How to Take Nudes You’ll Actually Love, According to Boudoir Photographers
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| Evgenia Ribinik Studios/Lauren Miller - DC Boudoir/Julia Pomodoro |
Even for the hottest among us, snapping a fantastic selfie can be tough and tiresome. (Trust me: I once laid eyes on the camera roll of a beauty influencer and spotted at least three thumb-scrolls of shots for one picture.) Figuring out how to take great nudes? A whole other level of challenging. The fewer clothes you wear, the more body parts visible for your inner critic to judge—it’s just math. Not to mention, the process can feel super vulnerable, given our society doesn’t exactly celebrate people stripping down on camera.
And yet there are plenty of valid reasons why you might want to take some steamy nudes. Classically, they could be a hot gift for a partner or an arousing visual for you both to look at when you’re in a spicy mood (or want to get there). Or maybe you just want to have a sexy record for yourself of what your bare body looks like at this moment in your life.
So long as you’re an adult making the decision to snap nudes yourself and not feeling pressured by anyone else to do so, the process can be empowering and can help you feel more confident and comfortable naked—which can boost your mental health and sex life. Indeed, consensually exchanging nudes with a partner can crank up feelings of desire between the two of you and deepen your sense of intimacy and eroticism, psychotherapist and AASECT-certified sex therapist Todd Baratz, LMHC, member of the plusOne Wellness Collective, tells SELF.
But again, even if you’re psyched about the idea of taking hot selfies—whether for yourself, your partner, your OnlyFans, or anyone else—the mechanics of snapping the pics can be pretty awkward, if not entirely humbling. So we sought some advice straight from the pros: boudoir photographers whose literal job is nudes (gorgeous ones, at that). Below, their best tips for shooting your own sexy photos and feeling great about them.
Set aside some time to get a vibe going.
It might feel extra to plan a whole nudes session for yourself, but there’s something to be said about (1) not feeling rushed and (2) setting the mood. You don’t want to risk being spontaneously interrupted just when you start really feeling it or give yourself only 20 minutes before you have to, say, pick up your kid, Alex Peterson, a New Jersey–based boudoir photographer and owner of Idalia Photography, tells SELF. Plus, planning ahead lets you think about what kind of light might be hitting your space (more on that later).
Once you’ve carved out a solo block of time, choose a safe and relaxing room in your home and spruce it up a bit to feel a little sexier, Evgenia Ribinik, a New York–based boudoir photographer, tells SELF. Maybe you make your bed with crisp or satiny sheets and light a candle, or just take a few minutes to clear a side table of random papers or dirty dishes, or fold that pile of laundry. Even if you don’t care about clutter in your pics, these little reminders of mundanity can yank you right out of sexy model mode.
Start out wearing a little clothing.
Unless you’re used to gallivanting around your home naked (which, fantastic!), you’ll probably feel more at ease wearing something. And even if you’re cool with being naked, putting on some lingerie you love—a lace bra and undies, a slinky silk nightie, a mesh bodysuit—can sometimes feel even sexier than going fully nude (which might be more reminiscent of, say, getting ready to hop in the shower or struggling to decide on an outfit). Of course, you can always strip the lingerie off as you go—a process that, in itself, could make for some hot nudes and give your hands a welcome activity.
While you’re slipping on a ’fit, it’s worth thinking about what else might help you feel your best, like, for instance, putting on some makeup or doing your hair, Lauren Miller, the owner of DC Boudoir Photography in Washington, DC, tells SELF. Getting done up is standard at a boudoir shoot because feeling your hottest translates into better photos, and the same applies at home—yes, even if your face and hair won’t be included in all or most of your pics. “What takes [nudes] from good to wow is how confident you feel in them,” Miller says.
Actually pay attention to the lighting.
Lighting is to nudes what location is to real estate—which is to say, the main thing. Every expert SELF spoke with emphasized the benefits of natural light, in particular, which is also why it’s important to consider when and where you’re shooting. If your bedroom has a big window or two, you’re in luck; consider snapping pics in the morning or afternoon on an overcast day, when there’s a soft wash of sun in the room. You could also just follow the light in your home, and choose to shoot, say, on the couch in your living room.
If your place just doesn’t get any great natural light or you want to shoot at night, consider flipping on a bedside lamp or desk lamp placed on one side of your bed, Miller suggests. It’s a better option than overhead lighting, which can create a lot of shadows. You’ll also get a crisper image if you have the light positioned on the same side of you as your phone (so it’s shining on you), as opposed to placing it behind you, Miller says. (But she adds that if you’re going for an abstract or moody effect, you could play around with that backlight as well, which will make you appear a little blurrier.)
Get creative with the crop.
It might seem counterintuitive, but cutting certain bits out of the photo can make it even more seductive, Ribinik says, so you shouldn’t feel the need to get your entire body in it. After all, a smidge of mystery is hot! What you don’t show becomes something to desire, and an opportunity for imagination to take over. “It gives you a little bit of a story,” she says.
That could look like shooting just from your lips down to your chest or cutting out your entire face, or snapping just your legs (from your upper thigh downward) while you’re sitting and they’re stretched out in front of you. Or you could snap a series of different body parts, cutting each photo off just before your breasts or vulva to be a little coy with it.
An added benefit of cropping? The less of your body that’s in any one photo, the less opportunity there is for it to be recognizable as you, should it ever mistakenly leak. To that end, sex educator Marla Renee Stewart, resident sex expert for Lovers, tells SELF it’s a good idea to crop your full face out if you’re worried about privacy (more on that below). You might especially want to take that step if you’re going full-nude in your pics versus staying partially clothed—but regardless, it’s something to consider depending on your comfort level. If you want to be extra cautious, Stewart also suggests keeping any distinguishable markings, like piercings, tattoos, or birthmarks, out of frame or concealing them with lingerie or sheets.
