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If there were any subject that could be controversial in photography, it’s boudoir photography. There are tons of stigmas about it, but there don’t have to be. It all starts with good intentions and, honestly, just thinking about the situation. With that said, any camera and lens can do a great job. But some are just better than others.
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Tips on Getting Better Boudoir Photography
Here are a few tips getting better boudoir photos:
- We’ve got a series on the site called Sensual vs Sexual that aims to teach photographers about the difference and how body language can affect that. It’s an important part of boudoir photography.
- Boudoir photography is more about creating and showing off a mood. There’s also a huge part about connection and trust.
- The lenses that we’re choosing can help you create great boudoir photography. But it’s still up to you to come up with the ideas, play with lighting, understand poses, and all.
- Don’t ever overlook the hands! Placement of the hands can mean a whole lot of different things.
- The angles in boudoir photography tell a lot about the scene.
Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM
Pros
- Gorgeous bokeh
- Weather sealing
- Pretty fast autofocus, much faster than the DSLR versions
- Build quality is solid
- The textured, matte feel is nice
- The control ring around the lens feels like an organic aperture ring
- People simply look good with this lens attached
Cons
- Expensive, but when you consider what this lens is, then it makes sense for what you do.
- Though it sort of isn’t needed, image stabilization would have been nice due to the size.
How is it for Portraiture?
In our review we state:
“If I’m going to be very honest, the Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM is the best 50mm lens that I’ve tested. I loathe the 50mm focal length. LOATHE IT! But with this lens, I feel like I’m shooting with a medium format 80mm f2 lens in the 645 format. It’s beautiful and in every single way, Canon is leading the way when it comes to 50mm focal lengths.”
Mitakon 35mm f0.95
Pros
- Ultrafast F0.95 aperture
- Balances well with Fujifilm cameras
- Adds a nice weight to Fuji cameras
- Smooth accurate focusing ring
Cons
- No Autofocus
- Aperture ring is clickless, easy to move by accident
- No electronic communication with the cameras
How is it for Portraiture?
In our review we state:
“No doubt, many of you are looking at that F0.95 number and are drooling at the idea of some insane bokeh. But if you are coming from a full frame world I have to tell you that you will be disappointed. However, if you have been with Fujifilm for a while now, this will be some bokeh that will blow your mind. The F0.95 bokeh on this lens is something that I would equate to roughly equal the look of F/1.4 or so on a full frame system – which isn’t bad at all because you have to remember you are getting this lens for significantly cheaper and in a significantly smaller package than a full frame setup.”
Canon RF 24-70mm f2.8 L IS USM
Pros
- Fast-focusing abilities
- Sharp image quality
- Very lightweight
- Built incredibly well
- Well balanced and smaller than the Sony G Master
- Image stabilization
- Fairly priced
Cons
How is it for Portraiture?
In our review we state:
“What I’m super satisfied with is the sharpness from this lens. It’s positively fantastic. When the output from a flash is added, the sharpness gets even better. Any photo editor will be happy with these images, and any wedding client is bound to be satisfied. In the case of a wedding client, you’re not going to get bleeding sharp results, and quite honestly, that’s fine. I don’t know of a single bride who wants to see her pores vs. retouching and smoothing her own skin like crazy before posting to Instagram.”
