A Private, Personalized boudoir Experience
Luxury, All Inclusive Boudoir Photography in Portland, Maine by Rebecca Pinkham Stevenson
You are not expected to know how to do this.
That is what you are hiring me for.
From the first conversation through the arrival of your finished photographs, I guide every part of your experience. You do not need to know how to pose, what to wear, how to prepare, or what photographs well. We discover what feels like you, design around it, and create from there.
Come exactly as you are. I will take care of everything else.
Before you Reserve
Deciding Whether Boudoir Is Something You Actually Want to Do
You are encouraged to begin with questions.
Perhaps you have wanted boudoir portraits for years. Perhaps someone suggested them yesterday. Perhaps you love intimate portraiture but dislike almost everything you associate with traditional boudoir. Perhaps you are curious but cannot imagine yourself wearing lingerie in front of a camera.
Before asking you to reserve anything, I want you to understand what boudoir with me can be, what it costs, what is included, how privacy works, and whether my approach feels right for you.
PREPARATION
No Guessing, Panic Shopping or Night Before Pinterest Spiral.
Once your experience is reserved, I will help you prepare for it thoughtfully. You will receive guidance for wardrobe, lingerie, hair, skin, nails, beauty appointments, what to bring, what to avoid, and the small details that can make a meaningful difference in photographs.
Preparation is not a list of things you need to change about yourself before you are worthy of being photographed. It is simply a way for us to remove unnecessary uncertainty ahead of time, so that when your session arrives, you already know what to do, what to bring, and what you can comfortably leave to me.
Read the Boudoir Preparation Guide →
HAIR & MAKEUP
POLISHED ENOUGH FOR THE CAMERA. While STILL FEELing LIKE YOU.
Hair and makeup can be as involved or as understated as you want it to be. You may arrive having done your own, have me help you refine your look, or choose professional beauty services with a licensed hair and makeup artist.
Whichever approach you prefer, we will consider your features, personal style, wardrobe, creative direction, and how you normally like to see yourself. The goal is not to transform you into someone else's idea of boudoir. It is to make sure the woman in the photographs still looks unmistakably like you.
Nerves Are Normal
You do not have to arrive confident. You only have to arrive.
You do not need to walk through my door fearless, practiced, or completely comfortable with being photographed. Most women do not. You can be nervous, laugh when something feels unfamiliar, ask questions, take a minute, change your mind, or tell me when something simply does not feel like you. Communication is tantamount and the only expectation you need to carry.
There is no performance expected from you here. I will guide the pace, keep communicating with you, and give you something to do rather than leaving you wondering what happens next.
RETOUCHING
Retouching is refinement — not reinvention.
I refine temporary distractions such as blemishes, bruises, stray hairs, lint, minor skin irritation, and other details that are unlikely to be part of how you remember yourself. I am meticulous about creating flattering photographs in-camera through thoughtful lighting, posing, perspective, movement, and direction.
If there is something you would like softened, preserved, celebrated, or left completely untouched, tell me. Moles, scars, stretch marks, tattoos, lines, texture, and the characteristics that belong to your body are a part of your story. The finished photograph should feel beautifully considered while still being unquestionably, recognizably you.
Learn About My Retouching Philosophy →
GIFT Item Delivery
THE LAST STEP IS SIMPLY WAITING FOR SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL TO ARRIVE.
Once your frames, albums, prints, and gift items have been selected and ordered, I take care of the remaining details. Your pieces are prepared, carefully packaged, and typically delivered within 10 business days of ordering, depending upon the item and production requirements.
Your order is shipped discreetly and privately to your doorstep, with the same consideration for confidentiality that has surrounded your experience from the very beginning.
Open the box. Hold the photographs. Keep them for yourself, or give someone a gift they’ll never forget.
CREATIVE DIRECTION
WE DESIGN THE PHOTOGRAPHS BEFORE WE EVER MAKE THEM.
Your experience is not selected from a collection of sets, poses, or predetermined looks. Together, we shape a visual direction around you: what you are drawn to, how you want to feel, what you want to wear, the parts of yourself you want to celebrate, and the story you want your photographs to tell.
I consider wardrobe, color, texture, location, lighting, beauty, movement, mood, meaningful details, and the way you naturally carry yourself. Some experiences become soft and romantic. Others are editorial, minimal, playful, dramatic, sensual, or beautifully understated.
The purpose is not to make you look like someone in my portfolio. It is to create photographs that could only have been made of you.
ARRIVAL
FROM THE MOMENT YOU ARRIVE, THE DAY IS YOURS.
When you arrive at the Beaux & Arrows studio, everything we have discussed and planned begins to come together. Your experience has been intentionally prepared around you, with time to settle in, unpack your wardrobe, look through options, make adjustments, have something to drink, and become comfortable in the space before I ever ask you to step in front of my camera.
There is no need to rush through the door ready to perform. Arrive as you are.
I will take it from there.
Being Photographed
YOU DOn’T NEED TO KNOW HOW TO POSE— THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE HIRING ME FOR.
You do not need to practice poses, know your angles, figure out what to do with your hands, or arrive knowing how to look natural in front of a camera. I will direct you through the entire experience; from the placement of your feet and fingertips to your posture, movement, expression, and where to look.
I photograph the person actually in front of me rather than moving every client through the same predetermined sequence. Your proportions, mobility, wardrobe, personality, comfort, and the way you naturally move all influence how I direct you.
My expertise is knowing how to photograph you — beautifully, flawlessly, and as you are.
You are in Control
YOUR COMFORT SETS THE BOUNDARIES. ALWAYS.
Throughout your session, I will hand you my camera and show you what I am creating as we create it. We look together. We talk about what you love, what you would change, what feels like you, and what does not.
If there is an image you do not want to exist, delete it. If you love something, I learn from that and we create more of it. Your reactions help shape the direction of the session in real time because ultimately, these photographs are about how you want to see yourself.
You are not simply being photographed. You are participating in how you are seen, every step of the way.
GALLERY DELIVERY
THE PART YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR, DELIVERED PRIVATELY TO YOU.
Every delivered portrait is individually finalized and presented through your private digital gallery, ready for you to explore, download, revisit, and decide what deserves a life beyond the screen…. And this is where it gets especially fun!
Choose the photographs you cannot stop looking at. Imagine beautifully framed portraits in your dressing room, tucked into an intimate album, printed for your lover, or transformed into a private gift they will never expect. We can turn your favorites into something tangible, personal, and beautifully made.
You did all of this. Now you get to see what we created.
The CONSULTATION
Before I Photograph You, I Want to Know You.
I do not want to learn who you are while I am already holding the camera.
Your consultation gives us room to talk about what drew you to boudoir, photographs you respond to, photographs you do not, how you normally dress, what feels natural to you, what feels performative, the parts of yourself you love seeing photographed, the things you are apprehensive about, and what you hope to recognize when you see the finished work. Some clients want softness and romance. Others want fashion, strength, sensuality, simplicity, movement, drama, or something documentary.
You are not placed into my idea of you; I design the portraits around my understanding of you.
