Ellie Vayo's Guide to Boudoir Photography

6.91 MB·English

by  Ellie Vayo

Ellie Vayo’s Guide to
B P
OUDOIR HOTOGRAPHY
Amherst Media
®
PUBLISHEROFPHOTOGRAPHYBOOKS
Copyright©2009byEllieVayo.
Allphotographsbytheauthorunlessotherwisenoted.
Allrightsreserved.
Publishedby:
AmherstMedia®
P.O.Box586
Buffalo,N.Y.14226
Fax:[phone]
www.AmherstMedia.com
Publisher:CraigAlesse
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AssistantEditor:BarbaraA.Lynch-Johnt
EditorialAssistant:JohnS.Loder
ISBN-13: 978-1-58428-253-2
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2008942237
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Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,stored,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,
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NoticeofDisclaimer:Theinformationcontainedinthisbookisbasedontheauthor’sexperienceandopinions.
Theauthorandpublisherwillnotbeheldliablefortheuseormisuseoftheinformationinthisbook.
Contents
AbouttheAuthor .......................6 5. Posing Women of All Ages ............63
PosingtheThin,Small-FramedWoman .....65
1. Getting Started......................7 PosingtheFull-FiguredWoman ...........66
FindingClients .........................7 TheLingerieSession ....................67
PrintAds,MediaAds,andWebSites ........9 TheSeminudeSession ..................68
TheSlideShowConsultation .............14
ProductsOffered ......................15 6. Backdrops and Props ................72
BookingaPrepaidSession ...............23
PresellingfromaPriceList ...............24
PricingàlaCarteversusPackages ..........24
2. Preparing for the Session .............26
StudioSession ........................30
Music ...............................34
OnLocationatHerHome ...............34
TheE-TouchMakeupLine ...............36
3. The Psychology of the Woman ........39
TheStudioAtmosphere .................40
TheRelaxedSession ....................42
Wedding/BridalBoudoirSessions .........43
PregnancyBoudoirSessions ..............44
4. Equipment and Lighting .............48
CameraandLenses .....................48
LightingEquipment ....................49
GeneralEquipment ....................51
StudioLightingStyles ...................51
OldHollywoodLighting ................51
IndoorLighting .......................54
AmbientWindowLighting ...............55
OutdoorLighting ......................56
OutdoorSets .........................58
BringingtheOutdoorsInside .............60
EmployeeStatus .....................90
Full-TimeRegularEmployee ..........90
PartTimeRegularEmployee .........91
TemporaryEmployee/Intern .........91
TerminationofEmployment ............91
Resignation .......................91
ReasonsforTermination .............91
SchedulingandPay ...................91
Schedule .........................91
TimeSheets ......................92
LunchPeriods .....................92
AttendenceandTardiness ............92
ReportingAbsences ................92
UnavoidableLateness ...............92
Payday ..........................92
7. After the Session ...................75 PayrollDeductions .................93
HerPersonalSlideShowPresentation .......76 Overtime ........................93
MakingaTop-DollarSale ................76 BadWeatherClosing ................93
EmployeeBenefits ...................93
8. Postproduction .....................81 Hospitalization ....................93
RetouchingonaYoungerWoman..........81
RetouchingandLightFace-Liftson
theMatureWoman ...................82
TactfulEnhancementsandReductions ......82
AdvancesinTechnology .................83
Software .............................84
Labs,Printers,andScanners ..............85
9. Employees .........................86
EmployeeHandbook ...................88
AbouttheCompany ..................88
OurStudios ......................88
OurPhilosophy ....................88
OurMissionStatement ..............89
EmployeeInformation ................89
EqualOpportunityStatement .........89
