FAQs

    Ethos and No-No’s

    This is kind of a combination of my ethos and also some practicalities that define my work. It’s difficult for some people to figure out whether I’m the right photographer for them just by looking at an “About me” page and a gallery, so i’ve found it’s helpful for some for me to spell it out.

    CAN I BRING A CHAPERONE?
    You absolutely can. That’s an easy yes. Your safety, and feeling of safety is my tippy top priority, even above producing great work. You can bring whomever you like to the shoot. Some words of relevance:
    – They can be your safety net, your hype train, your sounding board. But it’s important to assert that your chaperone will not be appearing in any photos. This is your shoot.
    – They can take a couple of “behind the scenes” shots, with your blessing, but beyond that it’s phone away.
    – Having a chaperone means the shoot is likely to take longer. I’m ok with that. Just as long as you are. It’s because having that person that’s taking attention away from what we’re doing (it’s only natural, they’re your friend) means we will work less efficiently.
    – Your chaperone is welcome to be in the room during the shoot itself, but I will absolutely not allow negative talk from them in the room.

    AI
    I don’t use AI, where possible. AI gets shoved into creative software whether we creatives like it or not or whether we asked for it or not. So while I can’t say I absolutely abstain from AI, I can say that I never use generative imagery. If it wasn’t there on the day, it won’t be in your photo.

    EDITING
    I don’t edit to the extent of airbrushing. The ethos is that you will see the photos and know that they looked like you on the day. It’s a celebration of you as you are, not a construction of a fantasised version of you that doesn’t exist. Magazines and other publications edit to within an inch of their lives to publish a concept of visual perfection that is, in my opinion, thoroughly damaging to the wellbeing of the readership of those publications. If you want a photographer who is going to make you look 20 years younger by digitally removing your lines, that ain’t me. I use light and composition in conjunction with great hair and make up, to make you look your best right now.

    The Practicalities

    • COUPLES
      I don’t work with couples. There are many assumptions about boudoir photographers and it’s tempting to lump us all together as one, but in truth we’re very different. Different styles, different levels, different themes, different target audiences. None are invalid, but it’s important to know what I am and what I’m not as a photographer. I’ve never worked with couples, so actually I would be doing you a disservice to try to offer a good boudoir couple experience.
    • DISCOUNTS
      I don’t work at a discounted rate for sex workers. I’m happy to work with sex workers as clients, but i don’t change the product range. If you want digitals, the way to get them is to buy a physical album that unlocks the additional extra of getting the digitals. Basically, I offer the same thing no matter who you are.
    • HAIR AND MAKE UP
      I don’t reduce the session fee if you don’t want hair and make up done. One of the biggest mistakes that some people who are trying to get boudoir photography done on the cheap make, is that it it will be a welcome suggestion to reduce the price of the session fee to avoid having hair and make up. There are several reasons to get hair and make up done before a shoot. 
      • Firstly, it’s part of the process of building confidence. I want you to see that you are still you before the photos are taken. The before and after examples here are noticeably realistic…because they are!
      • Secondly, it’s for me. Everyone does their make up differently and in order to maintain a consistent visual style in the photos, the hair and particularly the make up are integral to that.
      • Thirdly, it’s still for me. There is sometimes a difference between hair and make up for life, and for photography. Lenses and light do things to the human face and body. I leave it to the expertise of the hair and make up artist to manage that for me. They know what they’re doing.