This week, it’s all about that couch!
If you missed the first part, head here to check out our FIRST idea to make your clients swoon! Today we are going to be focusing on all the ways you can make your couch into a top notch shoot space for your client to get their glorious pose on. I will be showing you the different ways that I adapt my couch to fit my studio aesthetic as well as giving you some glorious imagery to feast your eyes on for your own shoot inspiration! Let’s get to it:
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A COUCH FOR BOUDOIR: Depending on your circumstance you may have a studio, your home, or a space that you are able to furnish - but in some cases you will have to make do with the couch that you are provided and that’s totally okay. For the purposes of this segment, we are going to assume that you get to choose your own couch. The main things I look for when purchasing a couch (and I have gone through about 6 since I started boudoir) are the following:
1) weight limit - if you truly want to have an inclusive boudoir studio, you are going to want to make sure that your furniture is weighted for up to 500lbs or more. This is integral. If you have never experienced furniture breaking underneath you, you will never understand the shame and humiliation that comes along with it and you NEVER want your client to be in a position where they think they broke your furniture. The amount of time we spend getting up and down on that thing puts it under some real wear and tear so spend the extra $$ to ensure the furniture can hold larger bodies. I also will sometimes take the legs off of my couches so that it is more sturdy (if it doesn’t look too ridiculous)
2) size - obviously you will be restricted by the space within which you are going to place your couch, but try your best to ensure that it extends at least 6 feet if possible. Again, you might have some really tall humans come into your studio and there’s nothing more uncomfortable or size affirming than getting on a couch that is too small.
3)aesthetic/pattern - this is where you get to have a lot of fun! Ideally if you don’t have a ton of cash floating around, you will want to make sure that the first couch you invest in is a piece that will stand the test of time in terms of color. Personally, the jewel tones (emerald, navy, purple) tend to fit into a lot of different aesthetics and trends, to those are more safe to go with. Same with a grey couch if you prefer a more modern/minimalist vibe. That being said, if you have a groovy aesthetic and you lean into it full force then do whatever the fuck you want! I change my mind all the time so it was easiest for me to focus on a general look I liked and then adapted it to suit my fancy as needed (as you will see!)
Different ways to dress up your couch - as mentioned previously I change my mind - A LOT. I am always coming up with new set designs and the prospect of searching for things to create the vision in my mind gives me so much joy. My favorite thing is to take my second studio and shift it from looking like a student apartment furnished by Ikea to an escape from Winnipeg in the form of a Mediterranean vibe or a 1930s burlesque lounge. Using a variety of different fabrics, textures, pillows, and surrounding bits you are able to create an entirely different world - this saves you on having to store numerous couches AND the possibilities are endless! Here are a few of my favorite sets that I’ve created over time using my basic blue Ikea couch:
Most everything you see here was thrifted. The fabrics are curtains, sheets, and fabric panels in different textures. When I would go hunting, I had a very specific color pallet to stay with in (as you can see it was golds, creams, blues, roses). I draped 3 different textures over my very pleather couch to transform it into this beautiful set.
This is our newest set. I thrifted the mustard velvet throw and the mustard satin sheet that drapes the sofa. I then surrounded the sofa with pillows from Urban Outfitters and with the painted wall this is my bohemian dreams. Similar to the luxurious set, most everything you see was thrifted!
By adding a simple fur rug to the structured vibe of this couch, it adds texture but keeps the clean, minimalist vibe (compared to the previous 2 images).
Use neon lights to shift the color of your couch to suit the vibe! With this particular couch, I chose white for the modern look but also knew it would be capable of “changing color” with the right lights applied to it!
Don’t forget to use ALL sides of the couch - There are the obvious ways to use a couch, but get creative when it comes to posing by using different angles of the couch in different ways! Some of my favorites include sitting people on the back corners, angling their body away from the camera to give “just enough” of a hint, and crawling from the couch down to the floor. These are just a few examples, but don’t limit yourself!! Get creative and see how many different poses you can get out of one couch! Challenge yourself to do a FULL session (25-35 images) using ONLY the couch!
For moody lighting, put your couch perpendicular to your light source - most of my work nowadays is all about straddling that line between light and shadow to give this glorious, gradient of mystery. Anytime I have a couch (that I have permission to move!) I try to ensure that it is perpendicular to the light source so I can back light, split light, and front light for maximum options!
FRONT LIGHT (the light is fully on her face and body)
SPLIT LIGHT (the light source is coming from the right of the image and gradually darkens the further left we go)
BACK LIGHT (the light is coming up and over the client’s bum and back, while everything on this side falls into darkness)
When in doubt, stretch it out - stretching out on the couch is one of my favorite poses to do and you can have your client do it from sitting on the seat and leaning back OR from sitting on the floor to leaning back onto the seat. It’s a great stretch in the back for the client and again, we can activate those hands and get them moving down feeling the body, tugging on the clothes, or just lovin’ on oneself!
Furniture shopping is probably going to look TOTALLY different for you after today - I know I can’t go into a store without my husband rolling his eyes as I hop up on the cushions with my knees spread and say “Take my picture, I need to see what this looks like.” In any case, a couch a great item that can be used for similar poses as the bed with a few tweaks and variations. I know for me, having my “Emerald Goddess” has been one of the highlights of my clients’ experience because a) it screams luxury to roll around on emerald velvet and b) it’s a pretty impractical piece for someone to have in their home so it helps me elevate the fantasy experience and make them feel happy and bad ass. The other thing I love, is that when I look around at ALL my furniture pieces they are just an extension of myself and the current trends that I am loving. I love being able to shape shift my furniture into whatever era I want with just a few pieces of fabric and my imagination! The best part is, you can take those fabrics with you to an airbnb or hotel to create a fantasy experience regardless of what your circumstances are!
