Edgy boudoir poses are a cornerstone feature of the boudoir photos I like to create for my clients. While most people think of boudoir photos as soft and feminine, a dark and moody style can showcase even the most shy woman as both bold and fearless.
I love creating images with this kind of body language for my self conscious clients because it shows them in a bold way which they’re not used to seeing themselves. I find that for shy women this is especially empowering because these women tend not not think of themselves as edgy, bold or fearless. Thus seeing themselves portrayed in this manner can be incredibly empowering for their self image.
In this post I’ll show you some of my go to edgy boudoir poses that I like to direct my clients towards for their photoshoots. Keep in mind when directing women towards edgy boudoir poses that the body language communicated should always be dramatic, fearless and aggressive.
Direct Her Into Dramatic Lighting
What most newbie boudoir photographers don’t realize is that posing and lighting work hand in glove with each other. Thus if you want edgy boudoir poses with dramatic light, you’ll need to direct her into moody shadows with the pose.
This can be done with one light for moody bodyscapes or it can also include more background like this photo. If you decide to include more of the background like this photo, I find that it generally looks best if you incorporate light emitting elements into the background to keep everything from looking too dark in the final photo.
Look to the Lower Shoulder – Edgy Boudoir Poses
When directing edgy boudoir photos I’ll usually pose the woman so her face is biased towards her lower shoulder. Biasing the face toward the lower shoulder is more assertive body language and is generally better conveying confidence nonverbally.
This isn’t to say that you can’t direct women towards edgy boudoir photos in which her head is biased toward her higher shoulder, but it can be a little trickier as looking to they high shoulder is generally perceived as more submissive. The reason for this is because looking to the higher shoulder exposes the neck which is a submissive non-verbal cue.
Master The Art of Posing Women
In this guide I’ll show you how to pose the nude female form in a way that tastefully flatters her body type and creates emotion. This guide is intended for beginner and intermediate photographers and will teach you how to balance the proportions of any woman to make her look her best.
By first teaching you the fundamentals of posing, these principals will help you progress to a point where you can confidently pose any woman in an improvised fashion.
Implied Nude – Edgy Boudoir Poses
One of my favorite ways to create an edgy boudoir pose is to craft it as an implied nude. Implied nude photos are basically nude photos that are modestly posed so you can’t see any of the woman’s intimate areas.
In this photo you’ll note that her position to the camera creates modesty as does the scarf she’s holding. The boldness of the nudity is what makes this an edgy boudoir pose. Implied nudes can be captured from any position and are an easy way to add suspense to any photo.
Breath in Through the Lips – Edgy Boudoir Poses
Expression is something that can make or break a boudoir photo. It’s also one of the primary levers boudoir photographers can pull to help make a pose edgy or soft. To illustrate this, we probably wouldn’t direct our client to smile for the camera if we’re going for an edgy look.
Instead, I like to direct my clients to breath in though their lips. This helps create dynamic body language and is often the difference between a soft and edgy look. Make sure to also direct her to soften her eyes or to have her look down and check herself out to complete the body language cluster. Otherwise you run the risk of directing her towards a disconnected expression.
Ask Her To Undress – Edgy Boudoir Poses
Similar to the idea of implied nudes mentioned earlier, another way to direct her towards edgy boudoir poses is to have her undress for the camera. Likewise, you can also have her tug or pull at her lingerie or clothes for a similar effect.
Directing for these looks gives her something to do and the suspense of showing more skin is what gives these poses their edge. To pose women for this I’ll often direct them to play with their bra straps with their thumbs or fingers.
You can also ask her slightly pull at her panties or tease them down. Both of these poses are very good for keeping her photos modest, while simultaneously introducing a captivating sensual dynamic.
