The Boudoir Café: Inspiring Boudoir Photography for the Holiday Season

December 20, 2013

By Laura Brauer

During the holidays, boudoir photography takes an extra high spike; not only do women hire photographers to shoot sexy, intimate portraits as gifts for their husbands, but men are purchasing boudoir sessions as gifts for their ladies to feel empowered and beautiful.

Photographer Cherie Steinberg Coté, who—with her partner Hedley Jones—launched Cheriefoto in 2002, created a brand known for its high-end wedding photography, portraits and commercial assignments.

Recently, the duo added The Boudoir Café to the brand, a boudoir studio with locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas, marketing itself as not just having the skill to shoot these kinds of photos, but also the sensitivity. The Boudoir Café was even featured in The Huffington Post this past August for a feature in “Boudoir Photo Dos and Donts” for brides.

As Cherie herself recently wrote on Instagram,  “It was as if I was born to shoot these wonderful women and help with self love. Yes, I love my job.”

I asked Cherie when we had lunch recently why she thinks boudoir is such a hot commodity these days. “Girls are coming by the droves for this experience,” she explained to me. “They want to feel sexy and save those images for a rainy day…And it is almost more about the experience. They come in all nervous but by the time they leave, we have to tell them, ‘Okay, sorry, but you have to put your clothes back on now.’ “

If she had to offer just one tip to clients (which photographers should be aware of as well), Cherie says it would be: “Don’t limit your shoot to just one look. The photographer you hire should be open to costume changes, allowing you to have a variety of looks in the final images. Bring many wardrobe options to allow for versatility and to show different sides of yourself.”

 

In the end, she adds, the experience is a journey of self love and experimenting with sensual ideas and fantasies. We are not just photographers during these sessions but more like psychologists. We take these women by the hand and let them know for themselves how beautiful they are.

Check out Cheriefoto’s Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/cheriefoto1