Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“Even the greatest was once a beginner. Don’t be afraid to take that first step.”—Muhammad Ali
You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on camera equipment to make high quality boudoir photographs. Although pros my shoot with top-of-the-line Canon, Nikon and Sony DSLR’s and mirrorless cameras, you don’t have to do the same thing.
There are plenty of reasonably priced DSLR or mirrorless cameras that use interchangeable lenses and offer sophisticated electronics and are available from Panasonic, Pentax, Olympus and Fuji. So be sure to check out their lower and mid-priced models. And while you’re shopping don’t forget that refurbs can be a big bargain too.
For a beginning boudoir photographer, you may find that it’s probably more useful to invest in a $600 (or less) camera and a few lenses, instead of purchasing a $2,000 camera and a single lens. Recently I recommended the under-$500 Panasonic Lumix G7 with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II ASPH Mega OIS. lens to a young photographer as something that would perfectly fit their needs. You can purchase a reconditioned E-M10 Mark III—the updated version of the camera I used to make the above shot—with 14-42mm lens, carrying case and 16-GB Memory Card for less than $400 direct from Oly as I write this. It doesn’t get more entry level than that.
How I Made this Shot: Take the above portrait of model Pam Simpson, for example. It was made as part of a collection of images for a memory book that Pam wanted to give to her Significant Other. It was shot using only available light coming from a window to her right in the guest room of my home, not even a reflector was used. It was made using an Olympus E-M10 Mark I and their amazing M. Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 lens with an exposure of 1/80 sec at f/2.8 and ISO 800.
The portrait was made in color and stayed that way through the editing process reflecting my current taste in glamour and boudoir images to create these kinds of images in color rather than monochrome. Although as I’ve said before, I’m wishy-washy on this subject and may change my mind again.The image was retouched and then enhanced with the Vignette Blur filter that’s part of Color Efex Pro.
While many of my glamour and boudoir images were made with a Panasonic Lumix GH4, I’m waiting for the pandemic to abate and model availability to open up and expect to be shooting my new Lumix G9. Maybe you saw my post on problems with the Lumix GH4 that may or may not be solved. Look for an update on this ongoing concern—positive or negative—real soon now. As I write this I don’t know what camera will be my first choice for glamour and boudoir photography but I have lot’s of options available, including that very same Olympus E-M10 Mark I or maybe the E-M5 Mark I that I’ve been using lately for macro photography.
My book Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography features information about using minimal equipment for glamour and boudoir photography demonstrating how to shoot portraits in available light situations or using simple lighting gear, including speedlights. New copies of the book are available from Amazon.com for $20.99 with uses copies starting at $8.90 as I write this, which is a good a bargain as you’ll find anywhere. The Kindle edition is $19.99 for those preferring a digital format.