Wouldn’t you love to laugh and snack all day with your partner?

Waffles seriously brought this session together, could you ask for a better ice breaker than laughing in the kitchen over a shared love for food?

This moment arose because I forgot to eat breakfast, and asked if they’d mind if I popped in a couple waffles to snack on before we got into it. Sydney suggested they join in the snacking, and so be it. Accidents create the absolute best moments, when I’m working with humans who are willing to be patient, have fun, and create something extraordinary, I love that I can just let it happen. What better moment to capture than fun and emotion between people?

Goofing off over snacks helped drop everyone’s nerves, and slowly laughs gave way to more comfortable moments where my more specific direction began.

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Moving the session from cute to intimate

From the bright kitchen window we moved to the living room area and got a little cozier. Prompts and jokes go a long way to getting natural moments in a staged setting, I must say after shooting so many weddings catching those perfect laughing shots and the moment faces relax has become second nature to me. I’ve always had a good eye and the exact moment I need to catch always seems clear. I believe this is just a by product of always shooting on film. With the mindset that every frame will be art and I only get one shot of the perfect moment, my timing and sense has been perfected over the years.

Although I try to keep it even, the focus is usually more on the lady in a male/female couples session. To keep things fair I always try to get a few shots the men will love that show off their favorite features. No surprise what I focused on here, I mean, have you seen his abs? Are they real?

That casual natural glow

And then an outfit change and switching things up again. A full shoot means you’ll be hanging out with me for nearly 2 hours and changing outfits multiple times. I really like catching it all and presenting my clients with as much variety as possible. Here we went back to soft moments in a beautiful patch of sunlight. This is why I push morning sessions folks. THIS IS WHY. That natural glow is just stunning and I will always love working with the light as it is presented.

Neon Lighting for extra funky boudoir shots

Wouldn’t be a session at Kristin’s without a Neon Set. Syd said her favorite color was blue, so that was the mood we set. Before they touched the bed we talked (again) about boundaries. I was a little nervous about them entering the bed together because (SURPRISE) they had only met an hour and a half before. Yep, these two were strangers. This was what photographer’s around the internet are calling a strangers sessions. I essentially played match maker choosing people for the shoot that I hoped would get along and be comfortable together.

These sorts of sessions are known to be a great way to challenge yourself, get creative, and practice direction. February was a slower month, and I wanted to test myself and see if I could create chemistry in my images between people who’d never met. Sydney has modelled boudoir before but this was new for Rami, he’s a fitness coach/videographer.

Well, since this was new and being the super sensitive human that I am I was more concerned with mothering and ensuring hands were in places everyone was comfortable with before giving more direction and getting my shot. It was a lot of fun but also a lot more stressful than with one of my regular couples who’s been together for years and used to cozying up together so I do pat myself on the back here…

I wanted a couple shots with different color lighting and then we stopped there before things got too heavy.

All in all, I’m very pleased with how I pushed myself and created really cool new content. Most of my clients choose to keep their galleries private so this was also a nice opportunity to show off my work and the space I’ve been working so hard to create.
Come check out Ottawa’s Vintage Boudoir Studio for yourself; let’s make art together.

Follow along on my Boudoir Instagram or send me a message if you’re looking o book a session of your own :)

Humans in frame:
Rami Harven Gallago
Sydney Ensing

Makeup by Krista Price