EmployeeRecords .................89
ProbationaryPeriodsfor
NewEmployees ..................89
Evaluations .......................90
Raises ...........................90
Promotions .......................90
4 ELLIEVAYO’SGUIDETOBOUDOIRPHOTOGRAPHY
DressCode .......................97
Communication .....................98
BulletinBoard .....................98
Grievances .......................98
MakingSuggestions ................98
UsingCompanyEquipment ..........98
AcknowledgmentForm ...............99
10. Special Events ....................100
TheCelebrationoftheWomanCampaign ..100
11. Case Studies .....................110
12. Conclusion ......................117
BereavementPay ...................93
HolidayPay ......................93
VacationPay ......................94
LeaveofAbsence ..................94
ProfessionalDevelopment ............94
EmployeeDiscounts ................95
CompanyPartiesandEvents ..........95
CompanyRegulations.................95
CodeofConduct ..................95
Confidentiality ....................96
PersonalCallsandMail ..............96
EmployeeParking ..................96
SafetyRegulations ..................96
Moonlighting .....................97
StudioImage .......................97
RepresentingtheCompany ...........97
Housekeeping .....................97
AppendixA:SamplePressRelease ........119 AppendixE:On-LocationChecklist .......122
AppendixB:Follow-UpPressRelease ......120 AppendixF:VendorsandSuppliers ........123
AppendixC:On-HoldScriptfor
GlamourEvent .....................120 Index ..............................124
AppendixD:LettertoModels ...........121
About the Author
studio utilizes state-of-the-art digital Outstanding photography and ag-
technology and offers a wide variety gressive marketing have helped Ellie
of eclectic, traditional, and artistic VayoPhotographybecomealeaderin
backgrounds.Bothstudiosfeatureex- the fine portrait industry. The studio
pansive, park-like outdoor photogra- continues to grow and become more
phy areas. Ellie also maintains a successful by maintaining the same
satellite office Miami, FL, which spe- objectivesithadwhenitfirstopened:
cializesinon-locationphotography.
Ellie and her staff have won nu- •Dothebestjobpossible.
merousawardsforbothphotography •Givethebestqualitypossible.
andmarketingfromsuchprestigious •Givethebestcustomerservicein
organizationsasProfessionalPhotog- thearea.
raphers of America (PPA) and Senior •Giveasmuchbacktothe
Photographers International (SPI). In communityaspossible.
PhotobyCindyWiseman.
the past several years, Ellie has lec-
Ellie Vayo Photography, Inc. was turedthroughoutthecountryatmany Ellie holds a Master of Photography
foundedoverthirtyyearsagoinMen- majorstateconventionsandseminars and Craftsman degree, is PPA certi-
tor,OH.Sincethen,thecompanyhas aspartoftheFujiTalentTeam.Sheis fied,andholdsanOhioCPPdesigna-
growntobeoneofthelargest,most also an accomplished author whose tion. She has won numerous photo-
successful portrait studios in the articles on senior portraiture have graphic print exhibit awards, includ-
country. Ellie currently operates two beenfeaturedinseveralprofessional ing the J. Anthony Bull Award for the
full-service studios, and she employs photographers’ magazines including most outstanding portrait in Ohio.
elevenemployees.Herstudiosemploy Rangefinder, Studio Photography & Five of her images have been Loan
graphicartists,andtherearealsofour Design, Lens, and Professional Pho- Collection prints and have beenpub-
full-time photographers and licensed tographer. She is also the author of lished in PPA’s prestigious Loan Col-
makeupartistsonstaff. The Art and Business of High School lectionbook.
Ellie’sspaciousstudiosarelocated SeniorPortraitPhotography,available
in Mentor, OH, and Solon, OH. Each fromAmherstMedia.
6 ELLIEVAYO’SGUIDETOBOUDOIRPHOTOGRAPHY
CHAPTERONE
Getting Started
Photographyhasalwaysbeenmypassion.Boudoirphotographyisoneas-
pectoftheartthathasignitedallofmysensesandcontinuestokeepthis
businessexciting.
