How to Prepare for Your Boudoir Photo Reveal

Here’s something women don’t always expect:

The reveal is just as exciting as the actual boudoir session. Maybe even more so.

Hear me out.

Within a week after your shoot, you’ll come back to my Colorado Springs studio and see your finished images for the first time. Starting with your very own cinematic slideshow.

Because no, I’m not emailing you a giant online gallery to stare at 100 photos wondering what on earth you’re supposed to do with them.

We’re doing this together.

And just like your session, your reveal is private and completely guided. You’ll see your images, choose your favorites, and then we’ll look at the portrait collection that makes the most sense based on how many photos you love and how you want to enjoy them.

You don’t need to know how many you’re going to love before you even arrive.

That’s precisely what the reveal is for.



What Actually Happens at a Boudoir Reveal?

When you come back to the studio, you’ll see your finished photos for the first time.

This is one of my favorite parts of the entire experience because... I’ve already seen them.

You haven’t.

I’ve watched women come in convinced they’ll only like five and then sit there wondering how they’re supposed to narrow down 80 😂

It happens.

Pretty much very time.

That's why we’ll go through each one together using my very simple Yes, No, Maybe process.

You don’t have to analyze every photo for five minutes. Your first reaction is usually pretty darn accurate.

Love it? Yes.

Definitely not your favorite? No.

Can’t decide? Maybe.

We keep going until we’ve narrowed everything down to the images you love.

Simple.

You Do Not Need to Decide What You Want Before You See Your Photos

Please don’t sit at home trying to decide how many images you need before you’ve even seen them.

How could you possibly know?

That’s why we choose your favorites first.

Once we know which images you actually love, I’ll walk you through the collections that make sense. My collections start with a beautiful finished album, with digital options available depending on what you want to take home. If you’re someone who really only wants digital images, that’s an option, too.

Albums are the main part of what I offer because I want these memories to exist somewhere besides your phone or computer. There is something completely different about actually holding your photos in your hands. And it pains me to even think women are sending their precious photos to a subpar printer somewhere because it's cheap. It may be. And it may not last. I only work with vetted printers chosen for their high standards and privacy.

And listen, if you see one image you absolutely love and that’s all you want, you can do that. You don’t have to purchase a collection to order wall art.

We’ll figure all of that out after you see your images.

Photos first.

Decisions second.

Should You Think About Your Budget Before the Reveal?

Yes.

And I don’t think talking about money ruins the experience.

You should know what you’re comfortable spending.

My job isn’t to talk you into buying something you don’t want. My job is to show you beautifully finished portraits, explain your options clearly, and help you choose what makes sense for you.

Some women know exactly what they’re comfortable investing.

Others aren’t sure until they see how many photos they love.

This is why the Complimentary Consult is so important. It is the perfect time to ask your questions, touch the albums, and get a clear idea of how it all works before you ever book.

Does that mean you will decide right there what to invest and stick to that? Likely not. That's the fun part of the reveal. My job is to blow you away with stunning images you may have never thought possible.

And oh, you will be blown away 😂

Bring Your Partner, Or Don’t

I get asked this a lot. You absolutely can bring your spouse or partner to your reveal if you want their input.

But you don’t have to.

Your boudoir experience is so very personal.

For some women, seeing their photos alone is part of that experience. They want to choose the images they love without watching someone else’s reaction first.

Other women can’t wait to bring their husband, boyfriend, or fiancé and make the decisions together.

There isn’t a correct answer here.

If someone else needs to be involved in the financial decision, though, bringing them is usually a very good idea. It’s much easier to look at albums, compare images, and talk through options together than to try to recreate the entire appointment later. Ask me how I know ;)

Stop Looking for What’s “Wrong” With You

Oh, this one.

Women are incredibly good at this.

You can be looking at an absolutely gorgeous portrait and somehow your brain will zoom directly to the one tiny thing you’ve criticized about yourself since 1997.

Your stomach.

Your arms.

A wrinkle.

The way one finger is sitting.

Meanwhile I’m sitting next to you looking at your expression, your body language, the light, the pose, and the entire photograph thinking, What a gorgeous woman.

I ask this: Give yourself a second before you start picking yourself apart.

Look at the photo as a whole.

Look at your expression.

Look at your shape.

Look at the woman, the person, in the image before you start searching for something to criticize.

That doesn’t mean you’re required to love every thing you see.

You likely won’t.

That’s why there’s a No pile.

You are allowed to have preferences. In fact, I want you to have them.

But there’s a big difference between saying, “That’s not my favorite image,” and automatically searching every image for evidence that something is wrong with you.

Your First Reaction Usually Knows

One of the reasons I use Yes, No, Maybe is because it keeps you from becoming overwhelmed.

Some images you’ll know immediately.

YES.

Some will get an equally immediate nope.

And then we’ll have the Maybes (we’ll come back to those).

Sometimes comparing two similar images side by side makes the answer obvious. Sometimes one image works beautifully as part of an album even though it wouldn’t necessarily be the photo you’d put on your wall.

That’s where having me sitting beside you helps.

I’ve been doing this a long time. I will help you compare expressions, poses, similar images, album sequences, and artwork without taking over the decision.

Remember, these are your photos to live with from that day forward.

You want it to be just right.

So do I.

If You’re Considering Wall Art, Take a Quick Photo of Your Wall

This is one thing you actually can do before your reveal.

If there’s a bedroom, dressing room, bathroom, closet, or another space where you could imagine displaying one of your portraits, take a quick pic of the wall. We can use it to visualize an appropriate size for the room and your decor.

No need to get technical.

Stand back far enough that I can see the furniture and surrounding space. If you can grab a rough measurement of the wall, that's great, too.

People almost always underestimate how large artwork needs to be once it’s hanging on an actual wall.

Something that looks enormous while you’re holding it can suddenly look like a postage stamp over a king-size bed.

Seeing your room helps us choose a size that actually belongs there.

You Don’t Have to Earn the Right to Love Your Photos

This may be the biggest thing I want you to remember before your reveal.

You don’t have to look at your photos and immediately start listing everything you’d change about yourself.

You don’t have to say, “I’d love this if I lost 20 pounds.”

You don’t have to apologize for liking a photo of yourself that surprises you.

And you definitely don’t need to choose the image you think somebody else would like best.

Choose the ones you keep looking at.

Those are usually the ones.

I’ve photographed hundreds of women, and one of my favorite things to watch is the moment someone stops analyzing herself and simply sees the beauty in front of her.

Sometimes there’s laughter.

Sometimes there’s a very quiet, “Wow.”

And occasionally there’s some version of:

“Holy crap. That’s me?”

Yep.

Always has been, love.

So, How Do You Prepare for Your Boudoir Reveal?

Honestly?

Mostly by showing up.

Give yourself enough time that you aren’t watching the clock. Feel free to bring someone who genuinely needs to be part of the decision (18 and up only, please). Have an idea of what you’re comfortable investing. Snap a picture of a wall if you’re curious about displaying something there.

Then, come see your beautiful photos.

I’ll handle the rest.

Your boudoir reveal isn’t another thing you need to be good at. It’s the part where you finally get to see everything we created together...and decide exactly what deserves to come home with you.

You're going to be pleasantly surprised.

I guarantee it. xo