This type of imagery is generally what most folks will see in their imagination when they think of boudoir photography. Wearing some lingerie, maybe a few articles of clothing that belongs to your significant other and laying down on some random bed to get your pictures taken.
It can be so much more and with Legend is absolutely is. Let me explain. This series with Kiarra is a great reflection of how just a few subtle additions to the images, can turn the basic bedroom boudoir style from portrait to artwork. First let’s talk about my favorite thing: story.
Simply put if we can’t see your face and your eyes, then the story becomes a bit harder to see for the view. That’s totally fine – the shape of your body, the implied gestures of your hands and arms, can start the emotional journey the viewer will go on. However, more and more imagery appears to be moving into the realm of almost yoga-looking-like poses that are interesting to look at, but communicate very little story. Aside from being a full-time photographer, I’m also an educator in our industry. I work with a lot of photographers guiding them through lessons in cameras, lighting, Photoshop, business and more. This enables me to see a lot of current work out there and that trend of shape, without story is becoming a go-to for so many photographers.
So, I started a journey to ask why. Why does the photographer want this type of work to be the brand experience? What are the goals they see in each session, when they photograph their clients like this? Do they feel they’ve explored all they can about story, art, passion, sensuality and the lasting timeless memories of the experience?
The answer I have been generally hearing is, no – no they do not. “But it’s what so and so is doing and I thought I should too!” So, I asked so and so and found the same answers. One answer that did startle me was how many folks told me that they don’t know how to capture the pose of the story, because they are a natural light photographer.
If you’ve been around our industry for a minute, you’ll know that being labeled as a natural light photographer has a lot of feelings behind it. Good or bad, whether I approve or not is irrelevant. Because the general reason why photographers for years have labeled themselves as such, is because of one simple fact: they don’t know how to use a flash. That’s totally okay! There is no judgement at all for an artist simply not knowing how to do something in their field. Where judgement begins to creep in is when they want more to their art, but they don’t want to be vulnerable to go on the journey to learn.
If a pose of a human being doesn’t show their face, but they have some sort of gesture that implies story and the lighting is a dramatic contrast of light and shadow, then the overall art has impact and that’s the inciting incident to give the audience a story.
Does this mean that you can’t do any of these yoga poses? No not at all. Now we can talk about another concept that is a favorite of mine: story. (Yes we just talked about it, let’s talk about it again.)
What are the basics of a story? Like what do they have to have, to be considered a story? Three simple things: a beginning, a middle and an end. Legend draws from my experiences in the theatre as a storyteller. Where does the character come from, before we see them in the first moment of the story? Where do they go or what happens to them once the final image of the scene, ends?
That’s the issue I see with portrait series of natural light, yoga pose, basic boudoir photography – there isn’t a journey, with the hint of where it might go when the final page is turned and this book is closed. Every series, every human being that goes on the journey with Legend will be able to share their beginning, their middle and the end of the journey. Because Legend is all about telling your story and all the emotion we can find with in it.
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