re still not sure what fantasy boudoir session theme is for you, take the quiz at the end of this blog to help narrow in.
Let’s get started!
Tip 1: Pick the Fantasy Makeup That Speaks To You
With so many fantasy boudoir makeup options to choose from, it can help to start by figuring out which makeup ideas you like. Plenty of themes can be built from a single detail.
Our most popular booking option is body paint! Body paint can include everything from small details like this couple’s arm paint…
To gorgeous landscapes like this back art
All the way to full body paint!
Our most unique option is body taping. Our makeup artist cuts the tape into various-sized pieces to incorporate it uniquely.
You can get a magical iridescent look…
Or something dark and sexy
You can even mix bodypaint with body tape!
Or, try something textured and fun like pressed flowers or gems!
Maybe you want colourful pressed flowers
Or something earthy and moss-covered.
I personally love pressed gems for hair and skin!
You can always do a mix and match of the different elements I just described. However, knowing which ones interest you the most can be an important first step to picking the theme that suits you best.
And if you aren’t sure which details you want, you can start with a few descriptive words…
Which brings us to our next tip.
Tip 2: Share Descriptive Words That Convey Your Vibe
Many of my favourite sessions started with a few short words that we later built the theme from. When we first started offering fantasy boudoir photoshoots, we had a client request “floral vogue.” We love how open-ended it was and we were able to be so creative. We decided on pressed flowers for the floral aspect and I chose a simple white set to focus on a high-fashion vibe for the vogue side.
This next session was built from the word “Butterfly” as our starting point. The client’s favourite colours were peachy orange and teal, so we made two looks with butterflies in each colour. The peachy set was bright and the teal set was dark giving our butterfly queen lots of options when picking her final images.
And for those gore lovers…
TW: The next picture contains gore elements so keep scrolling if this is not your vibe.
“Dark Queen/Succubus” led us to this amazing gore look where our makeup artist created a fake prosthetic heart for our client to safely bite into and edible blood to take it to the next level.
Tip 3: Base Your Theme Around a Location
Sometimes you might be set on the scenery rather than the actual art. Our model here wanted to be a moon goddess but they were more descriptive in the surroundings being “like a bedroom in nature” and the rest of the design was built around the set.
Maybe you really want to focus on a specific season or atmosphere. Even that is enough direction for our team to start building ideas for you to choose from!
Tip 4: Choose a Special Wardrobe or Props
Do you have any special outfits or props that you would love to use but have never had the opportunity? This can be a great way to showcase special pieces of your own wardrobe that can easily be mixed with pieces from my client closet.
This session incorporates horns and a lace bra that our lovely model had never had the chance to wear before. We built the theme around these pieces, which turned into such a magnificent final product.
Tip 5: Choose Specific Lighting or Atmosphere
Are you ethereal or do you give off dark vibes? Sometimes starting with the essence in your soul can be a fun way to decide on a theme.
This gorgeous model below wanted to be an ethereal sun goddess with warm and light energy as it matched the brand of her business and her divine soul.
We added to this theme with crystals sculpted by our makeup artist and sacred geometry within the body paint to truly bring this theme to life.
Maybe you feel like you could go in many creative directions with the energy that you carry in your soul. That’s why some of our clients come back more than once to bring to life different visions that showcase all the elements that make them the unique person that they are!
Like this lovely lady…
Tip 5: When in Doubt - Create a Mood Board!
Pinterest is a great resource for sharing your ideas with me and my team! It’s okay if you have a lot of ideas - you are a dynamic person so it’s perfectly natural to have several fantasies you want to bring to life!
Sometimes after bouncing ideas off our team and showing us some of the themes that interest you, we may have input to help you pick a theme such as something unique that nobody has done before.
Sometimes we have props that have been patiently waiting for you to come along and give them a purpose! (I have steampunk fairy wings that have yet to be used but I know one day someone will come along that they are meant to be paired with).
Searching For an Edmonton Fantasy Boudoir Photographer? Take Our Quiz
Still not sure which fantasy boudoir theme is right for you? Start by taking our theme picker quiz!
Take Quiz Here
Maybe you will fall in love with an idea you never considered. Or, maybe there will be a theme you wish you got by the end of the quiz. There are so many ways to bring your creative ideas to life.
I hope you find these tips helpful! Ready to book your fantasy session or bounce ideas off of me? Contact me here today.