Keep your body moving to play with different poses.
It turns out, the trick to posing in a way that looks natural is to…not. Chances are, you don’t pose in your regular life, which is why striking a pose for a photo can look so statuesque and fake. Instead, you want to start by doing what you might actually do in a sexy scenario, Ribinik suggests, like touching your body, getting undressed, or playing with your sheets (if you’re snapping pics in bed). “Just give yourself a hug, or see how your body moves,” she says. “We’re often afraid to do that because we feel like we’ll be judged, but there’s nothing wrong with being in contact with your body.”
Peterson has similar advice: Stay in motion. She suggests trying a few small, slow movements—touching your hair, holding your breasts, finding the curves you love in your body and tracing them with a finger. This way, you don’t get stuck trying to perfect any one pose, and you’re more likely to snap something that looks comfortable and candid.
The tricky thing is getting into a groove while also taking photos from a good angle. And that looks different depending on whether you’re doing an old-fashioned selfie, using your phone’s self-timer, or photographing your reflection—so read on to find tips for all three.
Remember the power of a cropped nude? You’ll want to tap into that here, since it’s tough to get your whole body in the picture while holding your phone.
Ribinik suggests lying in bed and reaching your phone up to take a selfie from above. You can hide one nip or both with the other hand, or finagle your sheet to drape a portion over your chest, if you’d prefer some coverage. Also try adjusting your photo-taking arm to put your lips at the top of the frame, or just crop your face entirely and focus on your chest.
You can also take cropped selfies while sitting, lifting your phone slightly and angling it to one side of your body to capture your chest and thighs from above (cut the photo off just above your lips for a little mystery). Peterson suggests relaxing your mouth and parting your lips just a bit to keep things feeling casual and sexy. As with the above, you can hold a boob or shield your nips with the other hand or, if you’re sitting in bed, lift the sheet in front of your body for a little “I’m-naked-right-under-this” mystique.
Whatever you choose, take advantage of your ability to snap a bunch of pics in a row while holding your phone, or drag and hold the shutter button to the left on an iPhone or down on an Android to turn on burst mode (which takes photos in fast succession), Peterson says, so you can capture subtle body movements and adjustments as you’re finding your flow.
Mirror pics are a nude classic for a reason: It’s easier to capture more of your body when you’re shooting your reflection. (A full-length mirror is ideal, but one that just shows your top half will also do.) Miller recommends shifting your weight into one hip, so you can cross the other leg in front, bending that knee slightly and popping your heel; then you can throw the non-phone hand in your hair or hug it across your chest for a bit more coverage, and snap the photo with the phone covering your face in the mirror (or not).
Another hack? Take advantage of your reflection to snap a butt shot. For this, you want to face away from the mirror, stick out your booty, and then turn your upper body slightly so you can shoot yourself in the mirror over one shoulder, Ribinik suggests.
Here’s where things can get a little fancy. Thanks to the self-timer function, you can basically take nudes of yourself the same way anyone else would snap photos of you by placing your phone where it can capture you (propped up or on a stand), flipping on the self-timer, and then getting into position. It can be tedious to figure out exactly where to put your phone for the best angle (you’ll probably need to take a few shots and adjust, going back and forth to your phone), but shooting this way also unlocks many more potential poses that aren’t really possible in a typical selfie.
A few materials can make this easier: Miller recommends an Octobuddy silicone suction phone case, which basically allows you to stick your phone to any wall or surface (so you can nail the right angle and avoid shooting from too high or too low); and Peterson suggests getting a small phone stand with a Bluetooth remote control, which lets you take multiple pictures without having to run back to your phone each time.
Options for posing are endless when you don’t have to hold your phone. Miller suggests a few classic boudoir shots, like a kneeling pose on your bed where you sit your butt on your heels and lean forward to place your hands on the sheets (position your phone in front of you), and a lying-down pose, where you raise your hands overhead, cross your wrists, and bend your knees slightly to arch your back (put your phone to one side of you).
Or use the freedom of a prepositioned phone to flip around and get some backside shots. Once your phone is set at eye level and the self-timer is on, Miller suggests taking a few steps back, facing away from the camera, and either reaching behind you to unhook your bra or slowly pulling a T-shirt over your head for a hit of “implied nudity,” she says.
Take precautions to keep your nudes where you want them.
Even if you don’t plan on sending your nudes to anyone, there’s always the risk that a picture you take on a phone can find its way to someone else—whether accidentally or as the result of getting hacked. To reduce that chance, turn off cloud-syncing before you shoot on your phone (so your photos aren’t backed up elsewhere), and save nudes to a password-locked hidden folder, Stewart says. This way, you won’t randomly scroll past one while showing off other photos or mistakenly select a few while sending a batch of recent pics.
You can also store pictures in an app like Privault (iOS) or Clock Vault (Android), which will password-lock and encrypt them. And if you’re planning to consensually send them to someone else, Stewart recommends using WhatsApp, which allows you to set a photo to be viewed only once before disappearing (and even blocks the recipient from taking a screenshot of it).
One last idea: Go analog with your photos by printing your favorite few on a smartphone printer, Peterson says. Then, you can wipe the digital versions from your device to make it less likely that they stay floating in the ether. This way, you also wind up with physical copies you can stash in a nightstand as a sexy memento—and you don’t have to whip out your phone every time you or your partner want a glimpse of your hotness.
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