Boudoir poses to try at home & how to do your own boudoir session!
Having a boudoir session is SUCH an incredible experience. Not only does it push you out of your comfort zone, but it also brings out your absolute best, and honestly just allows you to see yourself in a new way that you may not have ever seen before. It really encourages you to respect and admire the body you have- because, after all, it’s the only one you have, and if you aren’t nurturing it yourself, you’re never going to truly feel comfortable within it.
More often than not, women come to me for a boudoir session because they’d like to gift the images to their partner. Which is just a fantastic idea, because there really is just something about seeing your partner feeling insanely confident, and photographed professionally. Especially when you get to see it on paper! Digital is great, don’t get me wrong, but we’re feelers. We like to see things right in front of us, and be able to fold over the pages ourselves, rather than just scroll across on a phone.
That being said, I know that with the cost of living crisis right now in the UK, and probably the state of the economy everywhere else as well, these gifts sometimes don’t fit in the budget- especially when you’re planning a wedding as well, if that’s the case! So, I thought i’d put together a little Do-it-yourself boudoir session guide for you to try out at home! And, i’ll even include a whole bunch of my favourite poses that I get every client to do.
Firstly, let’s talk about what you’re going to need to make this happen. The essentials.
If you have a camera, fabulous- use it!! However, this can 100% be done on a phone.
A tripod is ideal, but you can definitely just use something in the house to prop your phone or camera up against. It doesn’t need to look pretty, as long as it’s stable enough to hold the phone still.
A clean space. You may think that you have a boring looking house, but honestly, sometimes a plain space is better than a boujiee one. Plus, it’ll make you pop more. You can use any space; the kitchen, the bedroom, bathroom, or hallway. But you’re going to need something to sit on, something to lay on, and something to lean against. Whether these are the floor, a chair, or whatever- it’ll work!
Another thing to note: Whilst these poses aren’t the most intense to do, please take caution when getting into them. Stretch and hydrate before you attempt any of them, and do not stay in each pose for more than a minute or two. If you think something may be too difficult or painful for you, please do not attempt them. You are more than welcome to give me an email or DM with any questions x
Pose One
Difficulty? This pose is so freaking easy, even your dog could do it (well, maybe not). And the best thing about this post is that you can do it anywhere, with so much variation.
How to get into the pose? Simply sit onto your knees, either in front of something (like the couch, as pictured) or on top of a couch or bed for a softer surface. You want to really sit on your heels, and keep your toes as unclenched as possible. Pushing your butt out a little, keeping a nice arch in your back. Your face is going to be slightly tucked away, chin almost to your shoulder- but you can definitely change this however you like.
What about my hands? Hands and feet are always the tricky part, trust me. You’ve constantly got to think about what to be doing with them. For your hands in this pose though, you can either copy Katielou in the picture here, or you can stretch up over your head, or even throw your hands in your hair and have a little play with it.
Where should I angle the phone/camera? The beauty of this pose is that you can take the picture from whatever angle you want. If you want less of your stomach in, and you only want your back/bum, just take it from where I have here. You can position it slightly above so that it’s looking down on you, or you can have it directly on the floor behind your bum to get a real nice butt shot.
Variations? You can do this pose in every location you have available. Do it on the floor, do it on a bed, do it facing the camera, or facing away from the camera. Experiment with angles, like above and below, and learn what angle is best for your body!
Pose Two
Difficulty? This is another incredible simple pose, that you probably do every single day… sit down.
How to get into the pose? All you’re going to do is find either a bed headboard, or couch to lean against, and try to keep your legs elevated as well. The trick with your knees is to always have one slightly higher than the other, just to keep a bit of shape. If you’re a bit tummy-conscious then stretching your body out, and leaning your head all the way back to look at the ceiling would work best.
What about my hands? The important thing with this pose is to not just let your arms hang loose. You want them to be intentionally placed. Touching a thigh is great, but so is a little grab of a boob or pull down of a bra strap. Try not to let both of your hands do the same thing though. If one hand is in your hair, bring the other down to your thigh.
Where should I angle the phone/camera? To the side and looking down is always a good one for this pose, and honestly, you can’t experiement too much in my opinion just because the angle can sometimes look a little off or weird. Try getting further away, and closer, for some variation though.
Pose Three
Difficulty? This pose is actually a little more difficult than it seems. From first glance, it appears that you’ll just be laying down, with your knees bent. However, there is a bit more to it than that. You are really going to try to keep an arch in your back- so much so that the mid section of your back does not touch the surface you’re laying on. You’re also going to be pointing your toes and keeping that one knee higher than the other (Like I mentioned before). It’s a whole lot to think about, and just wait until I start talking about where your hands can go!
How to get into the pose? So, you want to start by simply laying down. Bend your legs up and keep your knees together at first, and then really push your bum down towards your feet so that you can start to arch your back. Once you’ve got that nice arch, you’re going to keep it, and carefully push onto your toes with the foot closest to the camera. Try to make sure that your hair is slightly in frame, you don’t want it to all be trapped behind you, you want it to be a perfect-mess to the side of your face.
What about my hands? Like in the picture here, it’s really quite effective to have a bit of shape with your arms. One nice and pointed, up into your hair, and the other hand just around your chest. If you want your boobs to be more in the image, then bring your hand down to your hip, or grab your underwear a little.
Where should I angle the phone/camera? It really depends on what your house looks like here, but try to get at least something else in the frame as well. If you take the photo and it’s just you on the sofa, that’s okay, but it may look a little nicer with some nice plants or decorations to the sides. Definitely experiment with going from left to right though. It just may be a little bit of a task getting in and out of position a few times for this one!
Pose Four
Difficulty? This pose really isn’t too difficult to get into, however, depending on the size of the chair you use, it can become a little achy on the thighs, so definitely stretch beforehand, and don’t stay in the position for too long.
How to get into the pose? For this pose, you’re going to be straddling a chair. So, make sure your chair is positioned how you’d like it in the frame of your camera/phone, and then you can sit on the chair facing the wrong way. Try not to sit onto your bum as such, you’re going to be pushing your bum out, so that you’re almost sitting on your *delicate area* instead. You’re also going to be on your tippy toes, whether your feet are in frame or not- it just helps shape you that little bit more.
What about my hands? Your hands/arms are likely going to be needed on the top of the chair for balance here. So, instead of just gripping the back of the chair with your hands, you’re going to have your hands hanging over the chair, and you’re going to use your forearms to hold you instead. Try to keep your fingers straightened, and nice and tight- instead of being all clenchy.
Where should I angle the phone/camera? A nice angle is to the side like this, whether you’re looking at the camera, or away from it to the other side, it looks really effective. However, you can also pop the phone behind the chair, or in front of it. If you place the camera behind yourself, move your head so that you’re looking up at the ceiling instead, as this will help stretch your back, and create a nice arch.
What should I do next?
If you didn't manage to get into these poses, definitely don’t be too hard on yourself- or stress yourself out too much. Maybe you just need something more visual- which is exactly why i’m going to be creating a TikTok series! I’m going to be starting a TikTok series, showing you on video how I pose my clients, and how to get into poses. This will cover some of the poses that you’ve seen in this blog, as well as some new ones!
If you did get on pretty well with these, still head over to the TikTok, as maybe you can try some of the new ones! As well as trying some new poses, you may be thinking ‘What do I do with the photos now?’. If you’re happy with the quality and the way they look, that’s absolutely perfect, but if not, maybe you’d like to give them a professional finish. And this is where my new ‘Honey buns’ presets come in! Whether you’re a photographer or not, these presets are so easy to use, and you can literally do It from your phone!