I have found over the years that women of all ages, shapes, and sizes
wanttolookandfeelbeautiful.Manythingsgointocreatingthemaster-
piece of the woman. The Hollywood actresses and models of today look
muchdifferentintherealworld.Makeupartists,clothingdesigners,digi-
talartists,andothershelpcreatethestunningfinishedproductweseeon
Women of all ages, shapes,
screen or in print. A woman who agrees to have a boudoir photography
and sizes want to look sessionisyourclay.Youarethesculptorwhowillhelpshapeandmoldthat
rawmaterialintosomethingbeautiful,timeless,andartistic.Thephotog-
and feel beautiful.
raphy techniques covered in this book will teach you how to create the
highest-quality portraiture possible in the industry today. The sales and
marketing techniques covered in this book will help you operate a suc-
cessfulstudiothatallowsyoutomakealivingdoingwhatyoulove.
Inthisbook,I’lldiscussseveralenhancingskills:
•Makeupandwardrobe
•Posingandlighting
•Digitalfinishingandprinting
FindingClients
Thequestionmostphotographersaskis:howdoIgetwomentowantto
haveaboudoir/glamoursession?
Existing Clients. Over the years, I have used several different tech-
niquestobookthesesessions.Themostcost-effectiveformofadvertising
is to market to the people who are already in the studio. My studio pho-
tographs hundreds of high school senior girls. Their mothers are my tar-
get audience. Mom is watching her daughter’s session and she is getting
caughtupintheexcitementoftheevent.IfIfeelthatamommaybeopen
to tasteful boudoir portraiture, I’ll show her a slide show of previous
clients.ThiscanbedonewhileIfinishherdaughter’ssession,duringout-
fitchanges,orafterthesessionwhenherdaughterispackingupherclothes
GETTINGSTARTED 7
Herearebefore-and-afterportraitsfrom
the film days. The large image is the
glamorous “after” shot. The smaller
image shows the subject prior to the
photosession.
and accessories. I also display striking yet tasteful boudoir wall portraits
throughoutthestudio.Imixtheseprintswithsamplesoffamilies,seniors,
andchildrentoshowpotentialboudoirclientsthattheseimagesaretruly
worksofartthatwouldlookgreatinanyhome.
I photograph ten to twelve high-end weddings a year at this point in
my career, and I advertise boudoir photography directly to my brides.
I offer a session of the bride in her gown, which includes some intimate
shotsforthegroomwitheverybridalpackageIsell.Thebridealmostal-
ways purchases a For Your Eyes Only album (available through General
Products).
8 ELLIEVAYO’SGUIDETOBOUDOIRPHOTOGRAPHY
Networking. I find many of my clients through networking. Several
years ago, I went into hair salons to photograph their clients. The salons
displayed a small “before” shot and a large wall portrait that represented
the“after”shot.AtonepointIhadtwosalons,indifferentpartsoftown,
displayingmywork.Thesalonswereabletoshowcasetheirtalents,andI
hadadditionallocationstodisplaymyartandgeneratebusiness.
Atcertaintimesinourlives,wealldealwithdifficultiesandchallenges.
This business, just like life, is all about turning those difficulties or chal-
lengesintoopportunities.Iwasrecentlyinspiredtoparticipateinthecre-
ation of a firefighter’s calendar that benefited the Susan G. Komen
Foundation.Iagreedtodonatemytimeforthisfoundationtoshowsup-
portformymother’spersonalbattleagainstcancer.Iphotographedseven
different area firehouses and used those images to create a twelve-month
calendar. The entire process used up a great deal of my time and creative
energy, but the exposure my studio received in the local press made the
projectworthwhile.Duringtheproject,Ihandedoutcouponsfordiscount
boudoir sessions to the firefighters’ wives and girlfriends. Now that the
projectiscomplete,I’mbookingsessionswithwomenwhopurchasedthe
calendar.Charityissuchanimportantandeffectivewaytogrowyourbusi-
ness.It’ssoimportantthatI’vededicatedanentirechapterofthisbookto
discussoneeventinparticular.
