Today’s blog is a little different as I go through my entire process from start to shoot with Mercedes and our outdoor boudoir photoshoot. I explain everything from how I reached out to her, planned the whole shoot, and executed my ideas for the shoot.
How I reached out and got in touch
Ever since I came across Mercedes (I believe through Simon J Morton) I wanted to shoot with her. Not only is her physique incredible, but her collection of outfits, confidence, and pure style made me giddy and full of ideas. I didn’t know if she would respond at first, but after replying to a few stories and commenting on her posts it was very clear how professional and engaged she is. So, one day, I just took the plunge and asked her if she would be down to work together. (She said yes if you couldn’t tell!)
Discussing ideas
I already had a few ideas in mind based on what I had seen from her wardrobe and repertoire of styles. As discussions began I could tell things would work smoothly as she was on board instantly with the ideas and up for what I proposed. Straight away I asked about prices and nailed down the details and a date to get this shoot in the books!
Choosing the location
Now I chose to shoot down near her, one to keep my costs cheaper, and two so we could sneak in a beach shoot after my main idea. But location scouting in a place you can’t visit easily, haven’t ever been to, and can only judge based on google maps and images others have posted is not the easiest. I spent a while searching around the area looking for options that fitted my desired style. Luckily there were two or three candidates next to each other, and as I was taking the whole day for the shoot, so I knew I could arrive early and pick the best one for me.
Planning my shots
Now not knowing my final location or how it looks on camera made planning in any amount of detail rather difficult. However, I knew the vibe I wanted and browsed through photographers I knew that had similar styles to what I was going for and took inspiration from a whole host of different looks. With many ideas, I was hoping that even if the location doesn’t plan out how I envisioned it, I would have an idea that would fit the location. This is a challenge I haven’t often faced so far in my photography journey, but it presented a new challenge that I was excited for and eager to attack.
Arriving early & scouting in person
When I arrived, it was bloody windy! I sat and ate my lunch in the car and I could feel the car shaking in the wind. After quickly refuelling myself, I decided to get out and look around my chosen location, the 17th floor and roof of a car park as close as I could get to the seafront. There were minimal cars on the upper levels, giving me lots of options for the direction of shots and suitable backdrops.
This was what I had hoped for, but could never have been sure on until I actually got there. Being two hours away, there was no chance of scouting it out before on a random evening either, so I really had lucked out, or researched and planned well depending on how you look at it.
The shoot itself
First of all, I want to say Mercedes is a boss ass bitch. She completely killed this shoot. Not only was she standing on a public, and visible rooftop in lingerie, but she did so facing 20+ mph winds in heels most people couldn’t stand in! With outfits on deck, and my model ready to brave the storm, we set off. As always, I find shooting the first outfit a little off for me, I never seem to quite find my rhythm until I’ve warmed up a bit.
However, Mercedes was killing it from the beginning and I had to catch up, quick! We blasted through outfits and poses, occasionally encountering issues, like standing still in the wind, or apparent supervisors asking us to leave the car park, but we persevered and ended with some incredible shots! We had to forgo the beach portion of the shoot as the sea was tumultuous and it would have been freezing! Honestly, I wish I was more prepared and had more ideas, looking back on it I think I could have done so much more with what I had available to me, but hey, you live and you learn!
The outcome
I am ecstatic with how this shoot turned out. With so many variables that I couldn’t control, I’ve ended up with some unbelievable pictures, had a great time while shooting, and cannot wait to edit and show off my work. I know working with professionals helps, and it really does help at times, but this all came together pretty much as planned in my head, which is a rarity.
Although I’m internally criticising myself because I know I could have done more, it’s not because I didn’t do what I wanted, it’s because I didn’t think big enough. I didn’t take full advantage of what I had at my disposal, including the weather and location, not just an incredible model who physically does things that I can’t even dream of. Next time, I won’t make the same mistake!
This was an incredible shoot, and I cannot wait to show you the results!
If you’re thinking about a boudoir or portrait shoot, get in touch and let’s start discussing how to make your dreams a reality today!
