A good friend of ours recently did a boudoir photo session with us (sample photo attached) and we had the pleasure of unveiling the photos and DVD slideshow of the shoot to her and her husband together. These moments when we get a “fly on the wall” view of clients’ initial reactions to their photographs are some of my favorite moments in photography. Few things make me feel better than hearing a client say, “wow.”
Of course, those “wows” don’t usually happen just because somebody clicks a shutter. They are the result of the vision, talent, technical skill and personality brought to bear on a project. “Wows” take some effort, and as fun as photo shoots can be, the vision can sometimes get a bit obscured for the client when Jill and I are giving directions like, “look toward the left, no, my left your right; chin up, eyes open; good, now just a slight smile; lower your right hand a bit; good..good…don’t move...”
That, of course, is what photographers do. We look through a lens to make sure that the camera is truly seeing the subject. Good photographers eliminate distractions like a rumpled hemline or an awkwardly placed hand, and create artistic interest with things like light and shadow and depth of field. Great photographers go farther to capture even more than the camera itself “sees” – things like lightness of spirit and depth of character, or to make a provocative statement or ask a thorny question. That’s why it might not always be best to smooth a hemline or flatten a hand to the side of the thigh.
And with a photographer working to make those kinds of decisions, if we’re not careful a photo shoot can become more technical than artistic. More labor than love. If that happens, the opportunity for great photographs, and probably for “wows,” has passed.
Fortunately, our friend’s boudoir session was, well, “wow.” It was free, edgy, trusting and one hell of a lot of fun. The vision for her photos winked at us through every hour of the shoot and the result was a stunning collection of photos and a truly memorable DVD slideshow set to music of the 1940’s. Jill and I are thrilled that our friend said “wow” over and over as she viewed the pics and show.
Her husband said “wow” a lot, too, and that is what really interested me.
Boudoir sessions can be quite intimate if that is the direction the client wants to travel. Our friend came to the shoot with a no-holds-barred approach and her photographs leave no doubt that she had thoroughly revealed herself to the camera. It would be easy to understand a husband or any significant other feeling uncomfortable with that.
But our friend’s husband said “wow.” And he followed it up by pointing out to his wife how the photographs had captured the very things he had always loved about her, from the soft curve of her face to the high arc of her self-confidence. The photos, he said, were respectful, tasteful, artistic and, above all, true.
I was beside myself. Jill, our friend and I had created something special. We had preserved a glimpse of things appropriately kept private, but sometimes kept unnecessarily in the dark. A little light (and photography is all about light) can reveal the real and important parts of us that life sometimes pushes into the shadows.
A little light. To Jill and me it’s a rather sacred thing. And our friend and her husband trusted us to shine it.
Wow.
Mike