PrintAds,MediaAds,andWebSites
The time and effort you’ve spent advertising and introducing yourself to
your market will bring customers to your studio. However, most of your
prospectivecustomersstillneedmoreinformationbeforetheybookases-
sion.Thisiswhyyouneedadynamic,interesting,andinformativewebsite
that is easy to locate and navigate. Women thinking about booking a
Women thinking about
boudoirsessionwantananonymouswaytoseesamplesandgetmorein-
booking a boudoir session formationaboutsessionstyles.Remember,moststudiosdonotevenoffer
thishigh-endservice.Ihaveusedthisstyleofphotographyandtheexam-
want an anonymous way
ples on my web site to distinguish myself from the competition. Be sure
to see samples.
thatthesampleimagesyoupostonlinearetastefulandusedwithfullper-
missionfromyoursubjects.Also,Idonotshowpricingonmysite.Iwant
womentogetexcitedabouttheprocess,notdiscouragedbythecost.I’m
confidentthatonceawomanseesherimages,she’llorderasmuchasshe
canpossiblyafford.
Direct Mail.Ifyoucreateadirectmailer,usethefollowingcriteria:
•Impact—Yourdirectmailpiecemustgrabtheviewer’sattention.This
canbeaccomplishedinmanydifferentways.Usecreativedesign,strik-
ingimages,andauniquecolorscheme.
GETTINGSTARTED 9
•Style—Yourpieceshouldconveyyourstudio’sstyle.Yourclients Facing page—We created a variety of
shouldknowrightawayifyourstudio’sstyleiscontemporary,classic, looks for this client using a variety of
backdrops and a few clothing changes.
elegant,etc.
The“before”imageisshownonthetop
•Professionalism—Whateverstyleyouchoosetoconvey,makesureyour right.
marketingpiecesappearpolishedandprofessional.Ifyouarenotan
experiencedgraphicdesigner,considerconsultingwithaprofessional.
Youcanalsocollectanduseideasfromotherdirectmarketingpieces
thatyoulike.
•Samples—Yourdirectmailpiecesshouldfeatureportraitscreatedusing
pastclients.Useyourownwork,notstockphotography.Selectyour
bestportraits,justmakesuretheyaretasteful.Hireaprintertooutput
yourhigh-qualitymailers.Thereproductionsofyourimagesshould
reflectthequalityclientscanexpecttoreceiveintheirfinishedportraits.
•Readability—Don’tbogyouraudiencedownwithtoomuchtext.
Makesurealltextiseasytoreadandunderstand.Gettothepoint
quicklyandprovidereaderswithenoughinformationtosparktheirin-
terest.Selectsimplefontsandmakesurethetextcolorcontrastswith
thebackground.
Television. In addition to direct mail, I have used television as a way to
promote the boudoir/glamour photography aspects of my business. In
Your clients should know
years past, I did a promo with a show called Cleveland Tonight with
right away if your studio’s
MichaelStanley.Iprovidedmakeoversforthreelocalwomenandairedthe
event on Valentine’s Day. I took a “before” shot of the women in plain style is contemporary,
clothes without makeup. Next, with the help of a local lingerie store, I
classic, elegant, etc.
dressed them in draping lingerie, gave them a facial makeover, and pho-
tographed the women. This show generated hundreds of calls, and it all
startedwithonephone call.Icalledthetelevisionstationtopromote my
ideas,andtheyagreedtocoverthestory.
Radio Advertising. Recently, my studio advertised boudoir/glamour
photographyonalocalradiostation.Weproducedthreecommercialsthat
ran for a total of eight weeks. The commercials were thirty-second spots
andservedtointroduceoneofourspecials.Weoffereda$99sessionthat
includedenhancedmakeupapplication,anhour-longsession,twenty-four
previewimages,andaframed5x7print.Averageordersforthispromotion
werebetween$300and$500each.
OneoftheDJsattheradiostationhostsaneventcalled“WomenWho
Wine” at a local winery. Meetings are held each month, and different
speakers are given twenty minutes to promote their business. I presented
myseminartooveronehundredandfiftywomen.Eachwomanhadreg-
isteredonlinetoattendtheevent,andIhadaccesstotheircontactinfor-
mationfordirectmarketingpurposes.
10 ELLIEVAYO’SGUIDETOBOUDOIRPHOTOGRAPHY