What is the difference between boudoir and glamour photography?

18 Oct What is the difference between boudoir and glamour photography?

A boudoir photo session is not only a great gift idea for your future husband but also for yourself. This is an opportunity to try something new. Discover your body through the lens of a professional photographer and feel ultra-feminine. However, a boudoir session is often compared with a glamor session. What are the differences? 

What is a boudoir photo session?

We can start with the word “boudoir”. Boudoir is defined as a woman’s bedroom or private room – an intimate setting. Boudoir photography is photography that captures a woman in her private zone. Why do we shoot boudoir? Well, boudoir is about capturing a woman with essential makeup in this intimate setting. It’s a look in on a woman’s private quarters. It’s her caught in private moments – perhaps not meant to be seen – creating a sense of allure. Is she smiling, or looking into the camera? Well, perhaps, but mostly she isn’t.

Boudoir photography doesn’t just mean that you are in your underwear. What should you wear for a boudoir photo shoot? The boudoir session aims to capture your beauty in a noble, elegant setting. Boudoir photos are elegant hotel interiors or a specially prepared boudoir-style atelier, lace lingerie, corsets, stockings and high heels. Seductive poses and mysterious looks. All this to arouse admiration in your man, but also to feel free of complexes and derive from this experience as much joy and satisfaction as possible.

What is a glamour photo session?

Art of glamour photography is about making images that more people will see. Usually you are fully clothed,  wardrobe and styling is an important part of the image. You are actively aware that you are being photographed. Legacy portraits are usually more formal – and create a timeless portrait. Your face, which is the focus of the portrait, is kept in soft, even and flattering light.

Differences between glamour and boudoir photo session

Boudoir and glamour photography have become somewhat synonymous, but they are not. Why should you do a glamour photo shoot? Glamour photography is indeed about you and not the lingerie you are wearing, but the best way of describing a person in a glamour shoot is “a model“. So, if you consider yourself a model, then glamour could easily be for you. Boudoir session is for every woman. The reason is simple, it is not just a photo shoot. Boudoir is about you as a woman, how beautiful you are and how the photographs are about the most confident you. What else separates these two photo sessions?

Inner beauty vs. outer beauty

One of the biggest differences between these two types of photography is that with glamour sessions the emphasis is on a woman’s inherent beauty both inside and out. With Boudoir, the emphasis is more on a woman’s sexualized physical beauty. 

Face vs. whole body

Another difference is that the focus is on the woman’s face, as in portraiture, with her hair and makeup and wardrobe supporting that focus. The posing is casual and relaxed either standing, sitting, or reclined. With Boudoir, the emphasis is on the woman’s body, featuring parts of her body, and her face. It’s her whole being and parts of her that are expressing her sexuality. The posing is more on a sliding scale that can range from innocent to highly sexually suggestive. 

Clothes vs. without clothes

In glamour session the woman is always fully clothed and the emphasis is on beauty not sex. In boudoir photography the women are typically photographed in lingerie or other types of intimate apparel, implied nudity, or partial nudity — but not in a vulgar or exhibitionist fashion because that’s more of an erotic type shoot. 

Sexual vs. Non-Sexual

In glamour there is no overt sexuality or sexual intent of the images. Any sexual vibe that comes from these shots is just a result of being human and being a woman. We are sexual beings after all so there’s always going to be that element about us, but it’s under the surface with glamour, and not emphasized. Of course, as you may have guessed – in the boudoir session the model itself and her poses are very sensual.

Bedroom vs. Studio / Outdoor

With Boudoir there’s usually a bedroom/ hotel setting involved at some point, but also shots throughout the house are a good idea like a hallway, window sill, or kitchen. Glamour session is primarily shot in a studio or outdoor against a wall or stylish backdrop.

The line separating boudoir and glamour is a fine one, but mainly, glamour aims to highlight an attractive model and make her more attractive to all, but boudoir aims to highlight the sexuality of a model, and show a side that most will never get to see.  So what do you think? Will you choose a boudoir or glamour photo session? Write to me here and let’s talk about it.